Hosting Companies: How to foster a positive environment for your interns

Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome? It's a feeling of self-doubt where you believe that everyone else is smarter and more skilled than you, leaving you to wonder, "Am I good enough?" and "How can I contribute?". This is a common feeling among interns, who often lack practical experience in their field and are thrown into a new work environment.

As a hosting company, your role is not only to allow interns to sharpen their academic skills but also to provide a healthy environment for them to develop their soft skills and make connections. Here are some ways to achieve this:

Be a Role Model: As the company represents an overview of the work environment, employees should be role models for interns by showing respect, positivity, support, encouragement, comprehension, trustworthiness, seriousness, creativity, and qualification before technical competency.

Appreciate and Reward: Managers should reward interns for their efforts with creative rewards that go beyond monetary compensation, such as a notebook, online courses, or words of encouragement. However, it's important to avoid rewarding low effort with highly valued gifts, as this can hurt the intern's mindset and lead to low productivity.

Listen and Give Back: Listening to interns can help leaders identify experiences to share, strengths and areas for improvement, and projects that can benefit both parties.

Involve Your Interns: Allowing interns to contribute to "live" projects can help them discover their hidden potential and prepare them for real-life challenges.

It's crucial to ensure that interns gain valuable experience during their internship, as the firm serves as a miniature of the professional workplace for them.