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First, keep on top of the Ross School of Business’s career development workshops. The Office of Career Development (OCD) is an incredible source of information and advice. OCD offers a variety of seminars for students about how to prepare resumes, structure an internship search, create strategies for contacting people, use the alumni network, prepare for interviews, etc. If OCD does not offer the assistance and networking you need, work with them to set up networking sessions among the current B-School students. Since finding a new job is one of the main reasons people come back to Ross School of Business (and since the Business Week rankings are based in large part on the kinds of jobs the students obtain), the School is heavily invested in making OCD a top-notch office.

Second, remember that the Erb Institute has its own network. Get to know the External Advisory Board (EAB) members, and express your interest in their organizations. Get to know the 100+ Erb Institute alumni. They have a wide network as well. Bios are available for EAB members and alumni on the program’s website. Read e-mail messages carefully… many opportunities pop up electronically. Many sustainability-related internship opportunities are posted on the Erb Institute CTools site.

Also, stay plugged in to the clubs and organizations of which you are a member. Clubs are always a good source of contacts. For example, Net Impact has its own national internship program, which provides exciting opportunities to students with a wide array of skills and interests. Check out their website at www.net-impact.org.

And finally, get to know your fellow classmates and professors! You will find that people have worked in all sorts of organizations, and know all kinds of people.

The Art of Networking

Quite often, in order to find the perfect internship or full-time position, a lot of networking is involved. Networking entails talking to people (that you often don’t know) about their jobs, their ideas, and their advice to you regarding how to get your foot in the door of the organization or your field of interest.

For those of you who aren’t used to cold-calling people with busy schedules (how many of us are?), this can be quite uncomfortable at first. Fortunately, today there is email, so it is no longer necessary to always have a prepared script ready when you dial that number - you can often prompt somebody over email first that you will be calling them within the next week or so.

The Erb Institute External Advisory Board (EAB) is a great networking tool, because it’s made up of so many different kinds of people, with various backgrounds, working for a wide array of organizations. Board members expect to be contacted by Erb students. They volunteer their time to the program and value interaction with students. Remember, the EAB, Erb alumni, Erb faculty and staff are great resources who in turn, have their own networks. Get to know these individuals and you will be off to a great networking start.

Important related networking e-mail addresses include:

Erb institute@umich.edu	all Erb Institute students, staff, and faculty.
Erb institute.students@umich.edu	all currently-enrolled Erb Institute students.
Erb institute.wire@umich.edu	all Erb Institute students, plus other current students across the University who have Erb Institute-related interests, board members and others.
Erb institute.alumni@umich.edu	All Erb Institute alumni.
Erb institute.board@umich.edu	The Erb Institute External Advisory Board members.
Erb institute.localalumni@umich.edu	Erb Institute alumni that live within 2-3 hours driving distance from Ann Arbor.

Tip: Keep notes on all of the conversations you have. That way, when you call upon someone again, you can refer back to an earlier conversation… and can avoid any potential embarrassment if your memory is not as sharp as that of your conversation counterpart.

A final important note to keep in mind: Erb students can use the Office of Career Development (OCD) in the Ross School of Business throughout the three years in the Program, regardless of the school in which they are enrolled.

More thoughts on the internship process

The Ross School of Business recruiting process for summer employment begins at the end of the fall semester, when students begin submitting cover letters to companies who will interview on campus in January and February. Many Erb Institute students choose to do their summer job search off-campus or through Erb Institute EAB members. It is important to recognize that many organizations - particularly non-profits - do not begin posting jobs and recruiting summer interns until February or March and sometimes into April. While we recommend that you explore various channels for summer internship opportunities, recruiters at the Ross School of Business may not match your interests. You will therefore be on a different interviewing timetable than your Ross School of Business classmates, and shouldn’t panic when some of your friends at the Ross School of Business already have offers before you even begin to interview.

The Erb Institute has also been working with the Office of Career Development to improve the level of support given to Erb Institute students when it comes to mainstream recruiting. An effort is being made to bring more companies to campus that are either searching for environmental management positions, or are in the resource management business. So, it is vital that Erb Institute students continue to communicate to the Ross School of Business about organizations they would like to see recruiting on campus. Each year there are student positions available in OCD. Apply and help shape the OCD operations to better assist the Erb Institute student community!

The MBA Resume Book: if you start in the Ross School of Business, you’re actually an MBA1 for two years!

As an Erb student, if you spend your first year of the three in the Ross School of Business, things can get a little complicated. Your first year, you are automatically considered an MBA1. Thus, you will be included in the MBA1 Resume Book, which is sent to summer internship recruiters. But once you are a second-year Erb Institute student, you need to change your recruiting status back to MBA1 through the Office of Career Development. Otherwise, it will change automatically to MBA2. Considering yourself an MBA2 for recruiting purposes when you still have two years left to complete in the program isn’t very useful, since you are not yet available for full-time work. By considering yourself an MBA1 for two years, you’ll get the relevant internship information you need for your second summer, and be all set for full-time recruiting your final year.

If you begin the program at the School of Natural Resources, none of the above applies to you, since you will automatically be spending your second year as an MBAI.

Q: What if I want to create my own internship, but am worried about funding?

A: No worries! There are sources of funding at the University of Michigan that can help if you want a non-traditional summer experience (especially if you would like to go overseas). The International Institute, the Center for International Business Education, the Center for Non-Profit Management, and the Erb Institute all offer valuable assistance:

The International Institute at the University Michigan provides funding for individually developed overseas internships with companies, governmental or international agencies and departments, non-profit organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Students must indicate proficiency in the language needed for the internship, and awards range from $500 to $2,500. Call the International Institute at 763-3297 for more information or go to www.umich.edu/~iinet. 

The Center for International Business Education (CIBE) at the University of Michigan was established in the Ross School of Business in September 1989. CIBE helps students gain practical international business experience by generating and funding overseas corporate internships. Contact CIBE at 936-3917,or you can also find them at www.bus.umich.edu/research/cibe. 

The Center for Non-Profit Management (NPM) provides internship support for students pursuing graduate degrees in the schools of Business, Public Policy and Social Work. Each year NPM awards stipends to graduate students who will be serving summer internships in the nonprofit or public sectors. For additional information, contact NPM at 734/763.4214 or via email at nonprofit@umich.edu.

The Erb Institute also has special funds available for non-profit and public sector internships, so keep in touch with Erb Institute staff as you look for financing options.

And last but not least, an important piece of advice from past Erb Institute students… Get to know your Erb Institute peers, and Erb Institute faculty and staff - especially those of you in your first year. Second and third-year Erb Institute students, as well as alumni, may be asked by their previous employers to recommend an Erb Institute student for a summer or full-time position, and it’s hard for them to make an honest and enthusiastic assessment if they’ve barely interacted with you. The same is true for Erb Institute faculty and staff - they often get asked for student recommendations and suggestions as well. So spend some time interacting with the people involved in the Erb Institute!