This was my first week at AdAdapted for my internship through SPARK. The week was spent completing onboarding tasks. This is an important week for interns because it sets the mood for the internship. After four internships and multiple training sessions, I have been through many onboardings. Here are some tips to make your interns feel welcome!
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1) Meet the Team
Have your interns meet who they will be working with. It will feel more comfortable reaching out to specific team members when they need help on special projects. Also, it gives them some friendly faces to interact with during breaks and lunches. Your interns feeling like part of the team willl make them happy to come into work!2) Check your Branding
Give your interns an activity and check your branding. Ditch the 3 hour presentations, and have your interns do a one-pager.
This will let your interns be creative and you can test out the message on your social media, website, or promotional materials. Have your interns present their one-pagers to you to also see their presentation skills. Afterwards, give your interns the sales pitch to go over what they may have missed and further understand the company/product.
Your interns get a fun easy project that matters, you can check your branding, and the three hour presentation of basic information is now skipped. I highly recommend this!
This will let your interns be creative and you can test out the message on your social media, website, or promotional materials. Have your interns present their one-pagers to you to also see their presentation skills. Afterwards, give your interns the sales pitch to go over what they may have missed and further understand the company/product.
Your interns get a fun easy project that matters, you can check your branding, and the three hour presentation of basic information is now skipped. I highly recommend this!
3) Get to Know Their Interests
What I love about the SPARK/AdAdapated internship is that I am constantly being asked, "What do you want to learn?". When interviewing for this position, I was able to constantly explain my strong suits where I can help.
I enjoy internships because they allow me to feel like I don't need all the answers. They give me a space where I can grow, get better, learn about the real world, and bring my attention to things I never knew.
Knowing that the company wants me to help me makes me want to prove myself. I want to try harder. All employers hiring interns should always ask this question to boost intern's confidence and morale.
*Bonus* In case you need another reason to implement this practice, interns are usually in college. In college classes, we ask each other where to look for good companies/internships. I have recommended my internships to countless people, and I have had multiple classmates ask me for the companies where I worked. Networking and Word-of-Mouth can help get more applicants for your position which means more choices for who will help your company best!
Hope these tips help you understand what is going on in the mind of an intern. Any other questions or tips comment below!
I enjoy internships because they allow me to feel like I don't need all the answers. They give me a space where I can grow, get better, learn about the real world, and bring my attention to things I never knew.
Knowing that the company wants me to help me makes me want to prove myself. I want to try harder. All employers hiring interns should always ask this question to boost intern's confidence and morale.
*Bonus* In case you need another reason to implement this practice, interns are usually in college. In college classes, we ask each other where to look for good companies/internships. I have recommended my internships to countless people, and I have had multiple classmates ask me for the companies where I worked. Networking and Word-of-Mouth can help get more applicants for your position which means more choices for who will help your company best!
Hope these tips help you understand what is going on in the mind of an intern. Any other questions or tips comment below!