The BlogBusinessemployersC-Suite

An Open Letter to Employers Hosting Summer Interns (Part Two)

It's up to you to provide the orientation, guidance and motivation to help them succeed. In turn, you gain some fresh perspectives and new skills, in addition to an extra set of hands to hopefully ease your workload this summer and advance your business objectives.
By 

Executive Vice President, State Street Corporation

Executive Vice President, State Street Corporation
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Dear Employer of a Summer Intern,

Consider yourself lucky. There may be no more mutually beneficial relationship than that of the summer intern and the employer. You have access to an eager, low-cost employee who is willing to take on assignments and learn new skills, but may require a little extra care. It's up to you to provide the orientation, guidance and motivation to help them succeed. In turn, you gain some fresh perspectives and new skills, in addition to an extra set of hands to hopefully ease your workload this summer and advance your business objectives.

Preparation, communication and a bit of recognition can lead to a successful --and mutually beneficial -- internship program. Here are a few tips to help you get there:

  1. Set clear goals. If it seems like there's always work to be done and never enough hands to do it, you can really benefit from a summer intern. Now's the time to complete those projects that have been simmering on the back burner for too long. Start by setting clear goals for your intern and giving them the support they need to be successful. Consider giving your junior team members the opportunity to develop their own leadership skills by helping to manage and coach an intern.

  • Give time. Sometimes the task of explaining something to someone else seems more taxing than just doing the work yourself. Don't fall into this trap. Invest the time to explain your expectations to your intern so they can take ownership of a project and understand what it will take to succeed. Review their progress early and often so you won't be surprised if they aren't meeting your expectations.

  • Provide meaningful work. Everyone loves to joke about interns doing menial work, but these workers are looking to gain real-world experience and learn about your business and its complexities. Give them the opportunity to understand these issues by offering meaningful work. Think about what you'd want a new full-time hire to know about your organization --the roles within it, expectations for success, etc. -- and groom your interns accordingly.

  • Engage your interns on a regular basis. Feedback -- when it's given regularly and clearly -- is one of the most powerful tools teachers, coaches and authentic leaders use in developing the people they work with. Commit to providing your interns with specific and timely feedback. Set up a recurring meeting with your intern to manage expectations. Does your intern feel like he or she is getting enough work? Is the quality of that work meeting your criteria? Encourage your intern to ask questions during this one-on-one as it can be less intimidating than in a group setting.

    • Give them exposure. As I said in a previous post on mentoring Millennials, it's important to find creative ways to connect junior talent with more seasoned employees, and this holds true for interns. Make sure your intern is getting the right amount of exposure to senior team members by inviting them to sit in on meetings or simply ask their opinion on a business issue. Fresh eyes can provide a lot of perspective.

    If you were once an intern, think back to how you felt during that experience. It may have been intimidating, inundating or just plain boring. Do your best to make the most of your intern's time and you'll both benefit. You'll get the extra help you need from a potential full-time employee who now has a baseline of institutional knowledge, and your intern will gain real-world experience, fodder for their resume, and an expanding professional network. To me, that seems like a win for both parties.

    Related

    BusinessemployersC-Suitegoalsinternships
    |
    Submit a tip
    Close

    What's Hot