Internships Are Interviews

For this week's assignment, I had to read a short blog post from a blog called Growing Leaders, by Tim Elmore. This article describes how a friend of Elmore had a bad experience with the interns he had in that summer. Elmore expresses how he is sad that millions of college students come to the work force unprepared. His friend's interns were proof of that fact. He suggested to his friend that he introduce future interns as it being "... a twelve week interview [and how] it's a simulation of the job [they'll] have one day"(Elmore).
He stated the four top qualities that business look for interns. These are:

1. Teachability: They want students who are hungary to learn from them
2. Initiative: They want students that look for what needs to be done
3. Responsibility: They want students who "own" the tasks they are given
4. Energy: They want high-energy workers who have a passion for their mission

Those four qualities will lead into a successful internship for both the student and the mentor/company.

http://growingleaders.com/.

I believe Elmore has very good points. His advise will definitely help me get the most out of my internship at the middle school. I really need to participate in the classroom as much as I can so that I will get real experience as a teacher. I need to show that I want to learn so that my mentor will be encouraged to pass on his knowledge and experiences to me. I must show that I truly want to become a teacher. My future interviewer might look back on how I participated in this program and decide to contact my mentor. I can only hope that I showed my desire and initiative to be a teacher.

This article's advise is very beneficial to any interns that might come across it before their internships. An internship is truly like an interview; it can show back up whenever a person is interviewing for a job, what better person to ask how you work in the workplace than your mentor. These four points would also be beneficial in that if the intern follows these points, they would the most out of their internship.

Meeting Your Mentor/ First Day of the Mentorship

For my first ever assignment on the Honors Mentorship Program, I had to listen to a podcast and read a document created by my teacher about things to do when you meet your mentor for the first time or when you have an interview. Here are some of the ideas both the podcast and the document expressed:

• ·      ALWAYS stay positive. Most companies and mentors want a positive atmosphere in the workplace
• ·      Dress appropriately and always dress professional on your interview and on the first day. Moderately wear jewelry and makeup. You never know who you are going to meet
• ·      Show confidence: Do not be afraid to initiate a firm handshake, make eye contact with your mentor and/or coworkers, smile, and always have good posture
• ·      Arrive early. You want to build up a reputation of always being punctual and reliable
• ·       Be quick to learn names.
• ·      Research the company you wish to join and what your position is. This shows that you are truly interested in joining the company.
• ·      Start conversations with your mentor. Never be afraid to be honest about your accomplishments. Having conversations is beneficial because you both will get to know each other and even become close acquaintances.
• ·      Finally, work hard at every task you do

I am personally very excited about my mentorship! This will definitely help me learn how to become the engaging, helpful, and wonderful teacher I wish to become! I believe I will learn how to teach Social Studies in a way that students will enjoy. I hope to learn how to engage and interact with students and faculty.  This will definitely benefit me in that I will learn what exactly teachers have to do on a daily basis. I have had my mentor as a teacher before, and I know he will give me advice and teach me all I need to know about becoming a teacher. He will always encourage me to interact with the class and participate in as much as I can. This year is going to be great!