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Are Your Interns Pillagers or Producers
By Shane Mazzella, Patrice J. Lee
Published on Tuesday, June 09, 2009
ARTICLES
Interns arrive on your doorstep energized to learn or change the world. Although the majority desire a productive working experience, when interns are not challenged unproductive behavior results. Interns and organizations each fail to benefit.
Below are a few tips to help boost productivity and optimize the experience for interns and managers. All organizations can use these tips, whether they host one intern or dozens in a long-established program.
Think functions. Recruit interns not just for administrative tasks but also for functional areas (research, marketing/public relations, online media and development) where your organization needs support, especially during low-staff periods like the summer.
Get it together ... Now. How often do you see managers scrambling to find work on their intern's first day? Correct this mistake; organize projects and tasks early.
Put your ear to the ground. During staff meetings listen for tasks tabled due to limited manpower.
Consider busy seasons. Are there tasks that can be done in preparation for busier times in your office?
Solicit department managers and staff. Managers have ideas about major projects and lower-level staff likely have smaller tasks to pass on.
Question the interns - before they arrive. Ask your interns about their professional goals, issues they're passionate about and skills they'd like to build. Incorporate their goals into their work plans.
Check for Chex. Mix up your intern's workload with administrative and function-related long-term projects (requiring weeks or months) and short-term tasks (requiring daily or weekly attention).
Measure success. Set quantitative and qualitative goals for your interns that will indicate the value of their presence at your organization. These can be outlined during an orientation meeting on their first day and discussed at the end of their tenure. Consider the quality of their work over time, variety of tasks they performed and changes in their knowledge or skills.
Feedback, hand and mouth. Provide constant feedback to interns. Make sure feedback is both a written, formal report for them to take and verbal so they can hear your explanation and ask questions.
The Fund for American Studies supplies hundreds of associations, agencies, firms, news outlets and non-profits in Washington, D.C. with high-caliber interns throughout the year. Our experience shows: Students want and are capable of producing substantive work. To achieve the best results, organizations need structured internships that both challenge and set high expectations.
Shane Mazzella is director of U.S. Programs, and Patrice J. Lee is media relations manager and Koch Associate with The Fund for American Studies. Write Mazzella at smazzella@tfas.org.
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