Internships: How to Make Them a Win-Win-Win for Students, Employers, and Career Educators

Today is #NationalInternDay! Internships are an integral part of the post-secondary talent ecosystem. They are:

• a valuable mode of learning, career exploration, and professional development for students on their journey from post-secondary study to career success
• an opportunity for employers to cultivate a diverse talent pipeline, invest in meeting their current and future skills needs, as well as nurture career and leadership potential
• a platform for post-secondary institutions to showcase and support the career development of their student talent

What are some of the ways to make the internship experience as meaningful and fruitful as possible? Let's look at it from the perspective of each interest-holder:

Students -

• Set realistic aims for your internship that are in line with your role, skills, the organization you are working for, and career gaols.
• Seize the opportunity to be curious, learn and absorb all that you can, try a few things out, learn from any mistakes you might make along the way, make connections, and challenge yourself.
• Don't hesitate to ask for what you need to thrive—answers, context, feedback, access, technology, or accommodations. Resourcefulness is absolutely important, but so are curiosity, collaboration, reasonable expectations, belonging, and support.
• Do your best. Bringing your best in the moment is all you can ask of yourself.
• Periodically during your internship, reflect on your experiences by asking yourself questions like: What skills am I using/building? How does my work support the team/organization? When do I feel most fulfilled or challenged, and why? Am I meeting my goals? Who have I connected with, and how can we stay in touch? How do I feel about the work overall? These reflections will help you in identifying what you've gained from your internship and areas where you might course correct if needed.

Employers -

• While important for all employees, be sure to set-up regular opportunities for interns to ask questions, gain additional context, share wins/challenges, update on work progress, talk about anything they may need, and receive constructive feedback.
• Strive to clearly connect interns' work with the team/organization's goals. Spotlight their contributions authentically, provide opportunities to achieve their goals, and empower them to reflect on their skills, knowledge, and expertise.
• Leading with empathy, trust, patience, grace, and inclusion will go a long way in building a strong working alliance with, fostering engagement amongst and enabling a valuable experience for your organization's interns (and, workforce as a whole).
• Do not underestimate the value of access - people (being intentiional in building connections with leaders, co-workers, fellow interns), learning opportunities, cross-functional exposure, career growth, and mentorship. This can be the most impactful parts of your total rewards package!
• Remember... interns are not a replacement for full time employees. While they may be awesome, setting clear and reasonable expectations, providing guidance and context as required, and supporting their goals and development remains pivotal.
• Consider how internships fit into your overall strategy to build out your talent pipeline and empoyer brand on campus.

Career Educators -

• Consider how you will position, market and broker your student talent to potential employers to help build your brand as a source of high quality talent and enabler of student success.
• Empower students to leverage internships and encourage employers to create opportunities that allow interns to explore, learn, develop skills, and gain valuable experience.
• Share tips and strategies with students and employers to maximize the internship experience by setting realistic expectations, fostering safety, inclusion, and belonging, exchanging constructive feedback, and ensuring mutual success.
• Position yourself as a trusted advisor for BOTH students and employers - particularly if something is not going according to plan. Encourage them to reach out when needed.
• Provide opportunities and tools to support reflection and meaning-making. This is a critical component - ensure everyone is invested in doing it well. This is where the most ROI and tangible benefits will come from.

Through collaboration —students, employers, and career educators—we can create enriching and transformative experiences that invest in career success, the future of our workforce, and the valuable expertise of career services in meeting talent needs. Together, we can enable students to become career builders for life!

Trevor Buttrum is an award-winning early talent recruitment and career education professional. He is the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Career Educastors and Employers (CACEE) - a pan-Canadian network, association for professionals, and leading authority focused on the post-secondary to career transition.