Seniors … Solicit, Secure, Serve, and Succeed
The Rainmakers Program Phase III
Phase III of our Rainmakers Internship Preparation Program is, without a doubt, the most challenging and difficult part of our five-year initiative. Rainmakers Candidates (participating students) must develop a plan (with our help) that includes several strategies to reach out to potential internship business Hosts. But first, our Rainmakers Candidates have to decide what service they might offer an employer based on their interests and skill levels. Using the tips and hints we will provide, they should be able to define a project or product that will encourage a business that will host their internship.
Once our Candidates manages to contact potential Hosts, they must explain their goal, ‘pitch’ their project idea, and if accepted, secure via email the dual commitments for successful project completion. The intern and their employer must define the content, the deliverables, timeline, and detail all that information in their correspondence that will serve as a ‘contract’ between the Candidate and the business Host.
This process exactly mirrors what they will have to do as adults to secure employment, whether in the Gig Economy or in a traditional job.
Students must wait until they reach 18 years of age to engage in this activity, since few employers will enter into a performance contract with an individual who is still under age. Some of our participating students will turn 18 during their senior year — others may turn 18 after their graduation in June. Either way, all of our Rainmakers Candidates have nine months from their graduation date to complete their Rainmakers Internship commitments.
Regardless of the time frame that works out for each of our Rainmakers Candidates, this is where students create sparks!
Our Rainmakers Candidates will have to deliver on the promises made to the employers they recruited and provide them with an on-time product or project that would be of interest to the employer. Candidates will need to deliver the defined project or product as agreed and make sure it satisfies that employer. Students’ work on this single job, this GIG, and the employer’s evaluation of the work done and subsequent letter of recommendation, will determine if the student has completed a successful internship.
To succeed in Phase III, Candidates will work closely with, and complete the project or product offered to, their Hosts via distance technologies. Students never go near, on, or into the business site. Our business Mentors will help and advise our Candidates during ramp-up to the internship experience. Everything they will have learned in Phase I and II will come together to help them be successful in Phase III — which is the final, and most critical, activity.
No student will be designated as a Rainmaker unless the employer is satisfied with the student’s performance and the product/project submitted. Employers will expect students to deliver an on-time, error-free, high-quality project. That’s what all workers have to do whether they work in a traditional job or in the Gig Economy. Workers in the Gig Economy who deliver shoddy, careless, late projects or products don’t get hired again. Workers in a traditional job can get fired if they exhibit a similar level of carelessness.
If a student did not meet the expectations of the Hosting employer, that student can try again with a different employer as his or her Host.
Students who are designated as Rainmakers will add the successful completion of the program to their résumés, and we advise them to continue adding their accomplishments and keeping their résumés current throughout their lives. Students who have successfully conquered this hurdle will be better prepared to take their first step into tomorrow’s high-demand world of work.
There are significant rewards for those who complete the program. See these rewards by clicking on each of the bullets in the list below.
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Building Professional Networks
When Rainmakers Candidates successfully complete their internships, they receive letters of recommendation from their business Host and officially become Rainmakers. At that time, they will be eligible for a FREE lifetime membership in The Rainmakers Club, an online community through which they can build their professional networks, share information about career opportunities, and give back to the community of Rainmakers Candidates in the pipeline.
In a world where online job exchanges post as many as 450,000 résumés a week, personal connections have become even more critical. In fact, research indicates that as many as 85% of jobs are secured through professional networking and business contacts. That’s reason enough for students to start early to build a professional network. However, because our Rainmakers are so young, they will not appear to be competition for more experienced business folks and will be able to build a large network while they are just getting started.
All Rainmakers Candidates must be over 18 years of age to contact an employer, serve a Rainmakers internship, and join The Rainmakers Club.
Keep Building Your Skills After High Scholl
Candidates who successfully complete the Rainmakers Internship Preparation Program are eligible to apply for paid contract short-term employment with the Internship Depot or its industry partners. Successful completion of the internship will be defined by the employer who agreed to be the internship Host. These limited opportunities will be awarded to Rainmakers based on their skill sets — each open position requires specific job skills, such as strong written English skills, website design/programming, outstanding verbal communications, or expertise in social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
Letters of Recommendation Can Be Gold
With almost half-a-million jobs being posted to online job sites every week, any relationship or document that can confirm a job applicant’s character and experience can be gold.
Coming from a high-ranking corporate manager or from the leadership in a credible organization, a letter of recommendation will impress colleges and employers alike.
Rainmakers candidates who successfully complete the Rainmakers Internship Preparation Program receive two letters of recommendation: one signed by their internship business host and another signed by The Internship Depot leadership and (optionally) school administrators.
Our Rainmakers also get an online certificate with a unique identification number they can use to impress college admissions officials and potential employers alike.
Wear This Pin with Pride
Candidates who successfully complete the Rainmakers Internship Preparation Program can purchase our Rainmakers ‘Creating Sparks’ lapel pin for a small fee ($20.00) that they can wear with pride and that identifies them as a Rainmaker and a Member of The Rainmakers Club.
Make your success public. Wear the lapel pin to college or job interviews and point it out to the person who is interviewing you … and tell him or her how hard you worked in middle and high school to change your behaviors, improve your performance, and secure an internship.
Proof of Performance
Candidates who complete the Rainmakers Internship Preparation Program receive an electronic personalized credential with an individual ID number for future reference checks.