Today started off especially well as the business cards I ordered had finally arrived in the mail.  This resulted in a trip to Starbucks as a reward for my first set of business cards.   Thanks Vistaprint.  I decided to come into work early to get a jump on the day.  I focused my time working on the Social Madness campaign.  I was inspired when I looked at the jump in our score since I last looked.  The morning group left and I was able to change my seat.  We had a quick review of the morning meeting and then took a quiz on Applicant intake procedure, most of which involved an in depth knowledge of tax paperwork.  Not that difficult but there were several tax forms.  After this I was able to start making calls.  I usually email individuals to schedule an appointment but this process has been inconsistent and difficult to manage so I changed my style.  This also resulted in speaking to more answering machines than people.  We were called back into the conference room for training on how to process potential employees to ensure all clients are treated with the highest degree of care.  I concluded the day following up on phone messages and working on new postings.  Plan to check out thrift shops around town to find something that suits the good ole’ Red, White, and Blue.

-Michael

This morning was a little rough for me. My quick nap turned into an hour and a half nap. I had to get ready really fast. Luckily, my awesome roommate was there to blow dry my hair as I was doing my make-up and she even made me breakfast! Doesn’t everyone wish for this kind of roommate? Thanks to her, I was able to leave on time and start my day at Hatch on time!

Each day walking into Hatch, I feel like I have gained more knowledge and confidence. Today Sarah provided training for us. We learned additional candidate screening tips. This was a great training session for me because it provided insight on which applicants are qualified and committed. Some applicants submit excellent resumes but lack in their communication during phone interviews or vice-versa.

While applying our training, it is much easier to sort out distinguishing candidates and find the perfect fit for a potential position. We analyzed applicant resumes and graded them based off of the Cahill methods. This was also very beneficial because it allowed us to assess actual resumes that Hatch receives, instead of just looking at sample ones. Since the focus of today was how to recruit the best possible candidates, I look forward to making additional calls and finding a great match for Hatch!

Nina

I have the privilege of writing the morning group’s first Monday blog. I wouldn’t describe it as a typical Monday though. I woke up and was much more comfortable with my 6:00AM alarm than last week. Though I arrived early, many of my fellow Hatch ELITE interns were already fast at work in the office. I arrived prepared, as I actually found time over the weekend to sort through the numerous resumes that had been sent to me. I thought I would go through a few more, attend the daily meeting and training, and be fast to work, but today was a day that would remind us to be flexible.

The morning meeting was a little empty with many people already out at meetings. It was short and sweet, and mostly focused on donuts. Yep, you read it correctly, donuts!  As you may, or may not know, Friday was National Donut Day, and Hatch had planned to deliver donuts to their customers as a thank you for their business. Well, the meeting was over and Christina and Mandy were on their way out the door to deliver donuts, Jordan and Brian were close behind, and it seemed that Taylor, Erin, and I were left in the dust. Turns out, we really weren’t. We spent some time making additional phone calls until our chance to make the deliveries arrived. I can’t speak for the others, but I really enjoyed going out with Carly and Toni to say thank you to our clients (and letting them know about our #socialmadness competition.) The day ended quickly when I came back and saw the afternoon group working hard and the morning group long gone. I’m sure it’s a start to another great week.

-Tanya

Today has definitely been the most exciting day of the internship for me thus far. I walked into the office with a huge smile on my face, knowing that today would be the day that I would get to begin taking part in recruiting employees for different positions. I have loved working with the social media, posting ads on Craigslist, and learning the inner workings of the office, but I now was going to be able to take part in finding the perfect candidates for Hatch. The thought of being able to make a difference in this company was very exciting to me! We began the day by sorting through resumes to find the perfect candidates. Next, Michelle explained to us the process of pre-screening candidates and informed us of the importance and reasons for each question we should ask. Then it was time for us to shine!

We left the meeting, and immediately began making out first phone calls. There was slight hesitation to begin, but we put our worries behind us and picked up the phones.  The first five phone calls I made took me to voicemails, leaving me slightly disappointed. My 6^th phone call was answered, and trying not to jump for joy, I had a great pre-screening conversation with what seemed to be a strong candidate. Although most of my phone calls for the day were voicemail calls, I now feel way more confident in pre-screening and talking to employees on the phone. I am so grateful for what I have learned this week, and cannot wait for the opportunities that await us during the rest of the summer! Congratulations fellow interns, we made it through the first week!

-Mandy

Awake and ready to work (and with a little Wendy’s in my stomach), it was off to Milwaukee for work.

Walking into the office, the morning interns seemed much more confident. They were using phones, taking notes…they all looked more professional. I knew that in a matter of a few hours, the afternoon group would be doing exactly that. Intimidating? At first, yes, but the great internal staff was so helpful in giving us tips and strategies that simplified the matter of talking to strangers on the phone (but I thought our moms warned us not to talk to strangers…oh well, it’s our job to now!)

At the end of the day, those phones almost belonged in our hands. We discussed resumes with each other, refined our phone skills, worked through unsure phone circumstances together and really got a lot done. Then began a trip to Indiana for me for a Saturday wedding. Nice end to the work day, nice beginning of the weekend!

-David

I woke up today and saw it was rainy, cold, and grim outside (honestly can’t tell if it’s June or March with this weather).  Regardless, I was excited and ready for day 3 at Hatch!  Today started out with learning about what goes on at the front desk.  We learned how to work the phones, which was a little hectic at first.  Mandy and I were up first, and when the first call came in, we just kind of stopped, looked at each other, and then realized we should answer it. We definitely had some questions and confusion, but after a few phone calls, we started to get the hang of it.  The rest of the day was spent working on more job postings, going through resumes, and seeing who might be qualified for the jobs.  The resumes have already been flooding our inboxes, and I actually get a little too excited every time I get a new one.  Another thing I really enjoyed was sitting out in the office with all of the internal staff today.  The culture at Hatch is so inviting and open, which has made the first few days a lot easier.  I really like that the staff is professional but they know how to have fun at the same time.

To end the morning, Lori talked to all of us about this summer and how we can all make the most of this opportunity.  As interns, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by an extremely friendly, helpful, and interactive internal staff that will be there to set a great example for us.  Now that we know what it will take to be as successful as possible in this internship, it’s time to work hard and make the most of it! It should be a great summer at Hatch!

                                                                    

What’s happening Milwaukee?! Anyone else ready for this weather to change into beach worthy weather?? I know we are!! While we enjoy our late spring here are some things happening around town!!

Fondy- Saturdays                                

                                                                                

Today marks day 2 of the Hatch Summer Internship program. The morning started off with sleeping past my alarm, spilling coffee all over myself and at one point I tripping over my cat. One word to descried my morning, mayhem. As I entered the Hatch offices for the second time, the place didn’t seem as intimidating. Everyone was smiling and intently working just as they were yesterday. The morning meeting was quick and informative. Though it made me realize, I have a lot to learn about the industry. Next, Toni gave us our first task of the day. We were to join social media sites and then increase Hatch’s social media presence. This consisted of a lot of time on facebook, twitter and linkedin (Who says work can’t be fun?).

Next we moved on to creating job postings on Craigslist.com. This is where the day got exciting for me. It was very exciting to start the process of finding the right employees for certain employers. Writing these listings was harder then I thought. Sure, it sounds simple; write about the job, done. But trying to describe the job, persuade and encourage someone to send you their resume isn’t that simple. You want to put a little “oomph” into the listing. Next, we had a guest speaker today. Russ Plewa from BMO Harris bank came in to talk to us for about an hour. He is the Senior VP of commercial banking. Needless, to say Russ knows how the business world works. He went around the room and asked each of us (interns) our names, where we go/went to school and to ask him one question. My question for Russ was how you go about handling big problems in his corporation. The hour flew by, Russ answered everyone’s questions and gave us insight to his own personal life. That concluded day two of our internship. -Erin