The definition of internship is any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession.
Both the company and intern can have an unrealistic expectation for the internship, seeing as though internships aren’t always like the movies. It can easily become an unfulfilling experience for both parties involved.
We will discuss how having an intern can be a fun and insightful experience for both the company and the intern. Although it may seem cliché, interns can really bring a new perspective to your team and can pump-up morale. Here are ways to make the experience awesome.
1. Make it multi-departmental.
Whether your company has just three employees or one hundred, each person or department oversees something different that is integral to the company. It is important to make sure that your intern meets each different department or individual to further expand their knowledge of what makes a company run. This is because they most likely do not know what they want to do when they grow up and this insight can help them forge their career path. Not only is it great for the intern, but it can also bring departments or individuals who don’t generally work with one another together.
You can give the intern a lot of experience and reconnect departments or people that rarely work together. This can open a pathway of communication between people and allow for more collaborative and creative ideas that will ultimately help the company.
2. Create an intern project.
This project should be the pinnacle of the internship. This is what your intern will put on their resume, so you want to make it worth everyone’s time. Use this project to uncover an issue or expand on an idea your company has had, but hasn’t had time to implement. For example, if you want to find a new way to promote an item or imagine an additional service or product your company can offer, now is the time. Nothing is better than a fresh look on your company from an outsider. Also, since they are generally younger they often bring new perspective to companies and know how to target the next generation of people with income.
Make it a collaborative project with all your interns so they can garner new friendships and learn how to collaborate in a work environment. Also, be sure that this project isn’t overwhelming for you and the interns. Allot plenty of time for the intern(s) to work on this project, as well as help in their department they are interested in. This will create a great learning environment pay off for both parties.
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