Internship Experience at NYPFWC Benefit Fund by Krista Reynolds

Where?
New York Police & Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund

How?
One long college night, I was having (another) crisis about what I wanted to do with my life. I decided I wanted to do something philanthropic so I could feel like I was giving back to the community. My roommate told me about New York Police & Fire because her father was on the Board. I talked with her father a bit about the organization and decided it sounded like a good fit. I applied and went through two interviews before finding out I got the position.

What did I do?
I never realized just how much work managing a nonprofit is until I saw it with my own eyes. Details/ and/or tasks that would normally be overlooked or handed off to someone else were completed by the office staff, and keeping inventory in check was more important than I would have ever imagined. Because all of these details needed to be monitored, my tasks varied from day to day. When I first arrived, my first two days were spent counting inventory from the last fundraising event they had. Monotonous- yes, but it was just something that had to be done. For the remaining majority of my summer with NYPFWC Benefit Fund, I solicited donations for our Annual Game & Family Day at Citi Field where the families of fallen first responders can enjoy watching the Mets play, eating delicious food, and taking part in a raffle (with the donations we received). To do so I emailed and called local business owners which helped me enhance my communication skills. I also had to work with Microsoft Word and Excel to keep track of donations and future contacts that may come in handy. The office staff were not only extremely friendly, but were always open to hearing the interns' ideas. All of the donations solicited were left up to the interns to choose, so it was fun thinking of what prizes the families would get the most out of. One of my favorite memories was receiving a bike as a donation and getting to see the little girl who won it on the day of the game. The Game & Family Day was memorable because I got to work alongside my four fellow interns who have all grown to be close friends of mine, and I was able to see just how much our families (beneficiaries) appreciated what we were doing for them.

Conclusion
All in all I had a wonderful time with NYPFWC Benefit Fund. I loved the people, and more importantly their cause. I recommend this internship for anyone interested in working for a nonprofit or managing their own, or simply interested in business operations. If you don't think this internship would be for you but you agree it's for a great cause, they are always looking for volunteers at their events. More information can be found on www.answerthecall.org.

Student Spotlight: FCLC's Layne Fable shares her career tips!

FCLC senior Layne Fable wrote an amazing blog post as part of the Looksharp Internship Blog Competition. You can find some of her tips on interviewing below. And be sure to check out the full blog post on her site, www.laynefable.com.

"Nothing is worse than a weak handshake, make sure your handshake is firm (but don’t Hulk crush their hand). Smile. Smile. Smile. Would you want to work with somebody who never smiles? (If your answer is yes, then we are not on the same page). It will also help calm your nerves if the person interviewing you is cheesin’ back as a result of your smile. Don’t forget: the person interviewing you has been in your spot, it helps to calm nerves as well. Listen to their questions and think about it for a second. It’s not a speed test on how quickly your answer comes out! Make sure to answer their question to the best of your ability, not just blurt something out. (I tend to speak quickly when I’m excited/nervous so maybe you guys do too!)"

FCA Student Spotlight: Sarah Antony -- Northwestern Mutual Internship Experience

Northwestern Mutual Financial Representative Internship

By Sarah Antony, '16

Fordham Career Ambassador

I first looked into an internship with Northwestern Mutual because I liked their company philosophy. It is focused on financial planning for the long term. True to form, the Financial Representative internship is also geared towards preparing interns for a career in the long term.

About the Internship Itself

       Northwestern Mutual treats its interns like full-time Financial Reps; we are encouraged to view ourselves as the CEO of our own financial services practices. The internship is difficult, but gives college students a head start on a long career. Northwestern Mutual is built on meaningful, trusting relationships with clients. Part of the expectation for new Financial Representatives is building up a client base for our own personal practices, with relationships that hopefully last a lifetime.

       That being said, the company knows it’s tough and has an incredible support system in place. Northwestern Mutual actually provides training and sponsors financial services licensing for each state. More experienced financial planners accompany new reps on client meetings. We attend weekly meetings where interns pick up soft skills and get a chance to ask for help with specific problems. Successful financial advisors, many of whom started out in the internship program, are more than willing to share their experiences, advice, and inspiration.

How to succeed

       This internship might be a good fit for outgoing people, but even if you don’t feel that networking comes to you naturally, anyone can learn how to do it. As a Financial Rep, I get a chance to put all the soft skills that I picked up as a Fordham Career Ambassador to work. Little things like sending prompt follow-up emails and presenting yourself professionally go a long way.

       If you are considering this internship, I recommend practicing meeting people in a casual setting to talk about your professional goals or schoolwork. It can be as simple as contacting a favorite professor or one of your friends who graduated and started working recently, and asking them to meet you for coffee.  This allows you to get used to the idea of arranging meetings, which I used to find awkward. In addition, it keeps your connections from going stale, and at the very least gives you the chance to enjoy a chat with someone you don’t get to see normally. You will have a much easier time as a Financial Rep if you have expanded the circle of people you feel comfortable reaching out to beforehand.

       Get into the mindset early on that you should be reaching out to the people you meet on campus and through Career Services events. Career Services taught me how to build a network, and the Financial Representative internship taught me what do with it.

-- For more information on this position and to apply, visit CareerLink, Job ID# 51006

Student Spotlight: Jess Baker -- It's Time to Talk LinkedIn

It’s Time to Talk LinkedIn

by: Jess Becker

       It is extremely rare to find a college student without Facebook. Being absent from the Facebook realm, especially during middle school days, was equivalent to “social suicide.” Facebook gives us a virtual sense of belonging and a place for self-presentation. 
       It comes as no surprise that social media has become an integral part of modern society - so much so that even children only 6 years old have started to gravitate towards social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. They are ruling these platforms by racking up countless followers.

       Yet, there is one social media account that we college students seem a little reluctant to create, and that is LinkedIn. 
       Here is why this may be the case: LinkedIn is unlike any other social media platform out there. It creates a bridge between us and the professional world, legitimizing the fear that our school years are coming to an end, and that we are growing up. For most of us these are some very scary and intimidating thoughts. Being serious and professional online is not that easy when we are used to posting embarrassing pictures of friends or posting our immediate reactions to Taylor Swift's latest performance. 
       However, in reality, we do grow older every day, even if we don’t like to believe it. We cannot just expect jobs and career paths to find us. When we are actually able to come to grips with this shattering realization, LinkedIn will become the best social media platform out there where we may want to invest most of our time. Of course this is assuming that most of us would agree that being found and offered a position with a dream company beats getting a plethora of likes on a new profile picture. Though it requires exerting some effort, LinkedIn can certainly ignite job and career development and eventually help us to successfully find a job we love.

       With that being said, carrying around a solid resume or just “existing” on LinkedIn is not going to cut it. We must be active and make ourselves noticed. Here are five quick and efficient ways to increase your chances of being found by the right people on LinkedIn: 
1.) Customize the URL with your name 
2.) Specify your tagline to show others what we are looking for 
3.) Connect to the Ramily and other Fordham Alumni groups 
4.) Upload a professional looking picture with a plain background and a smile on your face 
5.) Endorse yourself by effectively summarizing and detailing your goals, experiences and accomplishments
       Our profiles and activity on LinkedIn can surely make or break us. We must make being on LinkedIn worthwhile by making use of all that it has to offer. Otherwise, why not just be on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest? LinkedIn gives us the opportunity to build a professional online presence, to make connections with contacts, to research companies, to explore opportunities, and to learn more about networking etiquette. 
       So take advantage! To get kick started, add your internship and post-graduation information to the Fordham CareerInsights Platform http://fordham.12twenty.com/, and then check out http://university.linkedin.com/ for a closer look at LinkedIn and some more valuable tips!