Hiring Your Summer Interns? Build an Internship That Matters

Winter cannot last forever — and I’m guessing you are already confirming your 2015 summer interns. Now, let me pose a vital question: Do you really know what to do with them? (If you’ve ever been stuck in a thankless internship collating reports and completing hour after hour of mindless quality checking, you know to what I am referring.) We can do quite a bit to maximize the internship experience for everyone involved. So — let’s do everything to make this a positive, career-energizing stint.

A few pointers:

• Keep things real. Ideally, the tasks that interns complete should be similar to those that would be performed in a full-time entry-level capacity (think relevance and complexity). While there will be obvious differences in terms of level of required supervision — tasks should represent the type of work that would be experienced post-internship. Of course, this helps facilitate a smooth transition from academic life to career life.
• Offer a broadened perspective of work. Assigning portions of a project piecemeal, with little information concerning how the work fits into the larger picture, does not a long-term employee make. Ensure interns gain a realistic understanding of the all aspects of the work. This includes inter-relationships among project components, client considerations and other business-side elements.
• Discuss your alliance. Interns offer a needed set of “helping hands” to your employee roster. However, don’t neglect to schedule that all-important meet-up to discuss their personal learning objectives and your expectations. (Interns often have opinions concerning why they are with you and what they would like to accomplish. Think of utilizing a "Tour of Duty" as described in The Alliance). Set the summer on the right foot — and let them know the working relationship is a two-way venture.
• Pick their brains. How long have you been away from an academic setting? Your interns are a well-spring of information concerning new techniques, recent research, case studies and strategies. Inquire as to what caught their attention and have a discussion on how they might share their very current knowledge set with the team.
• Don’t underestimate them: Ramp up challenge. Utilize the “stair-step” strategy with regard to the assignment difficulty. Note how they handle autonomy and challenge, increasing these as time and ability allow. No intern dreams of being “stuck in neutral” — and truth be told, you’ll be wasting valuable manpower.
• Teach networking as a defined skill. Not the easiest of skills to master in the real world. However, interns need to start building a solid networking base. We know that students that complete internships are more likely to use informal job sources to find work and feel satisfied with extrinsic rewards. Offer them the start of that needed advantage.

If you are an intern, take note. You should set the parameters of your relationship. Try to find a time to discuss what you'll gain — and what you can offer, early on.

What strategies are you utilizing to maximize the internship relationship? Share them here.

Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. She is the Director of Thought Leadership at Kilberry Leadership Advisors, Toronto/NewYork. Her blog The Office Blend, has been recognized by Forbes as a “Top 100 Website for Your Career” in both 2012 and 2013.