INTERNSHIP 2021

Looking back on my early career, I realize that many of the skills that have helped me stay employed in the “real world” didn’t come from what I learned in lectures and schools , but from the hands-on experiences and?internships I pursued while I was a apprentice. I was lucky to have great Managers and?supervisors that allowed me to learn (sometimes through trial and error), believed in my potential, and gave me hands-on experience that’s helped me succeed.

So, now that I have my own interns to manage, I try to provide them with an experience that’s just as great as the ones I had. And I appreciate now more than ever that a great experience doesn’t just happen. My personal views on how to help interns successful and at the same time extend my leadership style and skills.

Making sure your interns have a great experience is crucial for their careers. But I remember that it's important for mine too! Working with interns provides me with the opportunity to develop young and upcoming leaders , which I am very proud of seeing to succeed in today’s world?and to learn more about the manager I would like to become.

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How to approach Internship as a leader

Prepare

Before your intern sets foot in the door, think through what, exactly, her job will entail, and what duties you’ll have her take on. Create a job description and develop a work plan that outlines her responsibilities and goals for the duration of the internship. Sure, it might be more convenient to just have her do whatever comes up, but creating a structured plan is important for several reasons. You’ll make sure that you’re providing your intern with work experience that’s actually valuable, you’ll make sure you’re using their time well, and you’ll give them a guide to reference through the internship plus you’ll have a clear set of standards for evaluating her performance.

Make them?Feel Welcome

During your intern’s first few days, carve out a few chunks of time on your calendar to give her proper training and instructions. Start with an overview of the organization and the department, a tour of the office, and an introduction to your colleagues. Consider taking her to lunch or coffee this is a great time to learn about their career goals and make them feel comfortable before the real work begins. Then, at some point on the first day, review the work plan you’ve developed with them to go over her assignments and goals. Make sure this is a two-sided discussion, and encourage her to give feedback and ask questions along the way.

Schedule Regular Check-Ins

For an intern, there’s nothing worse than being forgotten about in the dishwashing room (and I know—because it happened to me!). So, you should plan to check in with your intern every day, plus have a more formal sit-down meeting about once a week to keep her informed about upcoming projects and make sure she has clear direction on existing ones. This might seem like an added constraint on your time, but it’s important to help your intern feel like part of the team and stay on track with her goals. Plus, you’ll need to do this when you start supervising employees, so it’s a good idea to get into the habit of managing your time wisely so that you can complete your own projects and still devote time to others.

Provide Meaningful Tasks

While administrative duties like making copies and updating databases are part of being an intern, your intern won’t grow or learn much if that’s all their doing. So think through some valuable projects they can take on even if it’s just a piece of a larger project. Try to assign her tasks that relate to her career goals or her strengths or ask what she’s interested in learning more about and give her something in that vein. Beyond the benefit of having some help for your job, finding substantive tasks for your intern to take on provides you a great opportunity to learn how to delegate. Remember that being a leader doesn’t mean doing everything yourself it means empowering others and bringing out their talents.

Don’t Assume Prior Knowledge of Anything

Keep in mind that this may be your intern’s first foray into the working world, so things that seem self-explanatory to you, might not be to them . I’ve been guilty of being too hands-off with my interns, then finding out later that they didn’t always ask questions for fear of appearing dumb. Avoid this by assuming that everything needs to be explained, and then give clear instructions for your expectations, the process for completing the task, and the deadline. After you talk through a project, ask if she has questions, and let her know that she can always come to you with more after the fact, too. And if they do make time to answer them patiently! You should mean that when you say it.

Be a Mentor

Above all, strive to be someone who your intern can learn from. Take the time to answer questions and teach the things you wish someone would have taught you at that stage of your life. And think about aspects of your workplace or job that you might take for granted attending the quarterly meeting, sitting in on a client presentation, even updating the website, that could be a learning experience for your intern. Providing both formal and informal growth opportunities is part of helping someone learn and part of being a great boss. Making sure your interns have a great experience is crucial for their careers. But remember that it's important for yours, too! Working with interns provides you with the opportunity to develop resume-building management skills and to learn more about the manager you would like to become.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR INTERNSHIP

• Remember, networking during the internship starts at day one. In order for people to assist you with your career, they need to know who you are, what your career interests are and what you are capable of doing.
• Demonstrate initiative – if there is a project you would like to work on, ask your Manager if you could take on the additional responsibility.
• Build rapport and develop relationships with others within the organization. Attend company meetings.
• Prove yourself through the quality of work you deliver, your attitude, integrity, and willingness to help.
• Treat your Manager as a client. Get a read on his/her style and act accordingly.
• Support staff, security, mailroom staff – treat all levels of personnel with the same respect and professionalism.
• Build relationships with peers- these are future contacts, colleagues, professional networks.
• Be a team player. Your interaction with others is a key part of your success in the work environment.
• Find a mentor.
• Choose carefully.
• From whom can you learn the most?
• Who is well respected in the company?
• Seek direction when in doubt. Clarify any ambiguity you may be facing in your work.
• Keep organized records of your work, track achievements and skills you are acquiring.
• Learn what other professionals do within the company/learn all sides of the business.
• Attend professional association meetings. Many employers belong to such organizations.

Ask your Manager if you could attend some association sponsored functions as they are an excellent resource for networking.

• Expand on your network list with names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses.
• Schedule an appointment to meet with a Career Advisor during the time to talk about your internship, discuss any questions/issues you might be facing.
• Towards the end of the internship:
• Secure references.
• Inquire about full-time opportunities and/or networking contacts.
• Maintain your connections and continue to develop relationships.

As this summer winds down, it's time to say farewell to our interns! We have had such a wonderful time with them in our office and I appreciate all of the hard work that they contributed. This year we had two interns. Each intern worked in the department design Development department of their choice and was paired up with an employee that acted as their manager. Over the course of twenty-four weeks the interns gained real-world work experience by working closely with their managers.( unfortunately there was no travel this time because of the situation and Covid time ) They attended department meetings, participated in special projects, and voiced their thoughts and ideas! The day-to-day situations they engaged in were real and gave them a working opportunity to engage in concept-to-production experience as well as problem-solving and crisis management.

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I am hopeful that your experience has given you practical experience that you will use for years to come. Best to you as you return to school and as you peruse your goals in the future!

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