Jessica Holmes is undertaking an internship at Employment Innovations. She shares her top five points that interns look for:

Relevance

‘Will it be relevant to my career path?’ This is the question that interns will ask themselves as they look in search engines and job postings for a possible internship on the horizon.

Interns are searching for a job that will offer rewarding, relevant experience that will help them to gain more understanding about what’s in store in a future in their chosen field. An intern who is studying something far from what your company can offer is unlikely to provide any added value.

So, to reduce the chances of this happening, make sure that details are clearly defined when posting about your available internship. Make sure the details and expected outcomes are indicated. This will safeguard against confusion and hiring the wrong person for the job, who ultimately won’t be as dedicated to what’s on offer at your company.

The tasks required

Just as your company is looking for help, the relationship should be two way. Abusing the system and expecting interns to do coffee runs and basic menial tasks is not what they’ve signed up for.

They say ‘practice makes perfect’ and that’s central to the internship experience; that an intern is able to practice their skills on worthy tasks and to complete real projects, in order to hone in these skills to perfection.

It is also vital in the event that an intern needs to add to their resume, that they have examples of their work to validate their experiences for prospective employers.

As an employer, you need to ensure that each day an intern has set tasks for them (suitable in both quality and quantity), to avoid assigning them useless tasks that are neither benefiting them or your company. If it helps, plan ahead with a list of tasks that your intern can complete.

Long term career prospects

An internship that can lead to a long term career is immediately more attractive to a potential or existing intern. Indicate early on, either during an interview or over the process of the internship, any potential for a paid positions that can come as a result of their experience with you. This can act as an extra motivation point. It sets an intern’s sights on the possible prospects that lie ahead. Regardless, even the possibility to gain a good reference is a great way to motivate interns.

A great work environment

An ideal work environment for an intern is one that is understanding, safe, supportive and flexible. It’s important to make sure that a potential intern working for your company has the proper insurance before taking them on.

Make sure that you encourage interns to take an initiative and provide a level of ownership to the tasks that you’re asking of them.

 As most interns will be studying (and often working too), employers should be as flexible as possible when it comes to an intern’s availability. Be understanding their commitments – availability is not necessarily a reflection of their commitment to your company.

An approachable supervisor

An internship is a learning experience, so it’s essential that the supervisor is approachable. Interns will often need to ask questions and gain clarification in the event that they are unsure of a task.

 An approachable supervisor fits into the ideal work environment and also ensures that productivity is a constant, by clarifying to interns what their duties are. The result is completed tasks to proper specifications.
As an intern starts looking for experience, they’re looking to gain insight into the working world and a positive learning experience. Keep the above tips in mind, and you’ll be in for a positive experience when taking on prospective interns.