Making the most of an internship

An intern should be supported and given regular feedback and coaching, access to a mentor, and training on technical areas.

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THE FIRST FEW DAYS

It is very important that interns are warmly welcomed and introduced throughout your organisation, just as you would welcome any new full-time employee. Remember that interns will not only be new to your organisation, but in many cases will be new to the professional world of work.

The sooner your intern understands your organisation and how it operates, the sooner they can begin to contribute to your business. You can streamline this process by providing the following kinds of information about your site/organisation.

  • What is the history of your organisation?
  • Who are your customers/stakeholders?
  • What are the organisation’s current objectives?
  • How may the intern contribute to those objectives?
  • How should they process requests?
  • How do the email and telephone systems work?
  • What health and safety process do they need to know about?
  • Are there security or confidentiality issues of which the intern should be aware?
  • Introduce them to your organisation’s intranet.

MAKING THE MOST OF THE INTERNSHIP

As with most things, what you get out of something is relative to what you put in. This is certainly the case for internships. An intern should be supported and given regular feedback and coaching, access to a mentor (whether this is their supervisor or someone else within your organisation), and training on technical areas. This will provide the support that your intern will need to succeed in their role and therefore to make a valuable contribution to your business.

One of the biggest causes of unsuccessful internships is lack of supervision or guidance and/or insufficient workloads. The best way to avoid such issues is to encourage open dialogue with your intern from the outset so you can address any concerns early on.

WORKING WITH STUDENTS

For many who are in higher education an internship can provide valuable work experience. The internship position should enhance their learning experience through exposure to the working world. At the same time, you should understand that for most interns this is a new experience and they may need support in balancing their academic work and the internship. While on placement, students usually need to complete assessment activities and learning logs to meet their course requirements. It is important for you to be aware of these requirements.

Take time to understand your intern’s obligations outside of the internship, and work together to ensure both business needs and academic needs can be met in tandem.

 

TOP TIP – PROVIDE YOUR INTERN WITH A MENTOR

A mentor can enhance the experience of an internship for both employer and intern. Mentors must have the time necessary to mentor a student. Ideally they should be an accountant so they can share their own experience and journey. Mentors should work in the same department as the intern so they have a good understanding of the work the intern is involved with. Mentors serve as several roles.

As teachers:

  • helping the intern learn about the business
  • explaining projects and processes.

As supporters:

  • helping to make the transition to the workplace as easy as possible
  • answering questions or concerns
  • serving as a positive role model.

As evaluators:

  • providing constructive feedback to the intern on a regular basis.