“Recent reports — unemployment at a 25-year high, hundreds of thousands of jobs lost every month — are enough to make many job seekers want to hide under the covers.

It’s true that the number of openings has been falling, and that means more competition for jobs. What does it mean for job seekers? That the people with the best résumés and cover letters, the best networking and interviewing skills and the best ability to adapt to a changing market have a serious shot at the available jobs — and a serious advantage over those who cower under the covers.”

PHYLLIS KORKKI (New York Times, May 23, 2009)

This past Saturday I survived my first game day as an intern - something to be proud of! The Boston Cannons beat up the Chicago Machine with a final score of 22-11 (very impressive for a lacrosse game) and it was a beautiful evening at Harvard stadium to witness such a win. But, lets back-track to 8 in the morning - the time I arrived at our Allston office to start preparing for game day. Throughout the morning, half of the interns are required to work at the office (like myself) to take phone calls for last-minute ticket orders and inquiries, as well as gather the materials for the ticket office and clubhouse. The other half of the interns report directly to Harvard Stadium (the homefield of the Boston Cannons) to begin set-up on the field. After taking many hurried ticket orders (people seem to act on things at the last possible second), we packed up our cars and head for the stadium around noon. The rest of my duties until game time are quite varied and scattered - I helped with everything from merchandise set-up to tents and signage to birthday orders. Around 4 pm, we are required to be in “uniform” (khakis, staff polo, New Balance sneakers) and assume our game time positions - again, a time that I can wear multiple hats. On this particular game day, I was first responsible to work at the “Will Call” booth where I distributed pre-ordered tickets, as well as media and game passes for the VIPs (clearly, a very important task). Once face-off was approaching at 7 pm, I switched to the Fan Services tent where I managed the alternate jersey raffle - something we run each game to benefit Metro Lacrosse, a program which sponsors inner-city lacrosse leagues. Using my stellar Babson sales skills, the raffle was pretty successful and lasted until half-time - and then will be resumed at our next home game. After half-time, I helped monitor operations in the clubhouse and filled in at the merchandise tent until the final minutes when we begin breakdown. As an intern, breakdown primarily consists of: the merchandise tent and inventory, the entire field (including special zones such as the BudLight Barracks and the Qdoba Lounge, as well as all signage and equipment), the clubhouse, the Murr Center (where the VIPs reside), and the Fan Zone. Needless to say, being an intern on game days is very different than regular office days - a fair amount of manual labor is involved, and working a full day can be exhausting. With a high level of motivation, our entire team finished breakdown by 11 pm - when the 15-hour work day is finally completed and we are rewarded by our sponsors (Qdoba burritos for all!). I am tired just recapping the experience.

The third work week has commenced and it is yet another cool, cloudy day in the city. We are primarily focusing on ticket sales for the next home game which is on June 25th versus the Toronto Nationals. In addition, I am continuing my work on our new customer database (a tedious but rewarding task), digging deep into the depths of our numerous contacts. This weekend I will also be participating at the Special Olympics at Harvard for an outside marketing event to promote the Cannons season and brand. So far, I am thoroughly enjoying my experience here, and it is greatly influencing my thoughts of working for another professional sports team in the future - something I certainly would not mind pursuing.

-Lindsay

“It’s a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself. Makes you wonder what else you can do that you’ve forgotten about.”- American Beauty

Hello my avid readers! Last time I blogged I wrote to all of you describing my first day of work. In this blog, I’d actually like to describe to you the type of stuff I’ve been doing, experiencing, and learning in my first couple of weeks as a marketing intern at LazyBones. The name “LazyBones” might sound familiar to some of you due to the fact that they are a laundry and storage company that services Babson along with other schools across the country. It was in fact this company whose founders won the business plan award at Babson this past spring. When I saw their ad for an internship posted on Babson Career Connections, what caught my eye was the job description. They made it clear that whoever their intern was, they would be able to be as involved in the business as they wanted to be. This immediately motivated me to contact them, because with only one summer to do an internship I knew I wanted something where I could both learn a lot, but also challenge myself. I have found that learning about market research in a classroom, analyzing businesses in cases, and solving financial problems for schoolwork is one thing, but when you’re actually running your own business everything becomes more real and important. I was also very interested in the company after I learned their history. The two founders started the business right when they graduated college, and that is always something I have dreamed of doing. I have always dreamed of starting my own business since I was young, so I figured that working alongside entrepreneurs I would learn a thing or two about what it takes.

So here I am, well into my second week working for LazyBones.  My long-term project for the summer is to write a new marketing plan, which I couldn’t be more excited about. I have also been helping them with new brochures and other marketing ideas. One aspect that I’ve really become interested in while working at Lazybones is marketing through social media and networks. Since LazyBones needs to market to both the students and the parents, I think social media would be a great way for them to start penetrating their target market. I have obviously seen advertising on sites like Facebook before, but I have just recently become more acquainted with the ways in which Twitter is used for marketing. These are definitely great places to invest marketing dollars, and I’ve decided that I’d like to dedicate more time this summer into learning about how these marketing techniques can help LazyBones.

Until next time…

-Jess

First things first, I would like to introduce myself - my name is Lindsay Peterson and I am currently approaching my senior year at Babson, concentrating in Marketing and Global Business Management. I am a member of the Babson Field Hockey team, and I have also just returned from the most amazing experience of my life - studying abroad at the University of St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland (just outside of Zurich). And now here I am - just getting over my jetlag, moving into a new apartment in the city, and finishing up my first week of my new internship. After only being back in the States for about two weeks now, everything feels like quite a whirlwind - but I know another exciting chapter of my life is about to begin.

This summer I am fulfilling a position as a sponsorship intern for New Balance and the Boston Cannons, a MLL (Major League Lacrosse) team, in Allston, MA. I have just completed my first week as an intern, and it is amazing to imagine and acknowledge how I got here - I am extremely thankful and lucky for this particular position. Since I have been studying abroad in Switzerland for the past four months, my internship search was quite different than the typical Babson student’s - with no “face-to-face” contact and a six-hour time difference, there were many barriers that I had to overcome. Although I began the internship search prior to my departure in the beginning of February, I received little to no feedback from my inquiries; employers were simply not interested in looking for summer interns in November or December (do I blame them?). With that being said, I knew that I would have to undergo the internship process as a “foreigner” - unfortunately giving up the possibility to participate in any “real” interviews. Instead, I kept my head in the game as much as possible (taking into consideration the many distractions of the European lifestyle) and continued to frequent the Babson Career Connections website, as well as contact family and friends for potential opportunities. I truly learned the importance of really “putting yourself out there” - I felt as though my resume was all over the internet, hoping to be scooped up by my knight in shining armor (an interesting, respectable, and loyal company, that is). But, much like trying to find your “knight” - the process was anything but simple.

Towards the middle of March, my inquiries had finally sparked some interests (primarily from some Babson Career Connections postings). Initially, I was very excited and reassured - but sure enough, a trend began to develop that seemed quite detrimental - most companies refused to conduct phone interviews. Although this was somewhat discourgaing, I understood the importance of the “real life” and “face-to-face” contact of an in-person interview - something that I actually enjoy to do. But, this was not an option - I had to keep digging deeper, finding a company that would still be interested in me even if I was thousands of miles away. This moment finally came towards the beginning of April after reaching out to some of my contacts in the lacrosse world - a world that is very important to my family.

Earlier on in March, my father had suggested to look into potential sports marketing/management positions within the MLL - more specifically, within the Boston Cannons organization. As a student-athlete and long-term fan of the league, I found the possibility very intriguing and worthwhile to look into (plus, I like to think that I know a thing or two about lacrosse - and yes, marketing too). After inquiring via e-mail, I received a response from the General Operations Manager at the Boston Cannons concerning a phone interview to further discuss my resume and career/personal ambitions (a very exciting e-mail to receive indeed!). I responded immediately, trying my hardest to combat the time difference and arrange a phone interview as soon as possible - yet, those six hours seemeed to continually get in the way. After a lengthy e-mail tag (we’re talking about six or seven “RE:”), we finally arranged a phone interview that took place in the late afternoon in Switzerland and in the morning in Boston. Completely ignoring the long distance, we talked for over an hour about everything from potential intern responsibilities to strengths and weaknesses to favorite celebrities - the interview was not only interesting and informational, but comfortable and fun. Once the interview was over, all I could think about was how incredible it would be to receive this opportunity - my mind was antsy for over three days. About a week later, the General Operations Manager e-mailed me with the offer of being a sponsorship intern, a position that works directly under the General Manager - I was more than happy to instantly accept the offer. Although it was detailed as an unpaid internship, I knew that the experience was incomparable - one cannot put a figure on their ambitions (or their passions). At this moment, I had one more month ahead of me - feeling more secure and excited than ever before. I already knew that it would be a summer to remember.

And now here I am, one week down of my internship, adjusting to the city (and well, American) life, reconnecting with friends ad family and reaching out to new coworkers - I couldn’t be happier. I have just started my summer intern project, which consists of developing a new master database and CRM system (more on that later). I am also busy with preparing marketing and sales material for the upcoming Boston Cannons versus the Chicago Machine game this Saturday - something I am greatly looking forward to. I will be sure to further update all of you on my project and new tasks later this week - I know that there will be a lot going on since it is almost GAME TIME!

Until next time..

-Lindsay

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” - Thoreau

In order to ensure my effectiveness as a social entrepreneur in South Africa I had to first undergo an extensive study of the history and culture of South Africa. During this period I learned invaluable and enlightening information about South Africa and how it arrived at the current economy position it is in.

From my studies I have learned that South Africa is rich in fossil evidence of the evolutionary history of the human family. In fact, Scientist have estimated that humans lived in this region for over 100,000 years. However, in the 19^th century struggles between Africans and Europeans over land emerged and the results drastically altered the dynamics of an environment that was inhabited by our noble ancestors. Eventually the Europeans won and the British Parliament’s South Africa Act of 1910 gave South Africa its independence. Shorty after the legal system of apartheid or separateness was created and implemented. Furthermore, new laws forced blacks into townships and outlawed all major black opposition movements, including the African National Congress. This is one of the many reasons the famous Nelson Mandela was thrown in jail indefinitely.  In addition, racial restrictions/laws began to severely cripple the economy of South Africa, making South Africa an international pariah. In 1994 South Africa saw its first fully democratic election and the people began to gain a since of optimism.

Still today the racial separation that took place in the 19^th century affects Africans, as there are numerous people who die from starvation and diseases daily. Moreover, there are communities within South Africa that lack the resources that define civilization, as we know it in America, including sanitized water facilities, education facilities, fully structured legally systems, hospitals, etc. Now, that I completed this process and gained an understanding of the various issues that South Africans face routinely, I can full employ my abilities and creativity as a social entrepreneur to create a necessary project in South Africa during the course of my internship.  

I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Even as a little child I can remember exhibiting traits of an entrepreneur by selling various snacks and goods during lunch time to my fellow classmates in elementary and middle school. As I began to mature and transition from a kid, who vaguely understood what entrepreneurship encompassed, to a teenager, who realized that entrepreneurship embodied many forms, I began to “broaden my horizon” and open my mind to a form of entrepreneurship previously unknown. I discovered that by being a social entrepreneur I could change and improve the lives of various people in distant and foreign locations. For this reason, social entrepreneurship enticed my intuition and stimulated my interest as I began to dream of improving society and slowly eliminating poverty for all. Although my first semester at Babson and in FME was largely based on traditional entrepreneurship, which focused chiefly on producing revenues and profits, the idea of becoming a social entrepreneur always remained in heart.

After learning from the Babson Career Connections Center, (“BCCC”), that there was an internship opportunity in social entrepreneurship with a major 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation located in Washington, I performed extensive research on the company and the projects it produced.  As an upshot, I learned that the non-profit organization implemented several projects including building schools, libraries, and community centers in various impoverished regions across the globe. After I saw that the organization superseded my expectations and aligned with my passion, I began to holistically pursue the internship. My first priority was to visit BCCC, where I received invaluable help in ensuring that my resume was appropriate and formatted in an effective manner. Next, I proceed to completing the application process which included: writing several essays, submitting a resume, as well as an official transcript. Then, I strategically followed my completed application with several phone calls to the organization to check the status of my application and express my interest in the internship. Within two weeks of submitting my application I received confirmation, via email and phone, that I had been selected to move onto the next round of the application process which included multiple phone interviews and submitting a progress report for my classes. After completing this rigorous and lengthy process I was soundly confident that the organization felt I was an ideal candidate for the internship opportunity. Finally, after taking advantage of all the resources that Babson has to offer, I was notified that I had received the internship and would be interning in the Northern Providence of South Africa this summer. While in South Africa I will stay for approximately two months with a host family in the Manyeleti Community and perform groundbreaking work in Social Entrepreneurship in efforts to develop and implement sustainable projects that will immediately relieve these communities from poverty.

The day before I started my internship I spent the entire day moving into a new apartment in the area. The entire time I was unpacking, washing, and organizing all I could think about was what was going to happen the following day at 7:30am. It may sound crazy, but the thing I was most nervous about was actually arriving to work on time. I have never had to actually be at work dressed up in business casual at such an early time. My old office job I got to come in at 9am, so there was a big difference with my 45-minute commute on the subway. I went over the route I was going to take repeatedly in my head, in a subconscious attempt to memorize the transfers, and literally every step I was going to take.

Despite all my worrying and to my surprise, going to work on my first day went very smoothly. I didn’t oversleep, get lost, nor did anyone mug me. (Yes, I’m aware that is a silly thing to think might happen) I easily got to work with 5 minutes to spare, and walked in to the building feeling as if I had just won the lottery. I’ve realized over my twenty years that it’s the small victories in life like being on time to work when you’ve never really used public transportation before, that matter.

After I had successfully gotten past the security in the building and up to the 30^th floor, I immediately met another intern who had been interning all spring and was very friendly. This took away a lot of my nerves, because he was casual and seemed like he had really been enjoying his time with the company. As soon as I had settled in, I was put right to work, which I had been expecting. Before this day I had never really been around a lot of investment bankers, but trust me, from the first time I met these professionals I could tell they were a “different breed” as some would say. These women and men work ridiculous hours; some of them even sleep at the office! I truly felt honored to meet such driven individuals. In all honesty, I know that I never want to be an investment banker; however, their motivation is something that everyone can take into their own professional life as well as personal life.

Meeting all the people in the company was the biggest thing that stood out to me on my first day, not so much the actual work I was doing. I think this goes to show how important the culture is at the company you look to work for in the future. After my first day, I had met over 75% of the people that work in the office most of whom sought me out and introduced themselves. Even the founder of the company and one of the hardest workers took the time to ask me how my first day was going and talk to me about Babson specifically. I’m looking forward to learning from all the people around me this summer, as well as how I can apply all that I am learning to my career.

Blog #1: How I Got My Internship
By Nathan Gollogly

I have always considered marketing as a discipline I wanted to pursue, perhaps even as a career, so I believed that getting as much experience outside the classroom was equally as important as learning the concepts. Along with a friend, I approached my marketing professor in my first semester as a sophomore and the two of us expressed our desire to resurrect the Babson Marketing Association. We believed that a marketing club would provide a perfect medium through which we could gain a more practical and hands on experience in the field of marketing. True enough, it was through the BMA that I heard about the opportunity to have an internship in marketing for a startup organization. The company was an online literary journal, taking the “American Story” and making it available to both domestic and international audiences by translating social issues and stories of American life into a variety of different languages. My position was to do market research and help develop a way to attract readership. Applying for and securing the position was straightforward enough, but what I found was far more important than the actual application, was the desire I had from the beginning to pursue marketing. It was a combination of knowing what I wanted to do as well as being proactive in my environment that allowed me to find the type of internship I desired.

Once I knew that this opportunity of doing marketing for a startup was what I wanted to do, what helped me secure the position was using the resources that I had available. What I discovered was that professors are willing to help out even beyond class room material. Realizing this made it easier for me to approach my professors and ask for recommendations and advice. After being recommended by my marketing professor, I secured an interview, which led to an offer for the position that I readily accepted. By utilizing the resources available to me, I am now in the position to learn as much as I can in the upcoming months. This summer I plan to make use of this opportunity to its upmost potential, seeking to gain as much from this internship as possible, and test the concepts that I have learned so far from my Babson education.

MAGICKY- “OF OR POSSESSING SOME ASPECT OF EXTRA ORDINARINESS. A STATE OF BEING OR HAVING A MAGICAL OR SPECIAL NATURE”

The semester ended not too long ago and I’m already working the third week of my internship in the Big Apple. My career path is by no means conventional for a Babson student. If asked what my career path would be many would guess accounting or finance. However, my passion in life is music and I want to work closely with it. I aspire to work in the music industry as an A&R (Artists and Repertoire). A&Rs are the people that help new talent spread their wings and prosper in this industry by working with them on their albums from the sound to the promotion. Since my career path is so unconventional, I searched for internships in unconventional ways. I found my current internship on Craigslist after a couple of days of surfing the site’s listings. I work as a marketing intern at Sounds of Brazil (S.O.B.s), a legendary live venue in downtown New York City. I implement various marketing techniques for promoting the various live shows at the club.

The work atmosphere is pretty relaxed. Located in the basement of the building adjacent to the club the office is a quaint, with music buzzing from everyone’s respective corners. From day one, I pretty much was into the full swing of things. I briefly met with my eccentric supervisor, Kozza and got right to work. In my first week I was already searching various blogs, magazines and other media tools I could use to promote various upcoming shows. For the past two weeks I’ve been working tirelessly to get these shows out into the public eye. I have been working with blogs and social websites to have them posted in their content, as well as doing ticket giveaways with radio stations. I also work with other interns, and from the small amount of time we have interacted because the work is very independent in nature, I know we all click really well. My next moves are going to be to come up with some innovative ideas for promoting these shows aside from the routine methods we have been using. I’m really looking forward to leaving my mark on S.O.B.s before I head back to Babson in the fall.

Kozza coined the term “magicky”, one of many quirky words/phrases he uses in his vocabulary. He was right when he told me this summer and working with S.O.B.s would be “magicky”. I had never been to a show at S.O.B.s before. I saw my first show at the club this past Wednesday. Every third Wednesday of the month S.O.B.s hosts a showcase for up and coming R&B/soul singers called Sol-Village, which is hosted by Eric Roberson, an established R&B artist. Quite honestly, I fell in love. I love the ambiance of the club, how it is small and intimate unlike large concert halls. I was a fan of Eric Roberson before, but now more than ever. His live performance was amazing. His voice is astonishingly beautiful and there is no excuse for why he is not a better known act. Knowing how the behind the scenes works and seeing it come to life on stage has me thinking about now working in live music as a manager of a club like S.O.B.s. I love the magic in live music and the euphoric vibe it creates in a room full of people. As a music fan I know the joy that I get from watching a live show, and I would love to continue creating that special magic for others.

But, this is just the beginning and I cannot wait for the summer to continue unfold. Undoubtedly, it is going to be magicky, just like Kozza said.

The 80s gave us a lot of great things, and big hair bands like Europe, is one of them.

You may not know the artists, but you know the song: Final Countdown.

This is it. And although you’re leaving together, whether you have a job, or you’re just heading home, it still is farewell from Babson. The final countdown. 

We know it’s not easy out there, but remember, you go to a great school and CCD staff members are here all summer and ready to work with you to help you FIND A JOB! Over the past academic year, CCD counselors have worked with the corporate outreach team on a “Needs and Leads” campaign to identify employers with entry-level jobs based off of your needs and interests. We will continue to post these opportunities in Babson Career Connections and/or list them on the Facebook group pages as appropriate. So even though you leave campus in a few weeks, we will still be busy advocating for YOU!

Below you will find information about what happens with your Career Connections account once you graduate and how you can continue to engage with CCD. Although, this will be the last week that I send you a weekly update, new jobs are posted to Babson Career Connections continually and you will still have access to senior jobs through July 31 (after that date you will only be able to see alumni postings on BCC).

On behalf of all of us here at CCD, we wish you good luck with finals and a happy and safe senior week! Congratulations Class of 2009! You did it!!!