How to Improve Your Internship Programs? We Have a Few Tips For You
Consider your internship programs as an investment in your company’s talent pool. Here are some tips on how to improve your internship programs.
Most companies nowadays offer internships that are part-time, full-time, and even remotely. Internships have proven to be one of the most effective and valuable ways to find the right employees. Through such programs, employers look at an intern to see if they have the potentiality to become a full-time employee. But if your internship program is lacking, then you are missing out on a lot of benefits. In this blog, we give you a few tips to improve your internship programs.
Get to know your interns
Get to know your interns by taking the time to sit down with them and learning about them. You may ask about why they are here, what are their career goals, and what they hope to achieve during their time in the company. You will get a better idea of how to help them during the internship and you can also set realistic expectations with them. Give your interns regular opportunities to ask questions. Ask them about their feedback on the work and company too. You may schedule regular meetings and these meetings can also help develop the intern’s career.
Give meaningful work
Give your interns opportunities to work on real projects and works that matter and contribute to the company’s progress and development. This will also further develop their skills and also teach them how to apply them appropriately. Your interns could be the ones to find out the solution to a problem or find a loophole you may have missed. Give works that are challenging and that are recognized by the company as valuable. Set goals that motivate and define what your interns should be doing during their time in the company.
Offer scholarships
Offering scholarships with your internships is an excellent way to recruit interns. Scholarships will attract more students and this will increase the pool of applicants with the desired qualifications and skills.
Have an Intern Manager
An intern manager for the internship program will ensure the smooth running of the program. But the hiring of an intern manager should be based on the size of the program. If your program does not require a full-time staff member you could hire an intern to do the work. This intern could be one looking for opportunities in HR or relations. Give them the in-charge of the daily operation of the internship program and this would also give the other interns a “go-to” person for any help or inquiries.
Create an intern-specific referral program
New generation candidates value referrals from current or former employees more than anything. So our future candidates are more likely to trust their friend’s experiences and reviews. Tap into your current interns to fill your talent pipeline. Build an intern-specific referral program that is easy to participate in. Provide resources to students like social media posts so that they can share their employee experience with others.
Provide networking opportunities
Interns would jump on any opportunity to network with other interns and professionals. Host networking events, luncheons, and social gatherings where your interns could engage and meet the right people in the industry. Allow them to acquire industry mentors.
Stay Connected
Stay in touch with your interns after they leave. If you feel that they are good for your company, let them know about upcoming events and new job opportunities. Let them know that they are always welcome back and the door is always open for them. These interns could potentially one day be your future employees.
Conduct exit interviews
Conduct exit interviews for your interns. Gather feedback on the intern’s experience. You may ask about their experience with the hiring manager, overall company culture, areas of improvement, and what they had learned from their experience in the company. You may also assess their interests in coming back to the company as a full-time employee. You may give exit surveys to the interns before the interview.
With these tips, you can improve your internship program in such a way that it becomes beneficial for your interns as well as for your company. Always remember to become selective when hiring your interns and then use these tips to make the most of the internship program. You may use an applicant tracking system to manage the entire process. AviaHire is a promising recruiting platform that would help you in engaging talent, receive expert recruiting advice and tips, help to track applicants, and get information regarding the latest trends in the recruitment industry.
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