It’s a simple fact: Interns can help your organization do more—cost-effectively. Whether the experiences are part- or full-time, and whether they last for a few weeks or several months or more, internships support multiple employees on multiple projects, resulting in a variety of benefits to you as an employer:

• Internships function as a recruitment tool to test out potential employees.
• Interns do valuable work for your organization.
• Interns help you and your organization connect to the culture and norms of a new generation—your future workforce.
• Interns who have a positive experience with your organization will speak highly about it among their contacts in many networks. This helps your organization’s visibility and strengthens its reputation.
• After doing an internship, students are better prepared to enter the workforce. (This benefits you as an employer, too, as well as employers in general!)
   

What is an internship?

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), an internship:

• Must be a learning experience that applies knowledge gained in the classroom.
• Teaches skills or knowledge that can be transferred to other employment settings.
• Has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
• Has clearly defined learning outcomes related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• Provides supervision by and routine feedback from a professional with expertise in the field.
• Includes resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer to the support learning goals.
   

Best Practices Guidelines for Internship Hosting Sites

1. Encourage and support the learning aspect of the student’s internship, including approval of an HCC Internship Learning Contract.
2. Designate a professional staff person/employee to serve as an Internship Site Supervisor, with responsibilities to:
   1. Help orient the student to the organization and its culture.
   2. Assist in the development of learning objectives.
   3. Confer regularly with the student to monitor progress.
3. Provide adequate supervision (recommended one meeting per week or every other week) for the student and assign duties progressive, challenging, and related to the student’s area of interest.
4. Make available the equipment, supplies, and space necessary for the student to perform their duties.
5. Provide an evaluation of the student’s performance at the end of the internship.
6. Agree to adhere to the Department of Labor’s guidelines for Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
    

Identify Needs and Goals for the Internship Program

Conduct an internal audit by asking the following questions:

• Can you provide meaningful work assignments?
  • Short term projects that you would like to initiate or expand, a recurring event that you would like a fresh perspective on, or research that will enhance a service or a product are great areas to explore.
• Are you prepared and able to invest time in an intern?
  • While the benefits of hosting an intern are many, it does take time to train, provide mentorship and feedback to an intern. Establishing an internship program structure or using the resources in this employer internship guide can help streamline the process.
• Do you have adequate office space and equipment for interns (computer, telephone, email account, and desk)?
  • Or will the intern work remotely… and how will you then offer support and ensure accountability? (note: remote internships are approved on a case-by-case basis.
     

Supervision

Identify a person to serve as the Internship Site Supervisor who is committed to developing the student intern.

• The Site Supervisor should have the time, capacity, and interest to work with an intern. Individuals who like to teach or train are often great candidates.
• Can you involve colleagues in some way?
  • Explaining your organization’s goals in bringing on an intern can create a positive environment for all involved and encourage input on how to best utilize and develop an intern.
  • Hosting an intern can help bridge the generation gap. If you have long-term employees, what can they teach millennial and Gen Z interns? What might a millennial or Gen Z intern be able to teach a long-term employee?
     

Checking In with Your Intern

Providing feedback to your intern is a critical component of a successful internship program. Gen Z, which is the generation born after 1996, highly values feedback. Here are some suggestions about how to incorporate feedback into your internship program:

• Informal Feedback: Meet with interns regularly to answer questions and provide feedback about projects.
• New Opportunities: Offer the opportunity for interns who are aiming to complete stretch projects or connect interns to other departments of interest for informational interviews.
   

Program Evaluation

After going through the process of preparing for, managing and skillfully closing the cycle of hosting an intern, evaluate your program. Ask the question: What went well? And how can it be improved? Here are some guidelines for evaluation:

• Interns who have completed an internship at your organization can offer the best assessment of your internship program. Hold an exit interview to gather suggestions for improving your internship program.
• Review the intern job description, supervisor experience and reach out to colleagues who interacted with the intern to gather their thoughts. Essentially, ask the question: What went well and how could it go better?
• Keep in mind that interns are the best way to build (or harm) your reputation on-campus.