We do our best to provide you with as many opportunities to learn more about INROADS as possible. At the University of Washington alone, we plan to hold informational meetings every month through December. Please see the calendar for up-to-date information regarding specifics.

PREREQUISITES::..

To be eligible for an INROADS internship, you must:

• Be a graduating high school senior, or rising college freshman, sophomore or junior* (*you must have at least two summer left prior to college graduation)
• Be enrolled or admitted to an accredited four year college or university
• Be a full-time student
• Have a minimum 1000 SAT or 20 ACT
• Maintain a B or better GPA

APPLICATION PROCESS::..

The INROADS application process is quite straightforward. The first step involves filling out a simple online application through the official INROADS site. The priority deadline in order to be eligible for this coming 2007 summer's internship opportunities is at the beginning of January 2007 (date TBD). Applications are accepted year-round, but only those turned in by this date are considered for the coming summer's opportunities. The application process requires for you to upload your resume as well.

The other requirement is that you send a copy of your official transcript to the INROADS office, addressed to Puget Sound administrative coordinator Vinny Beatty. Hence, address your transcript to:

Vinny Beatty
INROADS Pacific Northwest Region
2421 S Union Ave
Suite L-1 # 341
Tacoma, WA 98405

If you're coming out of high school, a copy of your high school transcript will do. Or, upon completing fall quarter of your first year of college, send in your fall transcript.

INROADS INTERVIEW::..

Following this, interviews for acceptance into the INROADS Talent Pool are conducted from November through January. Applicants will meet with Managing Director Tanisha Roberts or Tiffany Ash for a short group interview. If the applicant is deemed motivated and reflects the qualities that INROADS and its sponsors are looking for, the applicant is granted a position in the Talent Pool.

TALENT POOL TRAINING::..

Once in the Talent Pool, students are expected to attend all training opportunities created for the benefit of student's advancement. All trainings are mandatory. Two Saturday trainings are scheduled for in the January-February timeframe. Here, students learn to improve their interviewing skills, polish their resumes, and are equipped with several other skills necessary to succeed in the professional world.

CAREER EXPO::..

This year's Career Expo is TBD (please visit site again once date is confirmed). The unique and great advantage about INROADS Career Expos is that it is open solely to INROADS Talent Pool students. At the fair, students are given the opportunity to network with companies and distribute their resumes. In the meanwhile, Tanisha Roberts and Tiffany Ash work hard to match you with companies by sending your resumes electronically as well.

MATCHING PROCESS AND COMPANY INTERVIEWS::..

Following the Career Expo, a month-long process of matching companies to interns takes place as well as company interviews. Perhaps the most nerve-wracking of the stages, companies interested in a student will contact students personally or through INROADS in order to schedule an interview. It is up to the student to keep INROADS Puget Sound informed about their decisions. If, after the interview(s), a company decides to extend an offer to the student, the student then has 48 hours to give his/her decision. Once an offer is accepted, no back outs for the summer are permitted. It is therefore in the student's best interest to do the necessary research to decide if this company is right for them.

Inevitably, there will be those who won't find a match for the summer. Given the number of students in the Talent Pool and the number of spots available, a student is naturally not guaranteed an internship for the summer. However, if the opportunity does not arise, the student automatically remains in the Talent Pool for the following year/s, as long as he or she still has two summers left prior to graduation, and is simply expected to attend the following year's Career Expo (foregoing any previous training). Returning Talent Pool students should send in their updated resume and transcript to Vinny Beatty each year.

INTERNSHIP::..

The general rule is that interns serve full-time for a minimum of 10 weeks, with the possibility of staying on longer depending on the sponsor and student. Therefore, an internship may take place at any time between May to September or longer. Interns are assigned a mentor/counselor who is expected to provide mid and end-of-summer evaluations. The student, in turn, is expected to create goals at the beginning of the summer and constantly re-evaluate his or her progress. These various forms will be available through the INROADS Intern and Manager CD distributed at an earlier date.

FURTHER TRAINING::..

The companies will already be aware of certain days that allow the intern to take leave in order to partake in further leadership and corporate training. The main event that takes place is a Leadership Development Institute (LDI) weekend held at a predetermined location. LDI incorporates the interns from the Pacific Northwest Region, Oregon and Northern California regions in a weekend of leadership, teamwork, and other skills training. Interns are thus given an opportunity to network with other interns and further their value and knowledge as interns. Preceding and following LDI are pre- and post-LDI Saturday training sessions as well. Dates and locations for these various trainings will be announced later.

OTHER EVENTS::..

At the end of the summer, INROADS holds an Awards Banquet in which companies are invited to come with their respective intern(s) for a thank-you dinner, and various interns are recognized for their outstanding achievements.

The summer is also a great opportunity to participate in various INROADS social events and community service opportunities. This past summer, we had a Mariners game outing just for fun. In terms of volunteer opportunities, interns were encouraged to volunteer for Treehouse for Kids, KiteFest, as well as being part of a live audience KOMO TV in exchange for a public annoucements. Click here for pictures from the various events. Year-round opportunities are available. These are wonderful chances to fulfill community service requirements as well as to develop relationships with fellow interns.

Check out our calendar for various events this upcoming year. Any questions regarding the application process can be directed to Tiffany Ash.