How to Start an Internship Program

For years, I thought that internship programs were posh experiences in financial firms for Ivy League college students. I never thought an internship program was a possibility at our business. Well, I was wrong. Internship programs are great opportunities to recruit talent in a highly competitive market. Have you thought about starting an internship program and don’t know where to start? Here are ten things to consider.

1.       Know the opportunity. Internships are opportunities for learning all the way around. For the intern, this opportunity gives them a chance to learn about all aspects of your business. For the employer, you are hiring an intern to gain new knowledge and skill into your workflow. Interns are not free help to do the mundane work that no one else will do. Internships have legal requirements that your organization must follow, specifically around payment.

2.       Identify your goals. An internship program is a great recruiting strategy, AND it is a lot of work. Consider the reasons behind starting a program and the capacity to do so. Are you looking for extra help? Are you building a program for a specific candidate you know? Are you following donor dollars? Clearly identify the benefits for the intern and the organization before you post an internship. Research if similar internships are available in your area and/or sector.

3.       Scope the internship. You know that you want to start an internship program at your business, and you’ve identified your goals. Now what? Think about the timeline and work expectations for the internship. How many hours will the intern be expected to work? Will the intern be in-person, virtual, or hybrid? What are the key responsibilities of the intern (aka job description), and are you prepared to train them in how to complete these activities?

4.       Determine the pay. You’ve identified your goals. You’ve laid out a job description. Now what will you offer? I strongly encourage you to pay your interns. This could be a stipend or an hourly rate. You are asking an intern to work exclusively with your business for a set amount of time. This requires sacrifices of the candidate. Depending on the situation, an internship may require a candidate to relocate for a few months. Food, housing, and transportation are expensive. Not paying interns limits your candidate pool and sets up an exploitation of labor at your business.

5.       Craft your offer. What makes your internship different or more appealing to potential candidates? Factors may include geographic location (Hawaii, anyone?), exposure to leaders in the field (ex. High-level executives), on-site housing and food, length of internship (weeks and hours), and the internship focus. If you are looking for college students, then you may want to align your timeline with university semester schedules, especially if your selected candidate is using the internship for class credit.

6.       Market vigorously. Organize your marketing plan around the unique aspects of your internship. Is it a business management internship? Then market with schools that offer a business management degree and business associations. Internships create a pipeline of future leaders, so I recommend building relationships with universities as long-term partners. Do you have local schools with potential candidates? Then ask to learn about their intern needs and see if yours fits the criteria. Universities use online tools like Handshake to market opportunities. Learn their systems.

7.       Manage candidates well. Once you’ve posted your internship, then you are ready to accept applications. Remember, this may be a student’s first experience with a business in this capacity, so how you treat them matters. When you receive an application, send an email confirmation. Schedule interviews for top candidates. Keep the communication flowing for all candidates, so they can make informed decisions. Please don’t ghost your candidates. That’s the worst.

8.       Sign an agreement. You’ve made the offer, and your intern has accepted. Congratulations! Now you want to confirm the expectations with an internship agreement. Similar to an employment agreement, the agreement outlines the details of the internship offer and key responsibilities. This is also a good time to review any additional forms needed, such as federal and state tax, employment eligibility, privacy policies, etc.

9.       Set up for success. All work and no play make for a boring internship. In addition to regular activities, schedule special opportunities for your intern. Some ideas are scheduling “get to know you” sessions with key leaders, offering self-paced micro-learning opportunities, and planning social events with other interns or people of similar age and/or life stage. I create a weekly schedule for my intern that revolves around project management, learning, and connection. Project management may include daily and short-term project tasks.

10.   Close out well. Checking in with your intern throughout the process is helpful to keep the momentum going. At the end of the internship, have a conversation with your intern to discuss what went well and what didn’t before they leave your business. Provide the outline for this meeting beforehand so the intern has time to reflect on the experience. In my practice, I will go ahead and write a recommendation letter for the intern to take with them if I have seen strong performance and potential in them. Once the intern leaves, take the time within your own business to assess whether the internship was a process worth repeating again.

I’ve managed internship programs for a number of years, and I have a real passion for them because internships give people opportunities to assess an occupation or industry with a small investment. Fifty percent of the interns that I’ve directly managed have gone into my field, and the other fifty percent swore they would never sit behind a desk that much ever again. I love that. All of them found something valuable in the experience. Go, interns.

Loftis Partners can help you with designing an internship program that meets your business needs and provides valuable work experience for interns. Our design process includes building out all the processes you need: recruitment, hiring and stipends, work schedules, orientation plan, engagement activities, and evaluation. Check out our services here.

Photo by Pang Yuhao on Unsplash

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