Miss NAACP Ashley Dabney hosts Intern 101 workshop in hopes of helping fellow GSU students land internships. Courtesy photo
On Monday, Nov. 11, Ashley Dabney, Miss NAACP 2019-2020, hosted an “Intern 101” workshop, in the Grambling Hall Auditorium.
“NAACP is used for the advancement for colored people and for our terms… an organization so that black people can get ahead in life and work together to fight the injustices that we all face,” said Dabney, a business management major from Gainesville, Georgia.
The focus of the workshop was to help students learn how to acquire an internship.
“The purpose of this event was to provide resources to Grambling students about securing an internship for summer 2020 or in the future,” Dabney said. “The event provided resume building, mock interviews, star methods practice, LinkedIn setup and website resources.”
Since attending Grambling State University, Dabney has interned with the Georgia FFA-FFCLA Center in Covington, as well as the Weidner Apartment Homes in Midland, Texas.
Dabney wants students to follow two specific tips while beginning their process of finding an internship.
The first tip is to join LinkedIn.
“Join LinkedIn!” Dabney said. “So many companies will reach out to you, they have the resources to credit building, resume branding, cover letter seminars, as well as networking opportunities. LinkedIn is the business world of Facebook.”
The second tip is to keep a business card handy at all times.
“Keep a business card on hand or when networking with alumni, ask what they do and ask for their business card as well as follow up with an email,” Dabney said.
“If they cannot help you, nine times out of 10 they know someone in the field who they can put you in contact with.”
Dabney guarantees that following these two steps will greatly assist students in their pursuit of obtaining an internship.
The “Intern 101” event was beneficial to Grambling students. Dabney provided guests with valuable resources that will assist them in securing an internship in the field of their choice.
“I feel the event was very successful,” Dabney said. “Everyone was able to ask the questions they wanted and needed. We were able to do practice interviews for the Star Methods that companies are currently using. I even learned that men need to have a tie done a certain way for interviews and that is a piece of valuable information.”
There was a great turnout of students who attended the event and all were attentive, taking notes and asking questions.
Dabney said students should also utilize the Offices of Career Services at Grambling State University., headed by Dr. Sheila Fobbs, to get help with resume building and interview preparation.
Dabney hopes to make her “Intern 101” workshop something that is offered annually at Grambling.