With summer right around the corner, many companies are looking to develop and grow their internship programs.
Given the current employee shortage, good interns are even more valuable right now. Finding interns that transition into full-time employees can save companies both time and money in recruitment and onboarding budgets.
But the best strategies for managing regular employees don’t always apply to interns, and vice versa. And how do you establish good norms for an internship program that’s fully remote or hybrid? Here are eleven tips for building a thriving virtual internship program at your company.
Make it fun!
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Typical interns are young, in or just out of college, and likely not accustomed to the typical 9-5 office grind. Inevitably, they won’t be as committed as your veteran employees close to retirement. So it might backfire if you immediately assign them piles of mindless data entry or force them to sit through back-to-back zoom meetings.
To retain your interns, you’ve got to add a little sparkle. Incorporate regular opportunities to connect outside of work through virtual team-building games, icebreakers, or GIF-only slack channels. Keep the grunt work to a minimum. Vary the tasks you assign so their responsibilities stay fresh, and they can get a taste of how different teams operate.
Onboard efficiently.
Because internships are typically time-bounded, the orientation process needs to be both concentrated and streamlined. Investing time at the beginning makes for a smoother and more integrated process throughout the internship.
You don’t want to be working on a project with an intern, only to realize that no one ever sent them the most current spreadsheet, and they’ve been working from obsolete data for the past two months. Get new interns up to speed with relevant projects, and make sure they understand their workflows as much as possible from the outset.
The best onboarding experience helps interns know what they need to do, what success looks like, and also how their small task or project relates to the company and helping the company achieve their goals. An intern’s first day/week should include a brief company overview, getting introduced to everyone, and some fun team activities.
Make expectations clear.
Having defined expectations for interns from the start goes a long way. This applies to their assigned tasks of course, but it’s important beyond that as well:
Interns should be aware of company norms for different communication channels.
They need to know which meetings they’ll be required to attend and which are optional.
Get on the same page about deadlines and timetables for assignments.
At this stage, interns don’t usually have much office experience, so consider offering a bit more guidance at the beginning. By providing enough information early on, it saves you having to repair the damage when an intern accidentally sends an urgent message to the meme channel or sends the client mailing list a typo-filled newsletter.
Set realistic goals.
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Assign interns discrete, project-based tasks. Ideally these should be projects that they can wrap up (or at least hit key milestones on) by the end of their internships. During their onboarding, set concrete objectives (think SMART goals) for their time at the company. Come up with these goals together, and take into account their skills, experience level, and areas of interest.
When breaking these objective down, give them achievable, realistic tasks, especially early on. If it’s clear they could use more of a challenge, you can always increase their responsibilities down the road. Using this strategy will set them up for success, and they can leave the company feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Offer frequent and constructive feedback.
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Along with initial expectations and goals, it’s important to give interns feedback on their work as they progress. Feedback should be ongoing and transparent, and be sure to recognize their successes as well as their areas for improvement. Too much criticism at once can be daunting, especially for those new to the workforce.
Internships are meant to be learning experiences, and if interns feel discouraged early on, this can inhibit their performance later. Even when offering feedback on things they need to change, emphasize that this is all an expected part of the learning process.
Open the door for imperfection.
By the same token, allow room for error. Make it clear that it’s okay to make mistakes. Occasional errors are inevitable no matter how senior an employee is, but with internships, it’s especially important to create a culture that embraces imperfection and growth.
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Research has shown that employees and teams with the psychological safety to make mistakes are more effective in the long run.
Who’s more productive: an intern who spends half the day agonizing about the perfect email subject line, or an intern who gives it their best shot, gets constructive feedback, and then keeps plugging away at the rest of their task list?
Invite questions.
It’s always better and more efficient to ask questions than to make incorrect assumptions. The alternative: an intern who pretends to have it all figured out, but then spends hours trying to figure out the answer to a question you could’ve answered in two minutes.
Establish early on that you’re available for their questions, big or small. If you stay approachable and encourage interns to ask for clarification when they need it, you’ll save everyone time in the long run.
Provide mentorship.
Especially at a big company, it’s easy for interns to get lost in the shuffle, and it’s important to identify people they can turn to when they need support. If your company’s structure allows for it, pair each intern with a mentor (someone in addition to their supervisor).
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This person can help an intern feel more connected to company culture and make the most out of the position. They can serve as an advocate and extra resource for the intern in challenging moments. And it’s a mutually beneficial relationship, since it’s an opportunity for mentor employees to gain advising and leadership experience as well.
Make sure mentors are proactive about checking in with their mentees regularly. The interns may need that reassurance (especially in the beginning) before they feel confident initiating communication themselves. Mentors reaching out first will help keep the communication lines open.
Welcome their ideas.
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Especially in a virtual setting, it’s important to be flexible in your approach, and make changes when they’re warranted. Interns can be resources for employees and supervisors as well, not just the other way around. A pair of outside eyes might be what it takes to realize how inefficient your daily all-hands meeting has become. Maybe your team is stuck in a rut, and a fresh perspective is just what you need in order to shake things up.
Encourage interns to ask for what they need as well. Establishing clear structure and expectations is important, but allow space for their input and preferences too. Talk to them about their ideal work schedule, and when they feel their most productive. Be open to making changes if need be, and keep an open dialogue with them about what’s working and what’s not.
Make time to connect with peers.
Give interns opportunities to connect with their peer group. If your company has more than one intern, allowing space for them to socialize with each other is a great way to increase their job satisfaction and interest in the company. Try hosting a virtual team-building game or a fun onboarding event early on, so they can get to know each other in a playful, low-stakes environment.
This is something that can often get overlooked when a company is fully remote or hybrid, especially when it comes to temporary employees and interns. But establishing good rapport in the beginning will start interns off on the right foot together. It can also lead to good working relationships, and having interns work on collaborative projects can build off of that foundation and keep them engaged.
Don’t overwhelm them.
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Be intentional about how and when to involve interns in company communication. Because an internship is typically a time-bounded experience, there’s no reason to CC the interns on company-wide emails about your five-year plan, nor should you expect them to attend your quarterly business review, unless that’s the specific focus of their internship.
Overwhelming interns with information is counterproductive: if you throw too much irrelevant information at them at once, they might start skimming emails and tuning out at meetings.
Instead, keep them up-to-speed only on the projects they’re directly involved with, and allow them the agency to explore areas of interest in more depth if desired.
Want to start off your summer internship program with a bang?
We’ve hosted games for hundreds of internship kickoff events and onboardings. Our professional actor/facilitator hosts will help your new interns integrate smoothly and start off strong with the company. Our Great Zoom Challenge Game is a great energizer to bring new teams together, and we can customize Escape the Zoom or our Battle of the Brains Virtual Team Trivia Challenge Game to include content that’s specific to your organization. Book one of our games today!