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With Interns, More Responsibility Means Success

Discussing the Subtleties of Running an Efficient and Meaningful Intern Program

by Chrissy Hyde

Our office would grind to screeching halt without our interns. They are the oil that keeps the wheels turning; the butter on our bread; the milk in our cereal. Or, simply put, interns are very important in helping us get our work done. Interns have a lot to offer an organization—energy, fresh perspective, and openness in addition to a specific skill set. Intern responsibilities may differ from one organization to the next; however, at the World Affairs Council in Seattle, we use our interns as program assistants. They draft proposals and visitor programs, make welcome packets, escort visitors, update eCIV, and answer phones in addition to their long-term projects, which may include updating the ORD or translating our welcome letter into other languages.

Managing interns takes time. For many, this internship is their first experience in a professional setting. As a supervisor, you may encounter interns that have not had extensive customer service experience or do not understand the unspoken rules of professional dress, demeanor, and/or conversation. It is important to make time to explain your expectations for the internship as well as what the working world will expect of your interns once they leave.

So, how do you create or strengthen your internship program?

Recruitment
Decide what you want
What skills and experience do you need at your organization? Make a list of requirements and preferred qualifications so you can get clear on what you are looking for. Many internships are geared toward undergraduate students. Think about expanding your recruitment to include graduate students, recent graduates, and career changers to diversify your pool of applicants. Often, mature students or career changers can take on more complex, long-term projects, which can help move your organization forward.

Publicize, publicize, publicize!
Create a spreadsheet including contact details for university and college career counselors as well as organizations and/or community centers that reach out to young adults. Our list also includes college professors and department heads as well as student club presidents and sororities and fraternities. Posting an internship on websites such as www.idealist.org is also useful in attracting applicants. Generally, we design an internship flyer and send it out to this list about two months before the application deadline. If you have the resources to do so, attending career fairs at local colleges to get the word out about your internship positions will put you face to face with potential candidates. We also advertise on our website.

Recruitment can be time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be! Think about tasking an intern to create your recruitment lists and draft your flyer.

Training and Managing
Be clear on your expectations – create a training plan
Create a scope of work, or training plan, in collaboration with your intern outlining specific projects and responsibilities. In addition, include how you will evaluate your intern’s work and progress. In our office, both the intern and the supervisor sign this document. We continually update this document to include new projects or duties we are delegating to our interns. At the end of the internship, we give a copy to the intern and keep a copy for our records. Interns are always surprised how much they have accomplished and what they have learned!

Be more than a supervisor; be a mentor
Find out about your intern: what are his or her motivations and aspirations for the internship? What are his or her interests and skills? It is important to remember for some, this may be their first internship. We have a goal and interest sheet for our interns to fill out the first day so we have a better sense of how to support him or her. When possible, we try to create long-term projects for interns that move your organization forward while also matching their goals. Make time to ask your intern about progress on his or her goals for the internship and the future. Our interns consistently thank us for making an effort to get to know them. Spending time with interns is a good long-term investment; they could be potential donors, supporters, and/or professional resources in the not to distant future. In our case, some of our interns have gone on to become permanent employees!

Training and managing interns takes time, especially during the first few weeks. Streamline the process by creating a training checklist. Identifying a long term project for your intern early on will give your intern something to do when you are short on time.

Internships are another way we contribute to our local communities; we train our young leaders to become more competent, compassionate, and global citizens. Like international visitors traveling on the IVLP, interns will continue to draw upon the skills and lessons they learned during their time with us long after the quarter has ended.

For more information on our internship program, please visit our website.

Chrissy Hyde is the Internship Coordinator and Deputy Director, International Visitor Program, at the World Affairs Council of Seattle.

PHOTOS: It is important to incorporate interns as an integral part of the organization's team, as exemplifed here at the World Affairs Council of Seattle

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