Extern 2007 Testimony

It’s been fun to talk to students who participated in the Extern program over spring break and came back with some great stories. For those who don’t know, the Extern program give students an opportunity to get into the ‘real world’ for one week of the spring semester to see how a particular industry or job position actually functions. I myself went to Sprint’s World Headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, and had a great time.

Craig Hooker, a senior in marketing, wanted to go to an innovative company in the marketing and PR field. Ketchum stepped up to the plate and delivered! Ketchum is one of the worlds leading public relations agencies, delivering innovations that help clients across all industries quickly realize their communications goals.

Craig was kind enough to contribute to this blog entry - Read on:

‘When I first heard about the externship program offered by the alumni association here at SIU I was a bit pessimistic that an experience such as this could be very useful. Now that I have gone through the application process and the one week externship process I’m positive I made the right decision on how to spend my spring break. While many of my comrades were out soaking up the sun, consuming alcohol, and spending the surplus they took out on their student loans in exotic places, I was getting valuable career experience and preparing myself for December 2007 when I will be released into the “real world.”

I worked alongside another SIU extern at Ketchum in the Aon Center across the street from Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. I was greeted by many kind employees, and shown around the office immediately upon arriving. One of the first things I noticed was the positive attitude at Ketchum. From my professional experiences I have seen and worked in other offices, but the people here were different, they actually seemed to like their jobs. Everyone seemed glad to have me there, and made a constant effort to answer all of my questions. Their excitement for their work, made me excited to be there. Everyday I got to sit in on meetings, shadow people in different areas of the company, and go out for lunch on them. It put flesh onto the bones so to speak, as the things I had learned about public relations in school were brought to life.

I thank the Alumni Association and all who were involved whole-heartedly. I will suggest this experience to all my colleagues here at SIU in the future. The externship program is more than just resume filler or a chance to learn about a company. It’s a chance to get your foot in the door at a company, and get face time with all the employees so that they will recognize you if you want to work with them in the future. It’s a chance to really get a feel for the work the people do at a company, and explore your options. It’s a chance to get in an interview and learn interviewing skills during the application process. Yes, I know it’s only a week long, and no, it can’t replace an internship or professional experience in your field, but it is a valuable experience that will get you much further than the nice tan you could have got on the beach.’

Sounds like Craig had a great time - Where are you going next year for Spring Break?

Free Membership to the Illinois CPA Society for New Graduates!

The Illinois CPA Society has announced a special membership offer for graduating student members!

All graduating student members of the Illinois CPA Society will get one FREE year of membership for their first year out of school. Just click here to activate your free membership.

This opportunity to receive a complimentary professional affiliate membership to the Illinois CPA Society (a $165 value) is only being offered to those graduating who are currently student members. If you are not currently a student member, you can quickly join to take advantage of this offer, by contacting Member Services at 1-800-993-0407, Option 4 or online at www.FutureCPA.org.

A professional affiliate membership to the Illinois CPA Society will:

• Set you apart from the competition
  
  
• Its a great resume credential and benefit to your first employer
  
  
• Provide you with timely information about the CPA exam and keep you up-to-date on professional issues and trends you need to know about
  
  
• Qualify you for a 50% discount on the required Ethics Exam yours at only $60
  
  
• Offer you inside advice on how to survive and thrive at your first job.

We highly encourage you to take advantage of this offer. Your membership in a community of over 22,000 professionals will help you get your career off to the right start and will be a resource to you throughout your career. Simply click here to activate your free one year membership.

The Illinois CPA Society is committed to your success and will send you a jump drive to use when you start your first job if you take advantage of this offer by June 1, 2007.