Is Your Summer Internship Ethical?

Okay, so, Tory Johnson's show doesn't look like it's trying to appeal to college students... but her guest, Bruce Weinstein aka "The Ethics Guy" (wha?), has a few practical dos and don'ts that might help put your summer internship opportunity into perspective. Or maybe you can passive-aggressively post a link to this on your Twitter account and hope the boss notices... 

We've said it before -- and I still believe that even if an employer is following the quid pro quo guidelines -- there's something unethical about making someone work for free. Minimum wage is a smalle price to pay for rock-solid ethics. 

Tell us what you think: what does it take for you to work for free? 

Per-Ounce, the Cheapest Ways to Get Drunk

For many students, two priorities top even the most crucial final assignments:

• Getting drunk
• Getting drunk cheaply

While I don't encourage binge drinking (always) it can be revealing to look at the actual cost-per-ounce of the things you drink frequently. GetDrunkNotBroke.com breaks it down into those terms.

A few fun facts about things you might drink a lot:

• Of the "light beers," Natural Light generally does best, beating out even Keystone.
• Carlo Rossi and Franzia are by far the cheapest way to get a buzz.
• Straight Smirnoff is only more expensive than light beers by a matter of cents. The costof mixers will probably widen the gap, though.
• Two-Buck Chuck, both red and white, (though not calculated on the site) rank among the 10 cheapest forms of booze available.
• Liquors like Bacardi 151 and Everclear even beat out malt beverages.
• If you're in about the $6-for-a-six-pack range (semi-nice beers), Pyramid Hefeweizen does by far the best.
• It would cost $105 to get the equivalent of "6 drinks deep" by drinking O'Douls -- which is not that efficient -- but it would cost 6 times that to use Cristal champagne.

And, for your reference, the top 5 cheapies, in order:

1. Franzia "red" wine
2. Carlo Rossi Burgundy
3. Franzia chardonnay
4. Olde English 800 High Gravity
5. Mad Dog 20/20 Grape Wine

I almost threw up, just seeing those 5 items written in the same vicinity.

Get the full ranking here or visit their sister site which does the same for calories.

[Get Drunk Not Broke via 11 Points]

Image courtesy of antisocialtory

For many students, two priorities top even the most crucial final assignments:

• Getting drunk
• Getting drunk cheaply

While I don't encourage binge drinking (always) it can be revealing to look at the actual cost-per-ounce of the things you drink frequently. GetDrunkNotBroke.com breaks it down into those terms. A few fun facts about things you might drink a lot:

• Of the "light beers" Natural Light generally does best, beating out even Keystone.
• Carlo Rossi and Franzia are by far the cheapest way to get a buzz.
• Smirnoff is only more expensive than light beers by a matter of cents.
• Two-Buck Chuck (though not calculated on the site) ranks among the 10 cheapest drinks.
• Liquors like Bacardi 151 and Everclear even beat out malt beverages.
• If you're in about the $6-for-a-six-pack range (semi-nice beers) Pyramid Hefeweizen does by far the best.
• It would cost $105 to get the equivalent of "6 drinks deep" by drinking O'Douls. Which is not that efficient -- but it would cost 6 times that to use Cristal.

And, for your reference, the top 5 cheapies, in order:

1. Franzia "red" wine
2. Carlo Rossi Burgundy
3. Franzia chardonnay
4. Olde English 800 High Gravity
5. Mad Dog 20/20 Grape Wine

I almost threw up, just seeing those 5 items written in the same vicinity.

Get the full ranking here or visit their sister site which does the same for calories.

[Get Drunk Not Broke via 11 Points]

Con Your Way to Free Beer this Spring Break

First thing I have to do here... I have to admit that I have a subscription to Cosmopolitan. Okay. Onward. 

So, I was reading the October issue and I came across a little thing blurb: "Drink for Free" -- I know what you're thinking because that's what I was thinking, too. Gee, Cosmo, you think I should go to the bar, pull off my skirt and put my hands down some guy's pants?! You got a slutty one-liner to accompany that?! 

But Cosmo actually owned this one by presenting us with a hack -- more like a scam -- actually, more like a con -- actually, more like stealing. Whatever. Here's what they had to say: 

Find [a half-empty beer] in a brown bottle -- like Budweiser -- and sneak into the bathroom. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with lukewarm water and saunter back to the bar. Tell the overworked bartender that the beer you got was warm ... and ask for another. 

Oh, how devilish! Of course, this is only going to work at a nuts-o bar where there's like sixteen bartenders and total chaos because people are puking everywhere. 

You know that bar. You've been there. I don't care what town you're in this month. That's a spring break bar. 

Image courtesy of acnatta

How to Pitch a New Position When You're Only an Intern

Trying to turn that internship into a real job come graduation? This is just one of many tips in our Internship-to-Job Series. 

Pitch a brand new position at the company you're interning at. This is the most balls-to-the-wall way of getting hired but you'd be blown away by how effective it is. I highly recommend this in an economy like this one – one that's supposedly on an upswing. 

As the economy bounces back, you want your new position to be the big (or little) idea they invest in. Not only is pitching a new position an incredible learning experience (that's what college is ALL ABOUT!), but it has a great likelihood of blessing you with employment because it's just so damn crafty and confident.

Note: Crafty/confident also works on the opposite sex.

Find a void

First of all, you need to figure out what's missing at the company you're interning with. There's probably a lot missing – they just laid off 95% of their workforce and hired 25 extra interns to fill the holes. The job you invent can fill some of those holes. Here are a few places to start finding the leaks:

Click to read more ...

Use HR and Internal Hiring to Get Upgraded from Intern

Trying to turn that internship into a real job come graduation? This is just one of many tips in our Internship-to-Job Series.

Now that you've made sure everyone in the office knows you're looking for work, co-workers will probably make you aware of any job openings before they're listed. But some companies are so big that word-of-mouth can only go so far. There might be opportunities at other branches, at other companies owned by the same entity or even in other states and countries. 

The best way to become aware of all the openings at your company is by working with HR or "human resources." This is the department (or single person) who manages the hiring/firing process. 

Here's why this is cool shortcut. Outsiders, even very well-qualified outsiders, can't walk right into the HR office like you can. You're only an unpaid intern and you have this great edge. Set up a meeting with a rep and talk to them about your job situation. 

HR can also help you hear about positions before they even open up to the public. Many companies prefer to hire from within rather than open positions to outsiders. Giving employees a shot a promotions can improve company morale.

However, it can ruin company morale if someone is picked unfairly. So, most HR people know that they need to give everyone a fair shot, including interns, when it comes to internal hiring. For that reason, you can probably expect at least a courtesy interview if you apply to an internal position. 

Some companies have entire internal hiring databases or email lists. Get access to those resources and start applying/networking now so that you're in the running as graduation approaches. 

[Image courtesy of -Jérôme-]

Use Co-Workers to Help You Get a Job Out of Your Internship

Getting a beer with your CEO might not be the best way to ask for a job.

Trying to turn that internship into a real job come graduation? This is just one of many tips in our Internship-to-Job Series.

If you want to work full-time where you intern, sometimes, all you need to do is make sure that everyone in the office knows – in fact, spreading the word is the key to entering most job markets. You need a lot of people looking for jobs for you. You need people on your side. The people you work with at an internship aren't thinking about you unless you give them a reason to. And people in other departments probably don't even you're an intern.

There are two ways to making sure co-workers know you're on the job hunt:

For low-level co-workers – your “pals” – it's okay to straight-up ask them to keep a look out for work, and to spread the word among their peers.

For upper-level co-workers and people you don't know, it's a little more difficult. You need to implicitly ask for a job. Blatantly asking a high-level VP or a boss for a job will seem needy and desperate. Instead, you want to use your internship as access for an “informational interview” – you can Google that, if you're not sure what it is. Basically, you're going to schedule a meeting with them to “ask for career advice.” You can schedule that sort of thing through an introduction at the company or even by a cold email.

When it comes time for the chat, let them connect the dots. Someone who is about to graduate and is asking for career advice clearly needs job. They'll take note. Also, make sure they know you love working at their company.

By spreading the word where you work, you might get job offers before they're even listed. It can also open up oppurtunities elsewhere.

How to Turn Your Internship into a Job

Don't get caught up in the dues-paying daily grind of your internship. The real point of an internship is to get you a job and hopefully a little experience along the way. Unfortunately, an internship is a far cry from a real gig, so making that leap can take some tact. This week, we'll show you what it takes.

Last week, we showed you how to get a summer internship. You seniors have a bigger picture to look at – in May, you need a job. If you're smart, you already have a internship. And if you're going to turn that bitch work (internship) into real work (a job), you need to start now. It'll take a good 3-4 months and a lot of planning.

Over the next few days, we'll cover 5 basic concepts to get you on your way:

• Sounding the alarm around the office: Sometimes, getting a job is as simple as asking for one. Well, not really. But kind of.
• Using internal hiring and HR: As an intern, you have access to one special department that even well-qualified outsiders can't touch: internal hiring.
• The art of office politics: How you fit into company culture is one of the most important aspects of getting hired. Your internship is the trial period.
• How to pitch a new full-time paying job while you're only an intern: In an economy (supposedly) on the upswing, pitching a new position at a company can be a very effective way of getting hired – albeit, a ballsy way. 
• Pitching yourself: In everything from the casual “What do you do?” to the official, nerve-wracking interview, you need to be ready to pitch yourself. Saying, "I buy coffee for my boss," won't work.

Keep your browsers tuned here all week for the details.

"Doing Without" as an Experiment This Month

Today's the first day of Lent -- a forty-day period where Christians traditionally make a sacrifice to better themselves (and overindulge in that vice the day before). Whether you're religious or not, we can all learn a lot from giving something up as an experiment. 

This month's issue of Esquire featured a section called "Doing Without" which focused on giving up different "essentials," like sex, for a month. (Unfortunately, it's not available online, though, the badass designer posted the neat layout online -- pictured here.) We've given up drinking at HackCollege and the writer who did the same for Esquire reaped similar benefits:

Your mood is better; you feel more optimistic. If you're an athlete, you become better at your sport... You work out harder-- and feel better afterward. It's nice, at the end of the night, not to have to think about whether you can drive home or not. You're hungrier, which may be a mixed blessing. You sleep more, not less. And as the month of your estrangement from alcohol winds down, each of the positive effects get a little more pronounced.

Though giving up email or Google (like some of the other Esquire writers did) could impede your productivity, there are other websites you might consider dropping. Cal Newport recently covered a student who gave up Facebook and saw his GPA go up. As Cal puts it: 

Although most students don’t need to leave Facebook, every student should at least give the idea serious consideration. 

Personally, doing without meat for a one-month experiment convinced me to become a vegetarian for the past year. However, I don't think it's saved me any time day-to-day -- unless you count the number of years I will statistically out-live meat-eaters. 

So: Can giving something up make you more productive (or just a better person) this month? Give it some thought.