When it comes to making the most out of an internship, we are so used to seeing advice for those on the ‘receiving end’ of the experience – the interns. However, we rarely hear about what steps should be taken by those providing the experience – the employer. A temporary workforce experience is a significant chance for a company to refresh its outlook and learn from a diverse range of innovators. The benefits of this however, can only be provided if this temporary workforce is managed right.
Do not reduce them to gofer status
A common mistake used by companies with interns is to use them as ‘errand boys/girls’ and reduce their job descriptions to making tea or cleaning the office. This defeats the very purpose of interning for both sides and clears any real benefit an employee can get from this experience. Assign tasks they can learn from, help them grow. Perhaps get an intern to brainstorm ideas for a new proposal or give them the challenge of tackling a long-term bottleneck you haven’t been able to address nor solve. Your intern can give you greater fresh perspective and reduce your to-do list more than you may expect, all while they learn themselves.
Treat your intern as one of the team
Another mistake often made by employees is feeling no need to bring the intern into the workplace culture, seeing them only as a temporary figure who needn’t get to know the rest of the team. However, the more interns feel connected to your company and feel appreciated, the better their work may be or their likelihood of staying on. Make sure to include interns in team bonding activities and networking events. Let them contribute to ideas and celebrate wins with them. This creates an even more positive workplace and can prevent cliques emerging within the team.
Enhance your workforce’s leadership skills through intern mentoring
An intern provides opportunity for your employees to further their own self-esteem and self-realisation of growth if you ‘buddy up’ interns with them. Being a buddy can mean offering advice, monitoring progress and even providing an element of friendship to help them integrate into the team. This act of mentoring and support not only helps your intern feel more welcome into the team, but will prepare employees for management roles and help them see how much they’ve grown through the company by viewing the experience through the eyes of the intern. A ‘buddy-up’ scheme for interns will also improve the general atmosphere of the office, creating a closer, more personable workplace for all.
Understand interns as your portal to the outside world
Interns not only provide fresh ways of thinking for your company in terms of strategies and working styles, they are also a source of market insight. By regularly taking in interns, your company can stay relevant by bringing in those from the outside world who have not been influenced by the subjective nature of being a product or service supplier, and simply view it from the same way your average customer may. Ask your intern may questions and take their feedback in a genuine manner. They may well make you think in ways your employees hadn’t after being influenced by the internal working dynamics of the office.
Recognise today’s interns as tomorrow’s employees
A successful internship is often measured through an acquiring of a job at the end. The period of an internship is a valuable time for an employer to evaluate the temporary worker’s potential as a future addition to the team. In a sense, this is a much more effective way of assessing a potential colleague by being able to see their working style first-hand and seeing their cultural fit within the team. Do not simply see interns as temporary, disposable workers who you are merely providing a favour for, but use this period to get a privileged insight into a possible human investment of the company.
After understanding how to provide a mutually-beneficial experience for temporary workforce, your next step is to practice these steps on interns. At AIESEC, we provide a range of interns from across the world, determined to shape the workplace culture and learn from the greatness of your company on their leadership journey. Head to our Partners Opportunity Portal to find out more.
