Students look for internships to gain work experience, and you look for interns to help get your projects done. How can you make sure that you are both getting the most out of the experience? Start with these guidelines that ROBOT has developed over several semesters of student interns.
Before
1) Plan a specific activity or possible list of activities.
Your intern is going to have a limited schedule for a finite time period and you are going to have limited time to direct them. Set some initial goals for what you would like to have them accomplish, and plan some activities that they can complete during their stay with your company. It's best if the project has a clear beginning and end. Some ideas include:
- Research (on audience, messaging, opportunities, etc.)
- Competitive research
- Mystery shopping
- Social media
- Content creation
- Data organization
2) Be realistic.
Most interns, however brilliant they may be, have limited experience. They may do something outstanding, or they might not do anything worthwhile at all. Maybe the next one will be better. They are in it to learn after all.
3) Familiarize them with your business.
Put a day in the calendar when you can have the intern rotate through every department of the business and learn what everyone does.
During
1) Protect your business interests.
Don't let interns work directly on anything customer facing or mission critical. Have them prepare examples and mock ups and then critique those and have them make changes before changing any of your real life initiatives. For example, want them to prepare an email? Don't let them set it up in your current system. It's too risky if they accidentally send it while learning to use the system. Have them set up a completely new test account and do a test project so that you can gauge their capabilities first. You may get some ideas, but decide to never give them access to the real account!
2) Provide feedback.
Make sure you check in and provide specific, critical feedback. They are there to learn and gain valuable work experience.
3) Require reports.
Have them summarize each project they work on with a presentation, no matter what it is you have them work on. This is good practice for them, a good record of their activities for you, and will help set the bar higher for the next student coming in if you show it to them day one!
4) Keep them involved.
If interns feel like outsiders, they can get bored and disengage very easily. Involve them in as many activities around the company as possible, and help them feel like they are a part of the team.
After
1) Give them credit for the work they do.
No matter how your interns do, write at least a general letter of recommendation. Give them all kinds of credit, and save it as a template for future letters.
2) Offer to provide future recommendations.
If they really did something great, offer to write specific letters when they need them in the future.
3) Help them find a job.
If you like your intern, offer to help him or her find a job after graduation. Nothing builds goodwill like helping terrified kiddos get their first real job. All you probably need to do is email their resumes to a few friends.
Update: Paid or unpaid internship?
Robot Creative cannot offer legal advice. Check out this document from the U.S. Department of Labor and consult a labor law attorney.
