Internships 101

How to start an internship program

Preparing for an internship program

Do I need an intern?

The three most popular reasons to hire an intern or start an internship program are:

1. you have more work than your staff can handle but don’t necessarily need full-time help;
2. you want to develop future entry-level employees; or
3. you want to develop the leadership and management of current employees.

Often, all three reasons are essential for starting an internship program at your company. To help determine whether you need an intern and develop a business case for starting an internship program, download our fill-in-the-blank Business Case for Hiring Interns Template.

For more information on creating an internship program, view our Internship Program Templates.

Finding, hiring, and onboarding interns

How do I find an intern?

The first step to finding a great intern is to perfect your internship job description; get a free internship job post template here!

There are many ways to recruit interns to your program. Most universities host career fairs throughout the school year, attracting students looking for full-time, part-time, internships, and freelance projects. Developing relationships with universities’ career centers and counselors can also expose more students to your company. On Parker Dewey, your Micro-Internship opportunities specifically reach current college students from U.S.-based schools and recent graduates looking to launch their careers.

When should I start looking for an intern?

The time of year can impact many aspects of your internship program. If you conduct an internship program during the summer, you should make a hiring decision up to 6 weeks out due to heavy competition and afford the student time to find short-term housing if needed. Many universities offer summer intern housing just for out-of-town students. Covering relocation or temporary housing costs can help attract interns and make your position more accessible for students.

Another alternative to attract a diverse selection of qualified interns while reducing costs is to host remote internships. Like full-time remote employees, you’ll need to ensure your interns have access to a reliable internet connection and set up times to check in virtually or by phone to build the relationship. You can open your project to a diverse pool of candidates practically and conveniently through remote Micro-Internships.

Summer is not the only time for interns! For internships during the academic year, you will need to understand availability around class schedules. If you need someone at the same time every day, you may be better suited to look for a college graduate instead of a current student. Find out why Lynn Carroll says year-round Internship programs are a smart move!

How to interview an intern:

Unlike a full-time position, internships are low-risk, so fewer team members need to be involved in the hiring process. Typically, interns speak to a team member they will be working closely with and meet with the hiring manager. Internship interviews are more likely to occur online or by phone, depending on location and school schedules.

Once you've made your selection, send an internship offer letter to your candidate to confirm your commitment and expectations.

Getting an intern up to speed

How to onboard an intern:

When welcoming your intern or interns, you first need to prepare an environment where they can work. If your intern works onsite, you need to give them somewhere to sit and whatever tools they will need to work with your team. If they are working remotely, you need to confirm that they have the capability to communicate and work with you over the internet or phone.

Some companies treat interns like any other new hire - on the plus side, if you already have a defined onboarding program, you can save time while ensuring they get the basics of company processes. On the other hand, interns are unlikely to have the same benefits and process/training requirements. Instead, consider setting up an internship program framework geared towards training on key systems and processes they will assist in, with a one-on-one meeting with company leaders who can educate them on history, competitive positioning, and vision.

For Micro-Internships, onboarding typically skips over company vision and systems training and instead focuses on the background knowledge needed to complete the assignment.

If you have multiple interns, consider setting up experiences or interactions between them and leaders in the company--such as a breakfast or Ask Me Anything style webinar—it’s an excellent way for them to get an overview of how the company operates and get some face time.

Working with and managing interns

Keeping an intern on track

How do I manage an intern?

The first week of your internship program should be your most hands-on period, but you should make time to check in and ask questions each week. It is best to plan regularly scheduled meetings with interns to provide structure, help them stay on track with projects, and ensure they have enough direction and feedback to complete assignments.

What is an internship plan? Do I need an internship plan?

An internship plan is a written agreement between the intern and the internship supervisor to define expectations for the experience. 

You may decide you do not need a formalized Internship Plan, but we recommend having clearly written expectations for both the intern and the employer to reference.

Should an intern report to multiple supervisors?

Depending on the size of your organization, exposing your interns to coworkers in other departments can improve your program for you and your intern. Working on projects in various fields can expose interns to different aspects of your business that may interest them. It allows the intern to feel more connected to members of your organization and gain more contacts. It also helps ensure that your intern always has something to do and never has to sit idly waiting for you to direct or instruct them. If they don’t understand, scheduling a meeting with the people the work impacts is best. Have them explain their day, their needs, and their roadblocks.

Giving feedback to interns

The internship plan you develop alongside your intern outlines topics for evaluating their performance and for them to assess their experience. During your check-in meetings, you can refer to this plan to discuss what your intern feels they’ve learned and how much progress they’ve made toward achieving their goals.

Halfway through the internship, provide a performance review. This evaluation should serve two purposes: helping you understand how to better manage the intern and ensuring they know what they need to do to end their time successfully. Students earning academic credit will likely have midpoint and end-of-term evaluation forms provided and required by their academic departments.

You and your intern should conduct an exit interview at the end of the internship. In this interview, you should give your intern a final evaluation of their work at your company and offer them a chance to do the same. You can use this time to gain insight from your intern on your company’s culture and your leadership style. If your internship could lead to a full-time or ongoing position, this is an excellent time to discuss or offer this opportunity. After this interview, record your thoughts on your intern’s performance to use in future recommendations.

How to optimize your internship program

Is my internship program working?

To evaluate the success of your internship program, you need to reference the reasons you took on an intern in the first place. Using those reasons, you can determine whether or not your internship was a success, and if it wasn’t, these goals should point toward future areas of improvement. At the end of the internship, consider the following questions:

1. Did having an intern help me use my time & skills better?
2. Did my intern produce work that helped further our organization’s goals?
3. Did my staff or I develop our managerial skills?
4. Did we hire any of our interns for permanent or recurring positions?
5. Did our intern provide any insights that we would not have learned otherwise?

If the answer to most of these questions is “yes,” then your internship program can be considered successful. 

If your internship program does not meet some of the outcomes above, we recommend more frequent coaching and feedback to help you and your interns thrive. Make sure to touch on time management, where the interns can best apply their skills, and how they can best assist your company in your feedback. Download your very own Internship Project Evaluation Scorecard to help evaluate intern performance in six key areas. Along with these measures, you should discuss with your intern how their projects impact the company, how they feel about the projects they’ve worked on, and if they have any thoughts on how to improve certain processes.

Building an internship program can be highly valuable for your organization, but doing it right takes time. When you need support now with the benefits of engaging up-and-coming talent, consider a Micro-Internship instead.

For further reading, download our ebook, Beyond Interns, Temps, and Freelancers: How to Engage Students and Improve Entry-Level Hiring Outcomes.

As the largest network of highly motivated college students and recent graduates who are excited to complete short-term, professional assignments, we know internships!

Our mission is to provide meaningful opportunities for Career Launchers to add to their resumes while helping organizations get work done. If you’re passionate about this too, please join our email newsletter Hire Learnings, and follow us on social!