Megan Riksen:
Hello and welcome to the Work Like a Laker podcast. I'm Megan Riksen and today I'm joined by Grace Pushman and grace, my question for you today is did you do an internship?

Grace Pushman:
Yes. When I was an undergrad, I did one as an actuarial scientist. And then when I was in graduate school, I did one here at the career center. Ah,

Megan Riksen:
Wonderful.

Grace Pushman:
Yeah. How about you, Megan?

Megan Riksen:
Yeah, I actually didn't do any as an undergrad, which is definitely a regret of mine. I ended up studying abroad and doing some other things, but I wish I had kind of prioritized that. However, I was pretty clueless about what I wanted to do. So that's definitely something that I give advice on now. is even if you're not exactly sure internships are the perfect thing to kind of do, even if it's something that you're like, I don't wanna do this forever. It still is like really excellent experience.

Grace Pushman:
Yeah. That's I was in the same boat because I did do an internship, but it was right before my senior year and it told me that I didn't wanna go into that path. Yeah. Yeah. And then I was kind of scrambling and I wish I would've tried to do a second one. Do another one or volunteer somewhere or something that would get me some other experiences. Yes. But I think I was just floundering a little bit.

Megan Riksen:
same. So then I went to grad school and I specifically chose a program that I knew had some experiential components. So yes, that was, yeah.

Grace Pushman:
You made it work.

Megan Riksen:
I, I did it right the next time. Yeah. well, internships have been around for a long time, but they definitely have continued evolving over the years. So today we, we just really wanna give some of the basics of internships because we know they can be a little bit mysterious if you've never done one before you might be wondering, how do I find one? What are they, what am I doing? So we're gonna help to kind of define some of that today. So internships are a way for students to apply what they're learning in the classroom to the world of work. In a nutshell, that's what they are. Different majors programs. Industries may call them different things. So you can hear of the term practicum fieldwork, clinicals, student teaching co-ops, those all are essentially internships. So that's the word that we're going to use, even though depending on your major or program, they might choose a different term, but we're talking about experience that connects to the classroom, but that you do out in the real world.

Grace Pushman:
Yeah. And regardless of whether or not your program requires an internship, we highly recommend all students participate in one. And here's why so first they are one of the best ways to test out different careers and work environments, as you just heard. That's how I found out. I didn't wanna be yeah. In the actuarial field. Yeah. So that was very helpful. You can also gain skills employers look for in candidates and then finally they provide great ways to expand your professional network.

Megan Riksen:
Right? Absolutely. Okay. So let's do a little trivia, Grace.

Grace Pushman:
Ooh. I love trivia.

Megan Riksen:
All right. And I think we know the answers. We better, but , I'm still, we're still gonna quiz each other here. all right. So, and everyone at home, you know, play along so true or false internships can only be done for credit.

Grace Pushman:
Okay. Well I should get this correct. Because I did two that weren't for credit. Yes. So I'm going to say false. Yeah.

Megan Riksen:
Ding ding ding. Great. Yes. Some programs require students to complete an internship as part of the program while others might offer it as an elective. So if you're looking to get credit for your experience, be mindful of application and enrollment deadlines. In most cases, you'll need to complete some paperwork for your department. And essentially you'll be gaining approval from a faculty internship coordinator, which will then allow you to actually register for that internship class. In most cases at here at GVSU, they are listed as a four 90. So you'll register for that class in Banner. So that's why we recommend giving yourself at least one semester, if not, two, to actually search and apply for this internship, because you want to kind of have the internship set up and then you can follow through with some of these more of the logistics of getting academic credit if you choose to do so, but it's not required. So if you're looking to just gain experience and you don't want or need the credit you aren't gonna be quite as bound by these dates and deadlines, but it still is good to begin looking and applying at least a semester before you hope to complete the internship.

Grace Pushman:
Yeah. Great advice. And are you ready for the next question begin? I'm gonna throw one at you. Yes. All right. So true or false internships cannot be paid.

Megan Riksen:
Yep. So that is false.

Grace Pushman:
Okay.

Megan Riksen:
Internships can definitely be paid, but they can also be unpaid.

Grace Pushman:
Ooh. Yeah. So let's talk. Uh they may be offered. Internships may be offered either as paid or unpaid experiences. And unfortunately, some industries and programs are unable to offer paid experiences. If you fall into this category, grand valley does offer some resources to support students. The career center, internship award, and first generation career support scholarship are two scholarships students can apply for when they are completing unpaid internships. But I will say in the career center, we are continually working with employers to encourage them to pay their interns. Internship payment may come in the form of like an hourly wage stipend, reimbursement, or even gift cards. So we're always trying to encourage that when we meet with employers.

Megan Riksen:
Yeah, absolutely. And I don't, I mean, other than in some rare fields where it really is hard to get paid, I don't think it's too much to kind of set a goal for yourself to find a paid internship.

Grace Pushman:
You do a lot of work. I, I will say as a former teacher, that's, that's one of the fields it's sometimes tough. Although I did hear that Grand Rapids Public Schools, public. Yeah. Are now I think offering a stipend, I think too. Right. They're they're student teachers, which is great.

Megan Riksen:
Yeah. So hopefully things are, will continue to move in that direction. I think they have, yes. Over time employers are realizing more and more that, you know, you should probably pay people for the work that they're doing. Yes so yeah, hopefully we keep making strides in those areas. Yeah, totally. All right. Next one for you. On average, how many hours per week do interns work? And this is multiple choice.

Grace Pushman:
good.

Megan Riksen:
Yes. A 10 hours. B 20 hours, C 40 hours D all of the above.

Grace Pushman:
Okay. So I know when I was a student teacher and I forgot to mention, I didn't include that. So if you felt student teaching, which it does count, I've done, I think like four internships there. So you go as a student teacher, I was teach in that classroom 40 hours a week. So that would be C however, when I was in the career center, I was, I think, 18 hours a week or something like that. So I'm gonna have to say D cuz I think it varies.

Megan Riksen:
I think you're right. Okay. Yes, yes, absolutely. There really is a pretty big range, so you know, it, and it often depends on the time of year that you're completing the internship and it also is kind of dependent on if you're receiving credit or not. So during the summer a lot of internships may be, you know, up to 40 hours a week because that could be your primary position during the summer. And you, you know, are potentially not taking classes at that time. But you know, the fall winter internships typically are more in the 10 to 15 range. Most internships that are for credit require about 50 hours of work as an equivalent to one credit hour, one academic credit. So if you're completing a three credit internship, you'll work a minimum of 150 hours over the course of the semester. So 15 weeks we do a little fast math. That's an average of 10 hours a week that you would be doing that internship. But as we said, that really, really does vary. You'll wanna have a conversation with your internship supervisor probably throughout the process to know what their expectations are before you say yes, I can do that. You know, and little things like making sure they can be flexible with your school schedule, you know, when you're taking classes and things like that. Just keep those channels of communication open.

Grace Pushman:
Yeah. And I think too, sometimes it's hard to find all that info. Yeah. So my always my suggestion to students is to use Google because sometimes it's hard to navigate the grand valley website for like, if you're looking for something very specific. Yeah. So for example, if you are a criminal justice major, just Google criminal justice field worker, criminal justice internships at, and then grand valley mm-hmm and you should find a link that will hopefully give you some the info of like how many hours you'll need and, and things like that.

Megan Riksen:
So most departments for most majors will have some sort of information about how they manage their internships for credit. If you're not doing it for credit, then you can just work, work with us in the career center. Yeah,

Grace Pushman:
Exactly. Yep. All right. Last one. You ready? Megan?

Megan Riksen:
I am true

Grace Pushman:
Or false. The best time to complete an internship is your senior year.

Megan Riksen:
Oh, definitely false. Don't want you to wait that long.

Grace Pushman:
No, because as we said, like you are testing things out and, and you know, if you don't like it, you might be left in a little lurch. Yeah. Which is what happened to me. So when you complete your internship is really up to you and what works best with your schedule. It can be helpful though, to have some of your major related courses completed beforehand and in some cases it's required. So you have to look at those like again, based on your field, your major, what are those requirements for prereqs and all of that? So looking to complete your internship junior or senior year may make some sense yep. Based on, on those stipulations that being said, some organizations prefer hiring sophomores with the hopes of retaining them for more than one semester. And I think some of what Megan and I were alluding to too, is that it's nice. If you can start a little bit earlier, because then if you don't like it, you have some time to switch paths or even if, whether you do or don't like it, you have time for maybe a second internship, which we also recommend. Yes. So yes. You know, if you could maybe start looking sophomore year or do it, you know, before in your junior year, if that's always, maybe a good plan.

Megan Riksen
Yeah. I would say kind of that junior year timeframe is the most typical. Yeah. But we know freshmen who have done internships. You know? So using career center resources in your first and second year at grand valley, that's only going to help you maybe get the internship later on, or maybe you choose to do one that's a little bit more general perhaps mm-hmm earlier on. Yeah. And then kind of, you know, get a little more specific in terms of the actual career path you wanna go later on. So yeah, so many options and I know that sounds very overwhelming. But you know, that's why a conversation with your career advisor can be really helpful to start to plan some of that out as early as possible. And we have lots of good tips for making that happen.

Grace Pushman:
Exactly.

Megan Riksen:
So speaking of tips, we, we want to go through kind of a five step process for actually finding an internship because that's probably the biggest question we get is how do I find one? So let's, let's do five steps here, grace. Okay. So the first one is get focused. So it's good to be open to opportunities. Of course, we wanna keep an open mind whenever we're doing this kind of work, but it's better to have an idea of the type of work you want to do, or perhaps maybe just the type of organization you are looking for. It helps to have a little focus, you know, if you think about popping on the handshake and there's, you know, thousands of internship positions posted, if your brain is like, I'll do an internship anywhere in any field. I just wanna experience, you're gonna have thousands of internship listings to look through.

Megan Riksen
It's overwhelming. So overwhelming. Yeah. But if you can instead say either I wanna be in this specific, you know, 50 mile radius, which a lot of internship students will do them locally because you are going to school here. And you know, think of those other criteria. Is there a specific skill you wanna be using? Is there a specific type of work, a specific organization? These are all good things that, you know, especially as we talk about doing this work early on, a lot of that work can be done in your freshman and sophomore year. Yeah. Figuring out what you want, first of all, it's gonna make the search process a lot easier.

Grace Pushman:
Yes. Or even like narrowing it down to make like three different options. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, cuz yeah. Otherwise it gets so overwhelming with all the choices yeah. That we have. All right. So let's go tip number two, which is to reach out in other words to network. Yeah. So using LinkedIn and handshake to identify classmates and alumni who are working at places you might be interested in is a great idea. Attending events is a great way to connect with professionals. You can also talk to your professors and peers about the experiences you're looking for. People usually like to help. But they can't do it if they don't know what they can help you with. Yes. So you need to really just start having conversations with people. And again, this is where time is on your side. If you start as a freshman or sophomore mm-hmm because then you can really start building those relationships that now when you're a junior, you can reach out to someone you met with as a freshman or a sophomore in a, at an event and say, Hey, like, you know, do you have any current openings?

Grace Pushman:
Or, you know, it's just a way to keep some doors open for yourself for when you are ready to do that internship.

Megan Riksen:
Right. And when you have conversations with people specifically, you know, maybe it's you try to talk to a senior here at grand valley, who's done an internship or two they might also give you other ideas, right? Yeah. Like you might think, oh, I really am interested in this, but they say, you know, here's this other thing that I got to do as a part of my internship. And you're like, oh, maybe I even like that better. So it, yeah.

Grace Pushman:
I, I will also add to like a good precursor to an internship is informational interviewing. Yeah. Yeah. Which will, you know, let you not only find out info about different careers that maybe you're not 100% sure about, but you're interested in, but then also will help you to network. So if you wanna learn more about informational interviewing again, if you just like Google that term plus grand valley, we have a page all about it on our website. Yep.

Megan Riksen:
Absolutely. All right. Our third step in the, the process is to assemble your materials. So materials that you you're gonna need are definitely a resume. We also always recommend including a cover letter. And then depending on your industry, you may also want or need to include some writing samples, maybe some samples of your work. I think we see that a lot in some of the more creative spaces. If you're looking to work in, you know, marketing or advertising in some way for example, as a social media coordinator, you're gonna want to have something to show for that. Did you design some graphics? You know, what did that look like? So it's important to have all of those elements kind of ready to go. Our career lab is a great place to get started. Even if you just wanna brainstorm, you know, what might I need? I, I have a resume. Can you help me with that? But also here's the field I'm in. What else would you recommend that I do? We can definitely help with that.

Grace Pushman:
Yes, we, this is our, this is what we love to talk to students about. Yeah. So come see us. Number four is search and apply. So while networking tends to lead to many opportunities be sure to also take advantage of online postings. So handshake is a great place to start as that's where employees go to look for students. So they want, you know, any employer who is on handshake specifically requested to connect with grand valley. So they want our students, they want you all. So that is a great place to start your search. And again, come see us and we're happy to go through some of the ins and outs. Handshakes seems like it'd be, it is pretty easy to use, but there's a lot of hidden things on there. Yep. That I think help making, make searching easier if you know about them. So feel free to come chat with us and we can

Megan Riksen:
Talk to you about that. And I will say another good place to check. Just a little bit more passively would be through our career communities. So if you just go to our website, join a career community, you'll get to our career community landing page. Even if you're not sure exactly which one start kind of checking out the communities we offer, we have six of them. And within each of those, we pull a feed from handshake, with jobs and internships that are related to that community. So that can be a really good for starting point. Yes.

Grace Pushman:
Yes. It's kind of like, we hand you like a little handful of like here's five to check out this week. Yeah. Or this

Megan Riksen:
Month. Exactly. Yeah. And then while you're there, you can quickly join a career community as well, which then we will also be sending you a newsletter and lots of info. Yeah. So that's another good thing to do. All right. Our final step is get ready to interview. So interviewing is a part of most internship searches. This can happen in person, but also we see a ton of virtual interviews as well. And of course we have lots of tips and resources on our website. We actually have multiple podcast episodes that you can find on our, you know, work like a Laker feed on how to get prepared. And remember an interview is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the opportunity as well. So that's something I'll tell students a lot, is it doesn't hurt to kind of throw your hat in the ring. If it's something you're interested in, you get an interview and then it becomes a conversation where of course you're being interviewed, but you get that chance to figure out if it is a good fit for you as well.

Grace Pushman:
Yeah. And I will say too, with interviewing and internships, they vary so much just like in any career where I know when I was interviewing for student teaching, it was a very brief conversation, very easy by my mentor teacher. It was lovely. Yeah. It was just a chat. It was so it was so low stress. And then when I interviewed for the actuarial internship, yeah. It was four and a half hours long. That was the, the first interview I ever had. That was that that long and that professional feeling. Yeah. And I was so exhausted at the end. I mean, it went well, but yeah, so you just, you know, you, you wanna, you can always like check beforehand too to see if you have, if like handshake has any info about what that internship sorry. Interviewing experiences like yeah. Yep. Or again, ask your classmates and stuff if they might know or us.

Grace Pushman:
So absolutely. Yeah. Preparing for interviewing is, is huge. So we have one more pro tip. So a little final tip here. You wanna follow up along the way. So after networking or meeting someone at a career event, send a follow up, thank you. After an interview, send a follow up. Thank you. After you apply for something, send a follow up. Thank you. So or follow up inquiry, like, you know, how's the, can you gimme an update on how the job search or the interview process is going? Yeah. Or the application process is going you wanna make sure there's a reasonable time that has passed. So if you like do apply for something you don't wanna check in the next day you might wanna wait at least a week or something. It just, and also you might wanna look in when the closing date is to see right. And wait until after that has closed. So keep those in mind too. And then just always know that the process may not go in order and there may be times a step gets skipped or you may have to double back and that's okay. The important part is being proactive. This is your search. So you have to take control over it. Mm-Hmm

Megan Riksen:
absolutely. That's yeah. That's huge. Yeah. Yep. And you'll find that that's easier to do the more information you have. Exactly. That's why kind of those beginning steps are so important because you'll feel much more confident in, in the process if you're like, I know what I want and here's what I'm going for and here's how I'm gonna do that. Yeah. Yeah. Good. Okay. So to close out our episode today, we actually have a guest who we get to hear from who has done multiple internships. So let's move over there. So now it is my pleasure to introduce our guest for this episode. Caylie Peet is a GVSU alum. Hi Caylie. Hi. How are you today? I'm super great. How are you? I'm great. Yeah. So excited to be interviewing you. We've heard your name around here in the career center a few times because you've done a bunch of, of internships, right?

Caylie Peet:
Quite a few. Yes.

Megan Riksen:
So you're like our rockstar student and we like wanna tell everybody about right.

Caylie Peet:
Don't wanna go that far, but I mean, I have had quite a few internships yeah. In my time. Pretty proud of 'em all too. So

Megan Riksen:
That's awesome. Okay. So let's go back a little bit further. Maybe even before the internships, what did you major in here at grand valley? What degree or degrees do you have? Can you start with that?

Caylie Peet:
Yeah, so I graduated in 2016 from hospitality and tourism management with a focus on meeting and events management. Nice. And then came back five years later to graduate in 2021 with a Master's in Communications. Perfect.

Megan Riksen:
So where did that lead you? What are you doing now?

Caylie Peet:
I currently work for the grand rapids chamber of commerce as the minority business program manager.

Megan Riksen:
Awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do in that role? I just think it's always so helpful. Like when you hear a title that isn't like the average job title, right. It's not like accountant or something I always like to hear more. So tell us a little more.

Caylie Peet:
Yeah. So my role within the chamber is to support our historically underrepresented members and business owners and ensuring that they get the same opportunities as every other, every business owner. And that really push an inclusion and equality in the business experience that they have. But at the same time, really giving them an opportunity to amplify the voices. And when it comes to ultimately making decisions in the community, business leaders are the ones who make decisions. And so we wanna ensure that their voices are in that conversation too.

Megan Riksen:
I love that. So you're talking to people all day long, all day long. That's

Caylie Peet:
Your job? That's my job. Yeah. I like to call myself the hype man. so I'm more or less like I'm in the background, like being like the cheerleader who's like,

Megan Riksen:
Yeah, you can do it. Let's let's get you there.

Caylie Peet:
Oh yeah. We've had some really cool experiences. I've had a chance to take members to meet the governor and the Lieutenant governor. Very cool. And just kind of sat in the background and just watched as they just like, you know, we have some things going on. It's like, yeah, we do.

Megan Riksen:
You're like, I made this happen and now they get to like spread their little wings and fly. Yeah,

Caylie Peet:
Yeah. A little bit like that. I work with a really cool team of 30. We're a small group. That's awesome. But small, but mighty we serve 2,400 members. Um we are, that's a lot all over the place. Yeah. Our, but it's just so fun to just watch people just truly be their authentic selves and so good. The businesses are so different, a vast like across the board of who I work with. Yeah. And so to see someone get excited about their dream coming to life, cuz that's honestly what it is is these small business owners are dream makers and they get to go to work every day and you're doing so much for your community, but also like the business you have is putting food on the table. It's getting your kids to ballet classes. It's amazing dreams coming to life. And to be a part of that is it's a gift in itself.

Megan Riksen:
So cool. I love it. That's great. Okay. So I know I kind of ruined the punchline, but you had how many internships?

Caylie Peet:
Seven.

Megan Riksen:
Oh my gosh. And that was just in undergrad or does that include grad school? That was just undergrad. Oh my word. Okay. So I guess I, I have so many questions about that, but what I guess what was kind of the first one you did, when did you do it and what who encouraged you to do it? Or why did you do it?

Caylie Peet:
Yeah. Start there. So the hospitality department is required that you have a thousand hours of internships. Yes. When you're in it. Amazing. So that that's three like broken up over the course of your career as an undergrad and the reasoning behind that is they really want you to get that real world experience, which I think is amazing to like require that need. Well, when you hear a thousand, you're like, oh my gosh. And then, then I go above and beyond. And I'm like, I probably did 5,000.

Megan Riksen:
My gosh. That's amazing.

Caylie Peet:
But that's where I started was just trying to figure out okay. Where I want to go. Mm-Hmm and my first internship was in, I believe, 2013 with the leukemia lymphoma society. Okay,

Megan Riksen:
Great.

Caylie Peet:
So I did two internships there through the course of that year. Yep. Yep. One was an event intern and then one was an assisted on a campaign. Great. So that was like my first starting

Megan Riksen:
Points. Okay, awesome. So, right. So you had this 1000 hours required, but like you said, you definitely went above and beyond that. So what was it that made you think I'm gonna keep going? I'm gonna get more experiences. I feel like most students would be like, I did a thousand hours. I think I'm good.

Caylie Peet:
Yeah. the reason why is because I just wanted to seek every opportunity available and within the industry of hospitality, when you hear that phrase more commonly I know for me when I started it's weddings and hotels or cruise lines and I didn't know what I wanted to do and I didn't want to like put myself in a position to be really, really good at one thing I wanted to know myself and where I could go and what that's so good, like soft skills and hard skills I could take in, move them into different industries. Mm-Hmm and I realized that a lot of the places of curiosity that I had were more commonly accepting internships, opposed to doing part-time jobs at that point. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like, you know what, I'm already here. I'm required to do it. I know what it's like and this time I can yeah. Figure it out. And that's kind of where I went from there.

Megan Riksen:
I love that. So you did a combo of some, for credit, some not for credit,

Caylie Peet:
Some paid some, not some paid.

Megan Riksen:
Okay. That's also really good to know cuz yeah. I mean obviously we would love if every internship was paid, but were the ones you took unpaid because you just really wanted that specific experience.

Caylie Peet:
Yeah. So some of them were because it was the experience. I was able to go to Las Vegas and work with choice hotels as a three day intern. So again, it wasn't anything long, but it was three long days and I didn't get paid, but I got paid to go to Las Vegas. I was like, that's fine in itself.

Megan Riksen:
And what a, what a cool experience.

Caylie Peet:
It was such a cool experience. You got to be around like owners and CEOs of these hotels across that whole region. And to be in there, be around them. Mm-Hmm was something I was like, I wanna just be here. And I was like, you know, I may not get these opportunities again. So it's okay to take a pay cut and work at the same time. Sure. Yep. Cuz ultimately I knew that I probably wasn't gonna get that chance again. So that's why took the risk and decided to not get paid because I got paid in so much more experience mm-hmm and I walked away with so many things about myself, but also I was able to create relationships within those internships sure. That I could still carry. And that was even, that was worth more money to me. Yeah. At that point it still is. Right,

Megan Riksen:
Right. That makes so much sense. How did you fit all of these internships into your schedule? Were you just, were you working like 80 hour weeks? What's what was happening?

Caylie Peet:
I would say that, yeah. I would say that it was really more just like time managing myself and just knowing what I could do and knowing where I was at. So I took, I would taking the minimal amount of courses. I took 12 credits. I didn't do like 15 or 18. I was like, I just really want to dedicate that time that I had. Yeah. I think I did one semester with 15. Sure. a lot of them were in the summer. Okay. Yeah. That's great. So that was a big push. Yep. But then also just understanding the different opportunities of internships. So one of them, for example, was I worked for the grand rapids Griffins and the intern role was you only worked games. Oh great. It was Wednesdays Fridays, Saturdays on nights. Yes. Yes. That's so much easier. Yes. So it's just trying to find the right balance in what worked for my schedule.

Caylie Peet:
Mm-Hmm where I went up to traverse city and worked at the national cherry festival. I was an intern for three weeks. Yep. So it was three weeks nonstop work, but it was, you impacted a lot of time in that, in that opportunity. Right. So really it was just knowing what I could navigate and also being very open with mm-hmm myself and the employers that I had. Cause I still had to make money during that timeframe too. Yes. And I was very fortunate and I had employers who were understanding that I was like, I'm trying to learn everything I can. And they were very aware like this is a part-time college kid trying to figure it out. We're gonna let them figure it out. Yes. Which it worked out in my favor.

Megan Riksen:
I love that. But I think that like go getter attitude of yours. Like I want to keep learning like that. I'm sure went a long way.

Caylie Peet:
Oh absolutely. Yeah. I have a desire to learn on so many levels. Yes. Because I just want to know more than I can get just on every day kind of experience mm-hmm mm-hmm and it's so interesting to like look back and say, I worked for the grownup as Griffin's I worked as natural cherry festival. I was able to went to Las Vegas. I went to Las Vegas. I went to Houston, Texas, and my gosh, I was able to do all of these things and I get to take all these experiences. Mm-Hmm one of the big reasons why I was so adamant about internships is that I wasn't able to study abroad, but I still wanted that opportunity to explore outside of absolutely where I'm from. Cause I grew up in grand rapids. I went to school in grand rapids. Yeah. I like to say that I'm born, raised and educated here in west Michigan. I love that. Very proud of that, but I still was like, I just wanna know more of course. And if it can, if my school can provide an opportunity to take me there mm-hmm I can get credit or I can get paid or I can make a great relationship. This is great. There we go. Let's keep going. Yeah.

Megan Riksen:
I love that. Okay. So I think that's excellent advice. Do you have other advice for students maybe embarking on their first internship, how to be successful in an internship regardless of what you're doing? Like what, what are those things you did?

Caylie Peet:
It was knowing when to ask questions. Okay. Yeah, because I, as a person who has now worked for, since I graduated in 2016, I've worked in many places that have interns mm-hmm and I've had an intern myself. Okay. That's my fun. I've experienced that. The other side of it. Yes. It's asking questions because mm-hmm, in the phrase internship mm-hmm the employer is set up for you to be like, I'm here to answer your questions. I'm here to help you learn. What do you want to know? I also asked questions when it came to, Hey, I know I'm doing this role, but I'm really curious to know about that role. So can I on maybe a day that I'm not working job shadow that other department, so,

Megan Riksen:
And did you find that people were pretty open? Yeah.

Caylie Peet:
Do that. Yeah. They're pretty open. Yeah, because I was still doing the work that I was asked to do. Right. And I was asking you it on my own time and I was, and I was putting it back in their hands. Like I wanna learn about your organization. That is

Megan Riksen:
Such good advice.

Caylie Peet:
Like how can I keep growing?

Megan Riksen:
Right.

Caylie Peet:
I think another thing to, and this is more towards the end of your internship mm-hmm is when you're done. With the credit version with grand valley, we had to have an evaluation process mm-hmm and that was required. And our faculty would come and check in on us. But even when I wasn't in an environment where credit was required, I still ask that same question. What could I do better? How was my experience working with me? Like I wanted to know. I also was, I was more or less like if I'm gonna have a critique, I want it now so that I can be a better person for myself. Yep. And then in the end, I just, when I walked away, I was like, can I get a letter of recommendation from my experience here? Okay, great. And I have like, I have a stack of them that yes, it they're based on different industries, but it's super nice too, because I was able to take take what they gave me, move it to maybe a different industry, a different job, but it's like, Hey, I'm versatile in what I can do. Look at what, the time that I put in.

Megan Riksen:
Yes. Yes.

Caylie Peet:
I think another, another piece of advice. So on top of that is if there's an opportunity to do something else while you're there take that opportunity. If it works for your schedule, like I was at an one of my internships and I'll keep this one more secret for this organization. but they actually asked me to like, Hey, can you fill in as this individual or this role? Mm-Hmm we just need someone to do it. And I was like, sure, like, why not? Right. which ended up being one of my favorite things I ever did. Really. Yeah. Well I'll just say it. I got to be gr for the Griffins.

Megan Riksen:
Oh my gosh.

Caylie Peet:
And that was just filling in because they needed not for the game. Me very clear was never game Griff game Griff is a whole different person, but for the community relations sides of things, I was able to do that. And one it's hilarious cuz no one realized it was me. Oh, that's amazing. But that opened up more doors for me. Did it? It did. I was actually a mascot a couple more times after that.

Megan Riksen:
That's incredible.

Caylie Peet:
And it's just one of those things that it's just, and then it's honestly one of my favorite conversation pieces that I have.

Megan Riksen:
Well, yes. That, I think that is such a good point, because think about interviews, think about networking events. Those things can be hard. Yes. You're nervous. You're absolutely anxious. The people in front of you might also be feeling, you know, it's hard to make small talk and interviews are whole separate thing, but to have kind of that super fun story.

Caylie Peet:
Yeah. That

Megan Riksen:
Is so valuable.

Caylie Peet:
Oh absolutely.

Megan Riksen:
That's so valuable to break the ice. It'd be like, you wanna know one of the best parts of that job yeah.

Caylie Peet:
Cause I got to be a mascot that you didn't even know. We probably met.

Megan Riksen:
We might have met.

Caylie Peet:
Totally. And I just think it's it's one of my favorite experiences. It's just, and it's also brings the relatable side of it too. Yeah. another one for me was that and I love sports. Okay. So I was able to work at the NCAA. Men's final four tournament. Really? I did, it was in Texas and it was ah, thanks to hospitality department, but I got to go and I was court side at one of the greatest games of my life. Gosh boy, that's a conversation piece. Absolutely. So I'm not just saying this in the sports world, but there are moments that you may not ever be able to see again, if it wasn't for the fact that you tried as an intern,

Megan Riksen:
I love that. That's so great.

Caylie Peet:
It's fun.

Megan Riksen:
Inspirational. I love it. That's so good. Awesome. Well, we, we won't spend too much more time, but if you could leave us with some advice for students who are looking for an internship, what would be, be some of your kind of go-to moves to make that, make that happen?

Caylie Peet:
It's odd you say that because mine was 10 years ago, which is so different. It's a different environment. Sure, sure. Yeah. So I'm gonna go with the advice that I have for myself 10 years ago please. Cause technology. I know doesn't seem like it was that far off, but it was yeah.

Megan Riksen:
Things evolve for sure.

Caylie Peet:
Was I made great relationships with my advisors that fantastic professors, three of my...

Megan Riksen:
So academic advisors and faculty. Great.

Caylie Peet:
Three of them of my internships came because they're like, I think you really good at this. Oh that's great. And just said conversation learning about yourself. Yes. And also I think it's just when you're present in mm-hmm looking at the different jobs you have or the different opportunities when you're starting out, ask around mm-hmm ask like insight. Well what, how do you think this should go? Or like any questions on people that actually know you? Yep. Yep. Because they're the ones who often know you the best and that's absolutely. They may be able to give you advice that you didn't even know. Right.

Megan Riksen:
You've considered this. Have you thought about that?

Caylie Peet:
Exactly. Yeah. It's just looking at like, Hey, we've spent a lot of time together. What do you think is like of my greatest qualities? Like ask someone else, literally

Megan Riksen:
Asking it. Yeah. Yeah.

Caylie Peet:
Just ask. Yep. And I think it's just really getting out there and lowering you are looking at, regardless of what industry and looking at maybe your background or what degree you're trying to seek, don't be afraid to go outside of the box. Yes. And look at different opportunities for me. I look at now I work at a chamber of commerce. Yep. I CA I worked at a construction company prior to that. There you go. And then I had seven internships that were across the country in various industries. Right. But because of that, I feel I'm a very well-rounded person. And I learned a lot about what I liked, what a lot. I didn't like mm-hmm and also having a chance to work for a large organization, a small one. And non-profits yes. There's so much opportunity in all of those spaces. Mm-Hmm and I think now is the time for students to really get out there and try, cuz it's a lot harder to switch jobs when you're in your thirties trying to move into the, what should I do now? Exactly. Well, this is your time to do it.

Megan Riksen:
You can pivot much more quickly between internships than you can.

Caylie Peet:
Absolutely.

Megan Riksen:
Once you've kind of acquired that full time role.

Caylie Peet:
Absolutely. And I do think that don't disregard the ones that don't get paid, like take the unpaid internship. Yep. Because there are relationships there, there are opportunities there that may, they may not be able to provide you in a dollar amount. Yep. But they could take you so much farther. You just give 'em a chance. That's

Megan Riksen:
Great. Awesome. I think that's a really good place to end our conversation. So thank you so much. This was very valuable. I feel like we need to have you on again to tell us more stories from your experiences.

Caylie Peet:
I've come back anytime. Excellent. I love this. This is fun

Megan Riksen:
For me. So good. Well, thanks again, Caylie, and to everyone listening. Thanks so much for joining us and we hope you tune into a future episode soon.