Seeing Employee Experience through a College Student's Eyes

I have spent my entire (20+ year) career in Human Resources. Over the years, I've designed new orientation and onboarding programs, customer (employee) experience programs, paperless onboarding programs, and more. I have always asked for feedback on the customer experience, and alter programs and practices continuously to better meet the needs of our customers - our employees. But I often miss the little details that can make a huge difference to a new employee. This was recently highlighted this summer, as I got to witness my son's experience with his first professional internship. (And as much as I wanted to, I didn't help him apply - it made the experience all the more gratifying that he got the internship all on his own.)

My son is about to enter his sophomore year of college. He studies Computer Networking and Cybersecurity (and yes, that is very useful at home!) This spring, he applied to several internships in his field and ended up with a terrific experience. What can companies learn through viewing their experience through the eyes of a college student?

Make the application process easy and embrace technology

My son ultimately received two offers. Both would require a 45 minute drive each day, which he was ok with. However, Internship #1 required him to drive 3+ hours from school to interview in person, twice. Internship #2 conducted a phone interview followed by a video interview with the hiring manager. He did this right from his school's library more than three hours away. TAKEAWAY: Those of us responsible for hiring can use many new tools to make this process so much easier for future interns - and other employees.

Follow up when you say you will

My son knew exactly what to expect for a timeline for Internship #2. He had a dedicated HR Rep he could call with questions at any time, and she followed up with him regularly. After the first interview for Internship #1, he did not hear anything for two weeks, which actually led him to apply for Internship #2. TAKEAWAY: Follow up regularly with all candidates in your pipeline. Ideally, the process is relatively quick but if not, keep your candidates posted on the progress.

Onboarding is critical

Not everyone gets excited about water bottles, t-shirts and free food, but interns certainly do. (Well, maybe everyone gets excited about free food!) On day 1, when he had his own cube, name plate, water bottle and computer already set up, he came home thinking he worked for the best company in the world. TAKEAWAY: This is a relatively easy but often missed step - make sure everything is set up for your new employee!

Meaningful work is important, even for interns

My son got to lead projects, meetings and conduct presentations. While some of the work may have been monotonous to some of us, framed in a proper way - this is YOUR project - it became meaningful and important. TAKEAWAY: Use your interns wisely - they are smart and eager to learn, and you can help shape their experience in the working world as positive.

Mentoring and Networking Start Early

Connections are critical to all of us in the business world, and connections start early. My son happened to bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the table, but he learned a ton, and even more important, had great mentors and co-workers. TAKEAWAY: Mentoring is as beneficial for the mentor as it is for the mentee. Even if informal, offer employees a chance to bond with new employees.

FINALLY.......

Who did he choose? Internship #2, which served as a shining example of what to do right, and gave me several things to think about as we continually shape our customer experience. So, thank you CONNECTION for providing a wonderful first professional experience for my son. You are a great example to all of us looking to improve our customer experience!