Back to School, Part 2/3: Internships – Creating an Internship Experience That Benefits Both Parties
Back to School, Part 2/3: Internships – Creating an Internship Experience That Benefits Both Parties
Many organizations view internships as a head start in recruiting college graduates (http://www.hr.com/SITEFORUM?&t=/Default/gateway&i=1116423256281&b=1116423256281&application=story&active=no&ParentID=1119278002800&StoryID=1163038203954&xref=http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+create+a+sucessful+internship+program&ie=utf-8&). As the intern becomes acquainted with the organization, professional relationships build. Both parties experience many benefits, which include increased productivity and valuable hands-on experience within the career the student has been studying in school.
What Can Organizations Do to Ensure a Successful Internship?
In order to make sure organizations benefit from hired interns, many organizations may turn to colleges with internship program requirements already in place. Joining a school’s internship program will allow perspective students to come to the organization on a semester-based routine. This approach could also possibly permit the student to gain school credit. With a formal internship program like this, the student will have an allotted amount of hours to be used for the work experience.
Other organizations may want to invest in creating an internship program supported by the organization alone. Resources such as the Internship Institute’s Internship Kit (http://www.internshipinstitute.org/index.asp) offer to help organizations to build their own in-house successful internship programs. Some other things employers need to keep in mind when developing their own internship programs include (http://www.columbusinternships.com/search/resource/2):
• Have an internship job description available. There should be details entailing what the intern should be expected to do. Making things clear in the beginning will allow perspective interns to decide if they can fully commit to what the organization needs from them.
• Make sure within the job description to mention what the possible end dates are, and what type of monetary compensation the intern may receive. Creating a written agreement listing these factors should help make things clear between both the intern and the organization.
• Utilize mentoring. Having someone in the organization to guide and mentor the intern(s) will serve as a resource for interns to raise any possible issues or concerns.
• Include intern(s) in meetings, organizational gatherings, and projects to provide additional hands-on experience within their chosen field. Having interns only working in the mailroom and / or research is helpful from a productivity standpoint, but interns seek a “real-life” work experience. Involving the intern in one or two big projects, or several small projects, can help him or her to decide if this career is “the one” for them. Including interns in organizational lunches helps with practicing networking skills.
It’s Not all the Organization – What the Intern Should Do to Ensure Success
Internships are a two-way street. It is not only an organization’s responsibility to make an internship experience work. There are many things an intern can do to impress the organization, and help make a difference. For instance (http://gradpsych.apags.org/webexclusives/sixtips.html):
• Goal Setting: Whether it’s long-term (i.e. working after graduation) or short-term (i.e. creating a personal deadline for a project), setting a goal allows an intern to become motivated to achieve. Organizations can help in goal achievement by having the intern list some goals they wish to achieve while interning. After the internship is over, they can go back and see for themselves what goals they have achieved, and the experience they’ve received.
• Pacing and Time Management: Interns need to make sure they have the time to dedicate to the organization. Overextending oneself with work and school does not always work out for the best. Organizations can help an intern to recognize this potential for burnout by asking pointed questions about school during the interview process. Getting a good feel for what type of a workload the perspective intern may have during the internship can help when deciding if the person is the right fit for the organization and for the job.
• Networking: Branching out in an organization of any size can help an intern to find his / her place. Additionally, by meeting new people interns can find guidance from all areas within an organization. They also become exposed to different facets within an organization, and may discover a new career avenue in the process.
Internships can be a wonderful thing. Not only does an organization gain a helping hand in functioning at its best, but organizations also get a head start on potential new recruits. Internships also allows an organization to give a select number of people the chance of a lifetime…the chance to peek into the future, vision themselves after graduation, and reach for their dreams.
Back to School Part 23 Internships Creating an Internship Experience That Benefits Both Parties - To learn more about this author, visit Jennifer Loftus's Website.
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As August closes and September brings in a new school year, a popular topic amongst some organizations is the excitement of possible new interns. Internships can fair extremely well or poor, depending on the work provided and consideration put in by both the organization and the intern.
Many organizations view internships as a head start in recruiting college graduates (http://www.hr.com/SITEFORUM?&t=/Default/gateway&i=1116423256281&b=1116423256281&application=story&active=no&ParentID=1119278002800&StoryID=1163038203954&xref=http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+create+a+sucessful+internship+program&ie=utf-8&). As the intern becomes acquainted with the organization, professional relationships build. Both parties experience many benefits, which include increased productivity and valuable hands-on experience within the career the student has been studying in school.
What Can Organizations Do to Ensure a Successful Internship?
In order to make sure organizations benefit from hired interns, many organizations may turn to colleges with internship program requirements already in place. Joining a school’s internship program will allow perspective students to come to the organization on a semester-based routine. This approach could also possibly permit the student to gain school credit. With a formal internship program like this, the student will have an allotted amount of hours to be used for the work experience.
Other organizations may want to invest in creating an internship program supported by the organization alone. Resources such as the Internship Institute’s Internship Kit (http://www.internshipinstitute.org/index.asp) offer to help organizations to build their own in-house successful internship programs. Some other things employers need to keep in mind when developing their own internship programs include (http://www.columbusinternships.com/search/resource/2):
• Have an internship job description available. There should be details entailing what the intern should be expected to do. Making things clear in the beginning will allow perspective interns to decide if they can fully commit to what the organization needs from them.
• Make sure within the job description to mention what the possible end dates are, and what type of monetary compensation the intern may receive. Creating a written agreement listing these factors should help make things clear between both the intern and the organization.
• Utilize mentoring. Having someone in the organization to guide and mentor the intern(s) will serve as a resource for interns to raise any possible issues or concerns.
• Include intern(s) in meetings, organizational gatherings, and projects to provide additional hands-on experience within their chosen field. Having interns only working in the mailroom and / or research is helpful from a productivity standpoint, but interns seek a “real-life” work experience. Involving the intern in one or two big projects, or several small projects, can help him or her to decide if this career is “the one” for them. Including interns in organizational lunches helps with practicing networking skills.
It’s Not all the Organization – What the Intern Should Do to Ensure Success
Internships are a two-way street. It is not only an organization’s responsibility to make an internship experience work. There are many things an intern can do to impress the organization, and help make a difference. For instance (http://gradpsych.apags.org/webexclusives/sixtips.html):
• Goal Setting: Whether it’s long-term (i.e. working after graduation) or short-term (i.e. creating a personal deadline for a project), setting a goal allows an intern to become motivated to achieve. Organizations can help in goal achievement by having the intern list some goals they wish to achieve while interning. After the internship is over, they can go back and see for themselves what goals they have achieved, and the experience they’ve received.
• Pacing and Time Management: Interns need to make sure they have the time to dedicate to the organization. Overextending oneself with work and school does not always work out for the best. Organizations can help an intern to recognize this potential for burnout by asking pointed questions about school during the interview process. Getting a good feel for what type of a workload the perspective intern may have during the internship can help when deciding if the person is the right fit for the organization and for the job.
• Networking: Branching out in an organization of any size can help an intern to find his / her place. Additionally, by meeting new people interns can find guidance from all areas within an organization. They also become exposed to different facets within an organization, and may discover a new career avenue in the process.
Internships can be a wonderful thing. Not only does an organization gain a helping hand in functioning at its best, but organizations also get a head start on potential new recruits. Internships also allows an organization to give a select number of people the chance of a lifetime…the chance to peek into the future, vision themselves after graduation, and reach for their dreams.
Back to School Part 23 Internships Creating an Internship Experience That Benefits Both Parties - To learn more about this author, visit Jennifer Loftus's Website.
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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