Businesses that want to tap into new talent are best served with internship programs. While many companies already have a well-defined internship program that allows them to flow interns into proper, permanent positions, a few are only just getting started. These newcomers need to understand how to streamline their internship programs to provide the best possible benefit to the business.
Internship programs can be challenging to set up and maintain. Especially in the current landscape, where remote working has become the norm, having a clear strategy when developing an internship role is absolutely essential. Below, 12 experts from Forbes Human Resources Council look at how companies could approach their first-time internship program to bring value to both the company and the employees they're hiring.
Members offer their strategies for creating your first internship program.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Engage Them With Valuable Work
Internship programs need to have structure — it is easy to hire interns and have them do simple tasks, but really look for meaningful and valuable work to assign to your interns. Create a program for them to stay engaged throughout the internship: lunch-and-learns with leaders, professional development opportunities, networking opportunities across the company, mock interviews, etc. - Jessica Sheets, GlobalHealth
2. Complete A Business Scan First
The best tip I could offer someone implementing an intern program is to first complete a business scan. Identify the business needs, the program objectives and the resources available and needed to develop, implement and manage an intern program. Good planning can have positive effects on the intern and good outcomes for the company. - Thalia Rodriguez, Providence Anesthesiology Associates
3. Define Your Purpose At The Beginning
Define your purpose at the beginning. An internship program is only as good as its mission. Do you want to create a quick hiring pipeline? Is your focus underserved communities? Are you trying to showcase career paths in your industry? Creating your program around your mission will help better identify candidates and shape the content of your program. - Jennifer Marszalek, Working Credit NFP
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4. Start Small And Fine-Tune Your Objectives
Start small and fine-tune your objectives and process before ramping up toward bigger numbers. Cross-functional exposure is key, but can be limited if the duration is short. Identify the core soft skills to hire for — hungry to learn, high drive and energy, creativity, agility, and accountability. Have sufficient checks and balances in place to track and measure results. - Tonushree Mondal, Tonushree Mondal Consulting LLC
5. Define The Skills Interns Will Develop
When building an internship program, you have to define the skills that interns will develop during the program. Every intern needs to know what skills they will be working on, what the expectations are and how the program will guide them to be successful. Most managers look upon interns as additional help. The best managers will step up as leaders and coach their interns on those skills. - Madhukar Govindaraju, Numly™, Inc.
6. Execute With The Right Intent
Internship programs can be mutually beneficial if they're executed with the right intent. The primary goal should be to help mentor and develop the skill set of the next generation entering the workforce, not just to attract free or cheap labor. Well-designed internship programs can be a great pathway to bring new talent into your organization. - Jenna Hinrichsen, Advanced RPO
7. Have Rotating Internship Programs
I can't stress this enough — have rotating internship programs! The ideal internship is when you have insight into the industry, market and company; not just your role or department. Exceptional interns are often hired in full-time roles, and having a rotating program where interns are able to gauge how the departments work collaboratively and cohesively prevents a lot of friction if they are hired full time. - Faith Kibria, Milk
8. Assign Proper Responsibilities For Each
HR needs to dedicate the time to building out this program and ensuring there are proper responsibilities for each intern. There needs to be a checks-and-balance system in place to also make sure that interns are working on those responsibilities. Too often, companies use interns as the dumping ground for unwanted administrative work. This is a poor experience for the intern. - Kerry Andolina, COMME des GARÇONS/Dover Street Market
9. Accept People In All Career Stages
Open up internships to people in all stages of their career. Move on from focusing only on the traditional intern profile being a college student or recent graduate, and consider those with deep industry experiences who may be in need of a gig or seeking to learn some new skills to help change their professional course. There's a lot of value potential in that arrangement for both parties. - Bryan Passman, Hunter + Esquire
10. Focus On Diversity
Focus on diversity! Step outside of your network to access potential interns to bring into your organization. Making relationships with career development professionals at universities/colleges that you may not have ties to enhances your chances of gaining a diverse candidate pool. - Danielle Munley, Hobbs & Towne
11. Have An Intern Program Coordinator
Identify an intern program coordinator for oversight of interns and make sure they are maximizing their learning experience. Assign a mentor to each intern. They are responsible for providing continuous feedback and helping interns network in the organization. The mentor and coordinator help interns set goals at the start of the program and ensure progress is being made throughout. - Sarika Lamont , Avantus
12. Take An Interns-First Approach
An "interns-first" approach is critical for success of a freshly minted internship program. Most fail as they focus only on the needs of the organization. You should build core exposures of key departments, followed by flexibility for interns to choose the rotations of their interests. This will get millennials and Gen Z to be more engaged in their choice and will help your organization adapt to current demand. - Kumar Abhishek, S&P Global
