Tips for Creating a Successful Internship Program

As the last semesters in the universities begin, the big organizations start looking up for fresh talent available in the market. Before introducing the internship program to a new pool of candidates, it is necessary to develop an effective, consolidated and successful internship program.

It is imperative to mention that around 300 thousand internships are conducted in the US every year. In Pakistan, PepsiCo, PITB, KMPG, Bayer, Proctor & Gamble, Pakistan Telecommunication, and the scheduled banks are considered to be the best setups for learning-oriented internships.

Of course, the companies hardly offer internships just for the sake of internships but aim at recruiting and retaining the finest talent. In the same way, the new talent hardly comes for only landing at an internship, rather they are keenly interested in investing their energies in learning something practical. Therefore, designing a successful internship program is a big responsibility of HR professionals.

Decide on the preliminaries of the internship program

Before formally chalking out a successful internship program, it is mandatory to get clear about its purpose and objective. There should also be clarity about the duration of this program and the tasks that would be completed through the new interns. The internship program should also ensure all approvals from the company’s management.

Chalk out mechanisms for providing greater exposure to interns

Interns are usually recruited for carrying out specific assignments for particular departments and are expected to work within the allocated departments. However, a mechanism should be chalked out to provide them with exposure to your whole business. It is demanded because these interns also work as ambassadors for your business. Once these interns leave your organization, they give their views about your business outlook in their social circles. This exposure, in this way, not only builds your good reputation but also streamlines the relevant talent to reach out to your company.

Designate a specific focal authority for interns

When interns join the organization, they have day-to-day queries about the operational nature of the business and their assigned domain. The successful internship program should plan to designate someone for this reason. Such a focal person must know every component of the internship program.

Schedule Feedback sessions

Once you have hired the interns, feedback sessions should be made a part of the internship program. Active feedback allows the HR professionals to analyze what the interns are expecting from the organization and how much the company is meeting their requirements. This also helps in analyzing the aptitude, strengths, weaknesses, and proclivity of the interns toward their assigned roles. Such information helps the organization in taking reasonable recruitment decisions in the future.