Whether you are just starting an internship program or you have one already, discover the key qualities that make interns thrive, learn how internship programs can shape future leaders, and explore innovative approaches to foster a culture of continuous learning and development. We'll share tips on creating challenging projects that elevate interns to showcase their leadership potential.
Resources:
MRA's 2024 Internship Leadership Program Calendar
Let's Connect:
Transcript
00:00:00:01 - 00:00:05:13 Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything
00:00:05:13 - 00:00:09:22 and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association.
00:00:09:24 - 00:00:12:24 Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR?
00:00:12:24 - 00:00:14:19 MRA has got you covered.
00:00:14:19 - 00:00:17:17 We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not.
00:00:17:17 - 00:00:21:04 I'm your host, Sophie Boler and we are so glad you're here.
00:00:21:05 - 00:00:22:21 Now it's time to thrive.
00:00:22:21 - 00:00:26:16 Hello, everybody, and welcome to 30 Minute Thrive.
00:00:26:18 - 00:00:29:24 Today we're going to be talking about the ins and outs of internships.
00:00:30:03 - 00:00:34:15 So if you're looking to start an internship program at your organization,
00:00:34:21 - 00:00:37:17 or maybe you have one started already, but you're looking to make it
00:00:37:17 - 00:00:41:13 even more successful, it's a good thing you're here today with us
00:00:41:13 - 00:00:46:04 because we're joined by Courtney Lamers, MRA, senior manager of member Engagement
00:00:46:10 - 00:00:50:08 and MRA's Intern Leadership program organizer.
00:00:50:10 - 00:00:54:10 So Courtney's really here to help organizations
00:00:54:10 - 00:00:58:04 not only design and implement an internship program,
00:00:58:04 - 00:01:02:17 but also help develop existing ones into successful programs.
00:01:02:19 - 00:01:06:06 And having been an intern myself at Emory,
00:01:06:08 - 00:01:09:21 I love this topic, and I'm really excited to talk about it.
00:01:09:21 - 00:01:12:11 So, Courtney, let's start.
00:01:12:11 - 00:01:14:24 Start from the top here.
00:01:14:24 - 00:01:18:22 Those who have never implemented an internship program before.
00:01:18:24 - 00:01:23:22 What are some of the key starting factors that a company would really need?
00:01:23:24 - 00:01:24:13 Absolutely.
00:01:24:13 - 00:01:27:05 Great question. And thank you for having me today.
00:01:27:05 - 00:01:27:13 You know,
00:01:27:13 - 00:01:27:23 it really
00:01:27:23 - 00:01:31:16 is that time of the year where everyone is reaching out about internships.
00:01:31:16 - 00:01:35:09 And it's been exciting to hear from a lot of companies that are just
00:01:35:10 - 00:01:37:05 beginning their internship journey.
00:01:37:05 - 00:01:40:14 So I think it's going to be a really fun summer and I'm super
00:01:40:14 - 00:01:43:14 excited for all of you that have interns.
00:01:43:20 - 00:01:46:08 I think those that have had interns have really found it
00:01:46:08 - 00:01:50:02 valuable and continue to see that year over year.
00:01:50:04 - 00:01:53:12 And so I'm really excited for all of those companies that are starting it.
00:01:53:14 - 00:01:56:04 I think that's a great question to start with, just because we do
00:01:56:04 - 00:01:59:21 see a lot of companies that are starting internship program.
00:01:59:23 - 00:02:03:21 And I would say the key in starting an internship program
00:02:04:02 - 00:02:07:04 and there's a lot of things that go into it, but one of the most important
00:02:07:04 - 00:02:10:24 things is making sure that you have the correct manager
00:02:11:01 - 00:02:15:18 and managers in place to support and intern support their experience
00:02:15:18 - 00:02:17:00 as a whole,
00:02:17:00 - 00:02:18:11 and be able to have some of those
00:02:18:11 - 00:02:21:16 difficult conversation zones where I think we see with companies,
00:02:21:16 - 00:02:27:01 a lot of times managers will come and say, I really want an intern,
00:02:27:03 - 00:02:30:23 but if that manager may not have the culture in the department,
00:02:30:23 - 00:02:31:20 that character may not
00:02:31:20 - 00:02:35:17 necessarily be equipped with the tools to be a great manager for an intern.
00:02:35:19 - 00:02:40:02 Someone companies are having those conversations, so I think manager buy in
00:02:40:02 - 00:02:43:12 and understanding of what it really takes to have an intern is huge.
00:02:43:12 - 00:02:47:22 I think like any new employee, I think interns
00:02:47:22 - 00:02:52:23 take a little bit of extra time and really supporting that experience
00:02:52:23 - 00:02:57:00 from mentorship and coaching and giving them opportunities.
00:02:57:00 - 00:03:00:01 There is a little bit of additional work
00:03:00:03 - 00:03:01:14 for an intern, so
00:03:01:14 - 00:03:05:15 I think we see companies that have super successful intern programs
00:03:05:15 - 00:03:09:22 and what you see behind those are managers and companies that have complete buy in.
00:03:09:22 - 00:03:13:07 So I think honestly, before you even get to the manager piece,
00:03:13:08 - 00:03:17:16 you need to think about and talk with your leadership team and understand
00:03:17:16 - 00:03:22:15 that there is a buy in needed and an investment honestly,
00:03:22:15 - 00:03:28:11 between both time and money and what goes into a great experience.
00:03:28:12 - 00:03:31:08 So I think, you know, really the buy in is the first step
00:03:31:08 - 00:03:35:07 and then there are a lot of steps along the way to get to that manager piece.
00:03:35:07 - 00:03:38:04 But I think that is so key.
00:03:38:04 - 00:03:40:05 Just kind of starting about with the whole experience.
00:03:40:05 - 00:03:42:20 So obviously once you have the manager buy in, that's huge.
00:03:42:20 - 00:03:44:22 Or leadership by an excuse me.
00:03:44:22 - 00:03:48:06 And then I think really think about why you're having an intern.
00:03:48:06 - 00:03:54:04 You know, I think in the past interns have historically been added
00:03:54:04 - 00:03:57:12 to a team to help with some of those, you know, daily tasks
00:03:57:12 - 00:04:00:12 and some of those things that can be taken off of other people's plates.
00:04:00:12 - 00:04:03:20 But we see a lot of companies that are looking to hire
00:04:03:20 - 00:04:06:20 interns for a long term perspective.
00:04:06:21 - 00:04:11:01 So one from a brand awareness standpoint, these interns are going back to
00:04:11:01 - 00:04:14:01 and talking to their friends on campus
00:04:14:01 - 00:04:16:23 and even on social media about their experience as a whole.
00:04:16:23 - 00:04:21:05 So those you know, word of mouth brand, ambassador pieces is a huge part of it.
00:04:21:05 - 00:04:24:20 And we also see interns a lot as their town supply chain.
00:04:24:20 - 00:04:26:20 So really trying to hang on to those interns.
00:04:26:20 - 00:04:28:19 So just really understanding the why.
00:04:28:19 - 00:04:32:07 What's the purpose of your program and then putting some of those structural
00:04:32:07 - 00:04:37:11 pieces around to support the intern throughout the length of their internship.
00:04:37:13 - 00:04:38:10 And then, of course,
00:04:38:10 - 00:04:42:09 thinking about what are those elements that make this an experience as a whole?
00:04:42:09 - 00:04:44:18 So of course there's the work component of it,
00:04:44:18 - 00:04:48:15 but what mentorship opportunities, what networking, professional development,
00:04:48:17 - 00:04:50:24 all of that staff to provide this great experience.
00:04:50:24 - 00:04:54:07 So the interns really want to either
00:04:54:08 - 00:04:57:09 say at your organization or go back and tell their friends all about it.
00:04:57:09 - 00:05:02:01 So long winded way of saying like, there's a lot of pieces to get started.
00:05:02:03 - 00:05:05:09 But the most important one, just having that manager
00:05:05:11 - 00:05:07:07 really be there to support their interns.
00:05:07:07 - 00:05:08:15 Sorry that as long you continue to hear.
00:05:08:15 - 00:05:13:14 Question So there's a lot that goes into starting an internship program,
00:05:13:14 - 00:05:17:22 and like you said before, even thinking about it, it's the whole planning process
00:05:17:22 - 00:05:21:14 and evaluating why am I having interns
00:05:21:16 - 00:05:24:15 who at the company can manage the interns
00:05:24:15 - 00:05:30:16 and has the capacity to do that, and then it's also thinking about like
00:05:30:18 - 00:05:31:21 some companies may
00:05:31:21 - 00:05:34:21 have one intern, but some may have 30.
00:05:34:21 - 00:05:35:16 So it's like,
00:05:35:16 - 00:05:40:14 how do you split that up between managers and and roles and stuff like that?
00:05:40:16 - 00:05:43:04 But once you have that plan
00:05:43:04 - 00:05:47:01 in place, like you were talking about, even then, even if you already
00:05:47:01 - 00:05:51:00 have a great internship program developed, how do you find the interns?
00:05:51:00 - 00:05:56:18 I think that's a huge question, like recruiting best practices.
00:05:56:20 - 00:06:01:20 Do you have any suggestions on where to find interns, when to find interns?
00:06:01:20 - 00:06:05:00 I know now is a great time to start talking about it,
00:06:05:00 - 00:06:08:23 but just looking for any best practices you might have there.
00:06:09:00 - 00:06:09:21 Yeah, absolutely.
00:06:09:21 - 00:06:13:03 Shameless plug for companies Recruiting services team.
00:06:13:05 - 00:06:13:23 They really do
00:06:13:23 - 00:06:18:17 all of their recruiting for interns, so they are a great resource to tap.
00:06:18:17 - 00:06:21:21 But I would say we see
00:06:21:21 - 00:06:26:00 a lot of interns get hired from networking and schools.
00:06:26:00 - 00:06:30:02 We just had a hot topic survey not too long ago
00:06:30:02 - 00:06:33:15 and I think like 87% of our respondents have that.
00:06:33:20 - 00:06:38:04 They find their interns and they have a lot of great luck by
00:06:38:06 - 00:06:41:04 going to job fairs at universities and colleges
00:06:41:04 - 00:06:45:21 and just different locations where they're able to network with people.
00:06:45:23 - 00:06:48:14 I would also say share it out to your LinkedIn page.
00:06:48:14 - 00:06:49:14 You know,
00:06:49:14 - 00:06:54:17 I think we see a lot of interns get hired because of connections they have.
00:06:54:17 - 00:06:55:06 And I
00:06:55:06 - 00:06:59:00 you know, I get we'll find out something about MRA's intern leadership program
00:06:59:00 - 00:07:02:22 and I'll get people come back and say like, well, I don't have
00:07:03:02 - 00:07:05:07 an intern at my company, but I do have a daughter
00:07:05:07 - 00:07:07:17 that's looking for an internship or a niece or a nephew.
00:07:07:17 - 00:07:10:18 And I'm always willing to help pair that.
00:07:10:18 - 00:07:12:23 So you just never know who is going to see some of that.
00:07:12:23 - 00:07:15:23 But like I said, I think for the most part,
00:07:16:02 - 00:07:18:18 people have a lot of luck getting in front of the universities,
00:07:18:18 - 00:07:21:23 the colleges and being on campus in front of the next generation
00:07:21:23 - 00:07:26:02 of talent and just from a brand awareness standpoint, there's always a benefit
00:07:26:02 - 00:07:27:15 there, too.
00:07:27:15 - 00:07:31:09 As far as timing, you know, I think we've seen it
00:07:31:11 - 00:07:35:20 be done successfully at various times throughout the year.
00:07:35:22 - 00:07:36:23 You know,
00:07:36:23 - 00:07:40:14 we are seeing a lot of companies now that are ramping up for summer internship.
00:07:40:14 - 00:07:44:16 So they are starting to just find their interns.
00:07:44:16 - 00:07:48:06 Now, we do recommend a little bit earlier than now at this point of the year.
00:07:48:06 - 00:07:52:23 We'll see some of the schools and the organizations
00:07:52:23 - 00:07:57:02 that have bigger internship programs are starting right after the summer.
00:07:57:02 - 00:08:01:03 So they're starting in September hiring all the way for the next summer.
00:08:01:03 - 00:08:03:15 And I mean, it's a lot of work to fill.
00:08:03:15 - 00:08:08:15 35 internships or however many there are, but a lot of the career
00:08:08:16 - 00:08:12:00 offers happen early in the fall and again in the spring.
00:08:12:00 - 00:08:13:15 So just kind of thinking,
00:08:13:15 - 00:08:16:21 being strategic about that, it doesn't mean you have to start in the fall.
00:08:16:23 - 00:08:19:20 People have a lot of great luck in the spring,
00:08:19:20 - 00:08:22:01 so definitely an option to.
00:08:22:01 - 00:08:26:04 But as far as best practices, I would also say think about your job
00:08:26:04 - 00:08:29:22 description and your job ad and you don't have to put
00:08:29:22 - 00:08:33:18 every single detail, every single project that they're going to be working on.
00:08:33:18 - 00:08:37:23 But some highlight some of those main responsibilities,
00:08:37:23 - 00:08:39:24 of course, but then some of those fun things too.
00:08:39:24 - 00:08:41:10 So like, for example,
00:08:41:10 - 00:08:45:06 we have a company that's participating in the Intern Leadership Program program
00:08:45:06 - 00:08:49:10 that I'm a grant offers, and they put that as part of their job description
00:08:49:12 - 00:08:52:23 in every single one of their interns
00:08:53:00 - 00:08:55:01 that they ended up hiring have said
00:08:55:01 - 00:08:57:15 they had to ask the question, like, Why did you apply for this internship?
00:08:57:15 - 00:08:59:24 And they also had the intern leadership program.
00:08:59:24 - 00:09:02:24 So some of that professional development that's part of that intern
00:09:02:24 - 00:09:06:01 program can be part of the the job at that job description.
00:09:06:01 - 00:09:09:19 So some of those fun key elements in showcasing the mentorship
00:09:09:19 - 00:09:12:09 and networking opportunities that they're going to have.
00:09:12:09 - 00:09:13:19 And also I would just say
00:09:13:19 - 00:09:17:04 if there's an opportunity for them to learn the business as a whole,
00:09:17:04 - 00:09:21:00 put some of that stuff in your job ads as well.
00:09:21:00 - 00:09:25:03 I think interns in general are just trying to gain as much experience
00:09:25:03 - 00:09:26:04 and knowledge as they can.
00:09:26:04 - 00:09:29:04 So if they see that in your job description, in your job ad,
00:09:29:07 - 00:09:32:06 I think that's going to be a huge draw for them.
00:09:32:08 - 00:09:32:23 Absolutely.
00:09:32:23 - 00:09:37:16 I was going to say you're trying to attract these interns like a new employee.
00:09:37:16 - 00:09:43:12 So like like you said, be creative and show off what flexible arrangements
00:09:43:12 - 00:09:46:12 you may have something that's going to attract
00:09:46:14 - 00:09:49:21 an intern to work for your organization.
00:09:49:23 - 00:09:54:16 Well, those are the things that we hear about from the interns, is
00:09:54:18 - 00:09:57:09 they like I mean, they like the flexibility, of course.
00:09:57:09 - 00:09:59:08 But I think some of the struggle is
00:09:59:08 - 00:10:03:06 they really want to learn from others and be mentored.
00:10:03:08 - 00:10:07:08 And it's really hard to do that if they're coming into the office,
00:10:07:08 - 00:10:09:14 which they a lot of them have shown that
00:10:09:14 - 00:10:12:24 they want to come into the office for that mentorship opportunity.
00:10:13:01 - 00:10:14:04 But if they're coming in
00:10:14:04 - 00:10:17:23 and nobody else is in the office, that can be a really challenging thing too.
00:10:17:23 - 00:10:20:17 So if you are able to express
00:10:20:17 - 00:10:24:18 what those mentorship opportunities and those learning opportunities are, that
00:10:24:19 - 00:10:30:23 I think is a great way for them to like, really understand how that could happen.
00:10:31:00 - 00:10:33:03 And the other thing just kind of going back to,
00:10:33:03 - 00:10:36:00 you know, the timing of hiring interns,
00:10:36:00 - 00:10:38:17 we've seen a lot more in the last year
00:10:38:17 - 00:10:42:17 to of companies that are hiring interns and then
00:10:42:19 - 00:10:45:22 they're struggling to retain them, even to start their internship.
00:10:45:22 - 00:10:48:22 So, you know, you have to find that balance of
00:10:49:01 - 00:10:51:21 hiring them early enough, but then also keeping them engaged.
00:10:51:21 - 00:10:54:06 So if you do hire them in January,
00:10:54:06 - 00:10:57:22 that's still another five or six months until they start their internship.
00:10:57:24 - 00:11:00:10 So just think about how you're going to keep them engaged
00:11:00:10 - 00:11:02:19 and excited about your internship experience.
00:11:02:19 - 00:11:05:18 You know, we typically we've seen some data
00:11:05:18 - 00:11:09:01 and we recommend, you know, every three weeks that you're reaching out
00:11:09:03 - 00:11:13:09 or three to every three weeks, you're reaching out to those interns,
00:11:13:11 - 00:11:16:05 you know, with some type of communication, whether it's
00:11:16:05 - 00:11:19:23 their managers are reaching out, whether it's different people on the team,
00:11:19:23 - 00:11:23:16 HR Sharing company newsletters, all of that stuff to keep them engaged
00:11:23:22 - 00:11:26:04 so they're not like i still have this internship.
00:11:26:04 - 00:11:28:18 I haven't heard from them in a couple of months. Like, what's going on here?
00:11:28:18 - 00:11:32:17 So just keeping them excited and engaged is important too.
00:11:32:19 - 00:11:35:23 Yeah, absolutely. Those are all great points.
00:11:36:00 - 00:11:36:15 Let's say you have
00:11:36:15 - 00:11:39:15 your group of hired interns. Now.
00:11:39:17 - 00:11:44:14 What steps are really taken then to integrate them into the company's work
00:11:44:14 - 00:11:47:23 environment and to kind of
00:11:48:00 - 00:11:51:15 what does the onboarding process look like for them?
00:11:51:17 - 00:11:53:23 Yeah, I think, you know, that's a great question.
00:11:53:23 - 00:11:57:00 And I would say I would just start
00:11:57:00 - 00:12:00:09 by looking at what your current onboarding process is for any new hire.
00:12:00:09 - 00:12:03:19 I mean, a lot of that will pertain to them as well.
00:12:03:21 - 00:12:07:08 But then looking at what additional pieces are you going to add?
00:12:07:10 - 00:12:10:15 Again, I think less the internship experience really is
00:12:10:20 - 00:12:12:09 what I just had an experience.
00:12:12:09 - 00:12:15:17 So what are you doing for them on day one
00:12:15:17 - 00:12:18:21 to really provide that impact and get them excited for the summer?
00:12:18:21 - 00:12:20:19 Obviously there are some major
00:12:20:19 - 00:12:21:13 things that you just have
00:12:21:13 - 00:12:24:17 to take care of on day one, but what swag are you giving them?
00:12:24:17 - 00:12:28:08 Are you buying them lunch or are they getting to meet with a lot of people?
00:12:28:10 - 00:12:31:20 You know, I think day one really should be about building some of that excitement.
00:12:32:01 - 00:12:37:02 But then how are they learning and growing throughout their entire summer?
00:12:37:02 - 00:12:40:11 And what is that learning plan and onboarding look like beyond day
00:12:40:11 - 00:12:43:14 one and how to integrate them within the organization?
00:12:43:14 - 00:12:45:11 And of course, every company is different.
00:12:45:11 - 00:12:47:06 And what they need to know.
00:12:47:06 - 00:12:51:03 But I would just really recommend that you look at your own current
00:12:51:03 - 00:12:54:22 onboarding process, how to even enhance that even a little bit further,
00:12:54:22 - 00:12:58:14 like knowing that this a lot of them this might be their first real
00:12:58:19 - 00:13:00:03 job in the workplace
00:13:00:03 - 00:13:03:17 and how do you help them feel comfortable and navigate some of those,
00:13:03:19 - 00:13:08:04 you know, nuances or things that people you assume people just know
00:13:08:04 - 00:13:12:00 by being in the workplace and even just like dress code.
00:13:12:00 - 00:13:14:17 I know that's not the most exciting thing, but like,
00:13:14:17 - 00:13:17:05 you know, we've had a lot of companies say
00:13:17:07 - 00:13:19:00 our interns don't even know what our dress code is.
00:13:19:00 - 00:13:22:20 And, you know, you forget that sometimes this is their first real job.
00:13:22:20 - 00:13:24:05 So having to help them out.
00:13:24:05 - 00:13:26:13 And honestly, the earlier, the better.
00:13:26:13 - 00:13:29:23 That can be something you can communicate even before they start.
00:13:29:23 - 00:13:31:04 So I think really just
00:13:31:04 - 00:13:33:07 how do you assimilate them with your organization
00:13:33:07 - 00:13:36:19 and your best practices within your company and how they can,
00:13:36:24 - 00:13:40:11 you know, feel comfortable and be set up for success from the beginning?
00:13:40:13 - 00:13:41:19 You know, I look at it.
00:13:41:19 - 00:13:45:04 So if you when you were an intern, which was, you know, a while ago now, but,
00:13:45:06 - 00:13:48:06 you know, you texted me and your manager at
00:13:48:06 - 00:13:51:18 the time was like, hey, like we're about a week and a half out.
00:13:51:18 - 00:13:52:15 Like what?
00:13:52:15 - 00:13:54:00 You know, what is the dress code?
00:13:54:00 - 00:13:55:02 And we're like, my gosh.
00:13:55:02 - 00:13:58:00 Like, how did we not even tell her about? Like, that's a great question.
00:13:58:00 - 00:14:00:21 You know, like, you're just trying to be set up for success.
00:14:00:21 - 00:14:05:08 So any of those things that might be on their minds just let those know upfront.
00:14:05:08 - 00:14:08:08 And I think also just a side note of that, it's like
00:14:08:09 - 00:14:10:11 make sure they have your phone number so they can text you
00:14:10:11 - 00:14:12:09 those questions and encourage them to do that.
00:14:12:09 - 00:14:14:12 Because like when you text us, we were like,
00:14:14:12 - 00:14:16:20 my gosh, like, of course, how do we not even think about that?
00:14:16:20 - 00:14:20:08 And obviously it was on your mind because you sent us a message.
00:14:20:10 - 00:14:24:19 Yeah, that's funny because I was going to bring that up as an example here.
00:14:24:21 - 00:14:28:06 Just showing the importance of onboarding in the interim
00:14:28:06 - 00:14:32:24 because like you said, a lot of the time an internship is
00:14:33:00 - 00:14:36:19 maybe somebody's first real life kind of job experience.
00:14:36:19 - 00:14:42:00 So the onboarding process is just as important, as important,
00:14:42:00 - 00:14:44:08 if not the most important stuff, in my opinion.
00:14:44:08 - 00:14:46:08 Just because you want to
00:14:46:08 - 00:14:50:05 make that group first impression and get them excited on day one.
00:14:50:07 - 00:14:54:15 And yeah, I think for my experience
00:14:54:17 - 00:14:59:04 I felt comfortable to text you guys and say, Hey, like
00:14:59:06 - 00:15:03:02 we're a couple days away from first day, what's the dress code?
00:15:03:04 - 00:15:04:14 But then I also remember
00:15:04:14 - 00:15:07:00 feeling very comfortable when I first walked in
00:15:07:00 - 00:15:09:09 because I got to meet everyone at the company.
00:15:09:09 - 00:15:12:19 There is a swag like gift
00:15:12:19 - 00:15:15:19 bag or laid all over my desk.
00:15:15:19 - 00:15:19:00 Just the process of day one one. Awesome.
00:15:19:00 - 00:15:23:06 And I remember also being in the car because
00:15:23:08 - 00:15:28:11 you and my manager took me out to lunch and I remember like taking a picture,
00:15:28:11 - 00:15:33:00 a selfie in the backseat, and I'm like, Mom would be taking me out to lunch.
00:15:33:00 - 00:15:34:23 And I had my name tag.
00:15:34:23 - 00:15:38:02 But it is the little things that make the day
00:15:38:02 - 00:15:41:04 one experience and it gets I don't know, it made me excited.
00:15:41:04 - 00:15:44:10 Hey, to come back day two and like, what's day two going to look like?
00:15:44:10 - 00:15:46:06 What stage three gonna look like?
00:15:46:06 - 00:15:49:20 So kind of like continuously sparking
00:15:49:20 - 00:15:53:15 that excitement to make make the experience great.
00:15:53:17 - 00:15:58:09 And it was also I mean, I think that's so true.
00:15:58:09 - 00:16:02:03 And you know, I think you start to take some of those things for granted
00:16:02:04 - 00:16:03:09 like a business card,
00:16:03:09 - 00:16:07:11 a name tag, like, you know, you've been in in the business world for a while.
00:16:07:11 - 00:16:08:06 And, you know,
00:16:08:06 - 00:16:10:03 I think business cards were such a big deal
00:16:10:03 - 00:16:12:18 when I got them for the first time was like, my gosh, she's an intern.
00:16:12:18 - 00:16:13:22 I have business cards.
00:16:13:22 - 00:16:16:06 And it was like giving them to my family members.
00:16:16:06 - 00:16:19:08 And it's like, you know, it's such a little thing, but it really does.
00:16:19:08 - 00:16:22:08 You're like, my gosh, like I'm an adult now, you know?
00:16:22:09 - 00:16:25:19 So I think, like you said, it's all about those little experiences.
00:16:26:00 - 00:16:26:11 Yeah.
00:16:26:11 - 00:16:31:17 And just to add on to that, to I know we talked about going out to lunch
00:16:31:17 - 00:16:36:01 or doing something special, but even if you have virtual interns
00:16:36:01 - 00:16:39:06 or remote interns, which I think is kind of
00:16:39:08 - 00:16:41:21 becoming the new normal, almost,
00:16:41:21 - 00:16:44:21 you can still do those special things.
00:16:44:21 - 00:16:46:13 Maybe you send them a gift card on day
00:16:46:13 - 00:16:51:05 one to go grab something for lunch or maybe do a virtual lunch with them.
00:16:51:05 - 00:16:54:10 So we were talking about our experience in person,
00:16:54:10 - 00:16:58:18 but this can definitely apply virtually to Absolutely for sure.
00:16:58:21 - 00:17:02:13 I mean, I think gift cards, just DoorDash and something to their door,
00:17:02:15 - 00:17:03:18 There's a lot of there's
00:17:03:18 - 00:17:07:14 a lot of creative things out there that companies are doing, for sure.
00:17:07:16 - 00:17:08:07 Yeah.
00:17:08:07 - 00:17:09:22 So next step here now
00:17:09:22 - 00:17:13:15 we talk about recruiting interns, kind of whole planning process.
00:17:13:17 - 00:17:17:11 So let's say your internship program is established.
00:17:17:13 - 00:17:21:21 How would you really ensure its sustainability and what strategies
00:17:21:24 - 00:17:25:01 would you employ for the continuous improvement
00:17:25:01 - 00:17:29:09 based on feedback and just industry trends?
00:17:29:11 - 00:17:31:04 Yeah, I mean, I always saw companies
00:17:31:04 - 00:17:33:15 like don't be afraid to just ask your interns
00:17:33:15 - 00:17:35:14 what they're thinking and ask for feedback.
00:17:35:14 - 00:17:36:23 You know,
00:17:36:23 - 00:17:41:16 I think some interns are more comfortable than others about giving their feedback,
00:17:41:16 - 00:17:45:17 but I think, you know, even just a full survey every week
00:17:45:17 - 00:17:49:14 or every other week, whether it comes from HR Or the hiring manager,
00:17:49:16 - 00:17:51:19 just giving them an opportunity to share
00:17:51:19 - 00:17:54:19 what's on their mind and what recommendations they have.
00:17:54:20 - 00:17:58:24 We see a lot of companies that typically do you know what is known
00:17:58:24 - 00:18:01:19 as an exit interview where they're just asking for feedback
00:18:01:19 - 00:18:05:13 and the amount of times companies say like, wow, that was such a simple thing.
00:18:05:13 - 00:18:07:22 We could have implemented that if we knew.
00:18:07:22 - 00:18:12:08 So we're even seeing companies that are doing poll surveys like I
00:18:12:08 - 00:18:17:04 mentioned, or a couple of weeks in, like how was your first month on the job?
00:18:17:04 - 00:18:21:08 Is there anything else we can do to support you in For the most part, and
00:18:21:08 - 00:18:25:03 HR Has reported, at least from the groups that i've talked with,
00:18:25:05 - 00:18:27:12 they're getting really good feedback from their interns,
00:18:27:12 - 00:18:29:19 and they're like some of the things are so small
00:18:29:19 - 00:18:32:15 that we can just implement right away, and some of them are bigger picture
00:18:32:15 - 00:18:35:15 that we can take, you know, in a white company. Why?
00:18:35:15 - 00:18:39:03 And so I got to just talk to them, see how they're doing, and give them
00:18:39:09 - 00:18:43:12 an opportunity in a safe space to have those conversations.
00:18:43:14 - 00:18:45:15 I would also just say,
00:18:45:15 - 00:18:48:15 talking to other companies and reading more on best practices
00:18:48:15 - 00:18:50:15 about what other companies are doing,
00:18:50:15 - 00:18:52:10 there's a lot of great information out there.
00:18:52:10 - 00:18:57:11 You know, of course, we have our roundtables and internships
00:18:57:11 - 00:19:00:21 typically come up in a lot of the different roundtables.
00:19:00:21 - 00:19:02:09 So just being able to hear
00:19:02:09 - 00:19:06:02 what cool things other companies are doing are a great way to benchmark,
00:19:06:04 - 00:19:09:03 you know, what your program looks like and what you're providing to your interns
00:19:09:03 - 00:19:10:00 and even just spark
00:19:10:00 - 00:19:14:16 some additional ideas and, you know, help bounce ideas off of each other as well.
00:19:14:18 - 00:19:16:00 Yeah, for sure.
00:19:16:00 - 00:19:19:15 So we've talked about the importance of continuous
00:19:19:15 - 00:19:22:22 learning and skill development with interns.
00:19:22:24 - 00:19:25:14 So how do you really foster a culture
00:19:25:14 - 00:19:30:19 of that continuous learning with your internship programs?
00:19:30:21 - 00:19:34:08 And I guess how do you kind of encourage interns
00:19:34:08 - 00:19:41:21 to stay updated on industry trends and kind of want to acquire new skills?
00:19:41:23 - 00:19:45:24 Yeah, You know, when you sent this to me in advance, I was looking through this
00:19:45:24 - 00:19:51:19 and I was thinking a lot of a lot of the term culture of continuous
00:19:51:22 - 00:19:56:09 learning and continuous professional development mindset.
00:19:56:11 - 00:19:59:19 And at first when I started reading the question, I was like,
00:19:59:21 - 00:20:04:07 I was thinking about it from a manager and culture standpoint beyond the intern.
00:20:04:07 - 00:20:08:07 And I think, well, we hear from companies and managers is they learn so much
00:20:08:07 - 00:20:11:12 and get a whole different perspective by bringing in the interns.
00:20:11:14 - 00:20:12:18 So part of that is like when you're
00:20:12:18 - 00:20:15:04 building the intern program from the beginning,
00:20:15:04 - 00:20:18:10 you're setting expectations of your company and your culture of we're
00:20:18:10 - 00:20:22:15 bringing these interns in to do real work, make a real impact,
00:20:22:17 - 00:20:25:09 and kind of setting that up from the beginning and be open minded.
00:20:25:09 - 00:20:26:13 So they're not just here to do
00:20:26:13 - 00:20:30:21 some of the dirty work, if you will, and they're really here to make an impact.
00:20:30:21 - 00:20:34:02 So I think, you know, the continuous learning goes from both sides.
00:20:34:02 - 00:20:37:15 From the intern perspective, I think
00:20:37:17 - 00:20:41:05 we see so many interns, almost all of them that we see
00:20:41:05 - 00:20:45:11 already come in with just a hunger to learn and absorb so much.
00:20:45:11 - 00:20:49:20 I think you're you're lucky with that demographic of people and interns
00:20:49:20 - 00:20:53:08 because they just naturally are here to learn as much as they can.
00:20:53:13 - 00:20:54:24 They're excited to learn and they're excited
00:20:54:24 - 00:20:57:14 to grow in their career and they want to do whatever they can.
00:20:57:14 - 00:20:59:23 You know, again, I think part of it
00:20:59:23 - 00:21:03:14 even can go back to their job description or job expectations of
00:21:03:18 - 00:21:06:14 what is your professional development, How are you going to learn this?
00:21:06:14 - 00:21:08:07 And even having maybe
00:21:08:07 - 00:21:13:24 an individual development plan for them and learn it, you know, part of it being a
00:21:14:01 - 00:21:17:08 an opportunity for them to learn industry standards, maybe some job shadow,
00:21:17:08 - 00:21:18:09 some of that type of stuff.
00:21:18:09 - 00:21:21:16 But then also some of those are skills that they can take no matter what role
00:21:21:16 - 00:21:23:21 they have in their career
00:21:23:23 - 00:21:24:22 communication.
00:21:24:22 - 00:21:28:06 You know, all those leadership skills change management, all of that is all
00:21:28:08 - 00:21:32:02 good and things that they can put on their resume.
00:21:32:04 - 00:21:36:14 I also recommend talking about it in your one on one conversations with managers.
00:21:36:14 - 00:21:39:14 And it doesn't have to be every single day.
00:21:39:14 - 00:21:42:16 But I think, you know, when I was an intern again, this is a while ago,
00:21:42:21 - 00:21:46:19 but I think you're doing projects that might feel mundane to you
00:21:46:21 - 00:21:50:16 and you don't necessarily even realize the impact that you're having.
00:21:50:18 - 00:21:55:12 And like I remember when I was talking to one of my managers in
00:21:55:14 - 00:22:00:10 a previous internship and they were like, my gosh, like you did a great job
00:22:00:12 - 00:22:04:08 with this project management, like project management to your skill set
00:22:04:08 - 00:22:07:02 and add that to your resume. And I was like, Project management.
00:22:07:02 - 00:22:10:14 Like, all I did was schedule some meetings and take some notes or whatever,
00:22:10:16 - 00:22:12:07 and they were like, No, you did way more than that.
00:22:12:07 - 00:22:16:10 But even just being able to explain the impact that the interns are having,
00:22:16:10 - 00:22:19:05 and I feel like I don't know if you can speak on experience,
00:22:19:05 - 00:22:22:23 but I feel like interns don't always realize, like they just feel like
00:22:22:23 - 00:22:24:24 they're doing a small project and then it's like,
00:22:24:24 - 00:22:28:10 No, this was actually huge and this is what I did and X, Y and Z,
00:22:28:10 - 00:22:30:13 and these are the skills that you learn from it.
00:22:30:13 - 00:22:33:00 So we can talk about feedback in a minute.
00:22:33:00 - 00:22:36:12 But as far as you know, having those conversations and helping
00:22:36:12 - 00:22:40:08 them understand what they've done and the skills they have is huge.
00:22:40:10 - 00:22:42:09 Yeah, I going off of that.
00:22:42:09 - 00:22:48:15 I was recently reading an article, a LinkedIn article on 2024
00:22:48:17 - 00:22:52:21 internship trends, and one of them was
00:22:52:23 - 00:22:58:03 something like Prioritize skill development over traditional work.
00:22:58:05 - 00:23:02:18 And I think we've emphasized that a lot here on the skill development.
00:23:02:18 - 00:23:05:24 And it doesn't mean interns can't do traditional work
00:23:05:24 - 00:23:11:00 like the hands on kind of mundane stuff like you were saying.
00:23:11:02 - 00:23:14:13 But it's really like talking about what skills they're developing
00:23:14:13 - 00:23:19:17 and what skills you as an employer want them to develop so that they succeed
00:23:19:17 - 00:23:23:07 in an internship and kind of growing into their career path.
00:23:23:07 - 00:23:26:20 So just kind of goes to show the importance.
00:23:26:20 - 00:23:29:01 It's on 2024 internship trends.
00:23:29:01 - 00:23:32:13 So yeah, if I were to ask skill development
00:23:32:13 - 00:23:35:23 in your interns, for sure.
00:23:36:00 - 00:23:38:10 So kind of going off,
00:23:38:10 - 00:23:43:05 I know you said that interns are usually they have that hunger
00:23:43:05 - 00:23:47:05 to develop new skills and to do great work.
00:23:47:07 - 00:23:49:22 What other qualities and skills
00:23:49:22 - 00:23:53:11 should leaders really help develop in their interns?
00:23:53:13 - 00:23:57:22 Yeah, you know, I think now that this is necessarily a skill,
00:23:57:22 - 00:24:03:07 but helping them understand, even just like workplace one on one
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