Interns and smaller businesses both benefit from well-structured internship programs. Students gain valuable, real-world work experience, while small and mid-sized businesses enjoy affordable workforce support that becomes a talent pipeline for entry-level positions.
With summer around the corner, it’s a good time to consider how to help your interns reach their full potential. It all hinges on an effective onboarding process.
The Society for Human Resource Management describes the building blocks of successful onboarding as the “Four Cs” – compliance, clarification, culture and connection. Smart companies apply them to both permanent and temporary positions.
To help interns quickly feel comfortable and confident in their new positions – the keys to higher productivity – follow these best practices for successful onboarding:
Remember that onboarding begins before interns report for work. Establish ambitious but realistic goals for your interns, and identify relevant, challenging work they will handle. Decide which manager or managers will oversee them and exactly what you’d like them to accomplish.
Once candidates accept an internship offer, stay in touch with them before their start date. Clearly communicate your expectations on the phone or via email. Be sure to share both bigger-picture details, such as their specific responsibilities, and more basic information like work hours and appropriate attire, because an internship may be the first “real” job for some interns.
RELATED: The Employee Learning Curve - Achieving Employee Development Success >>Most interns report vivid memories from their first day on the job. Make sure they feel comfortable as soon as they arrive by assigning someone to greet them, accompany them to their desks, answer any questions they may have and eat lunch with them.
Introduce them to key employees – especially the people on their teams and the managers who will be supervising them. Consider giving them a welcome bag with snacks and a small gift that reflects your company’s unique culture.
A successful internship begins with thoughtful, effective onboarding. When interns feel like they belong and clearly understand their roles, they can quickly make meaningful contributions that benefit both them and the companies that hire them.
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