Creating an Internship Program Best Practices

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Creating an Internship ProgramBest Practices

• Barry Shiflett, Director, CBA Career Management
  Services, FIU

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What is an Internship?

• An internship is any carefully monitored work or
  service experience in which a student has
  intentional learning goals and reflects actively
  on what she or he is learning throughout the
  experience.

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Internship Program - Why?

• Pipeline of candidates to fill needs at a minimal
  cost (reduced cost per hire)
• Intern recruiting aligned with college recruiting
  efforts
• Dollars saved by off-setting some campus
  recruiting
• Outstanding source to meet diversity objectives

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Internship Program Why?

• Interns act as advocates in recruiting other
  students
• Opportunity to evaluate and screen students prior
  to making a full-time offer
• Rapid assimilation into full-time employment
  (less learning curve)

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Value Proposition Interns

• Job experience
• Competitive compensation and benefits package
• Professional development, social and volunteer
  activities
• Intern Program Web Site

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Robust processes needed in

• Intern commitment and assignment management
• Manager and mentor training
• Recruiting, assessment and selection
• Orientation and assimilation
• Career development and performance management
• Training and development
• Senior Conversation

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Internship Success Factors

• Structure program with conversion in mind
• Eliminate just an intern mentality
• Partner with personnel executives, line managers
  and staffing leads
• Ensure positions are included in lines staffing
  forecast

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Internship Success Factors

• Link program to campus recruiting strategy
• Promote corporate brand
• Centralize internship program management
• Initiate process early

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Internship Success Factors

• Conduct Training
• Continuously raise the bar
• Establish program parameters

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Internship Program Design

• Funding
• Size
• Paid versus unpaid
• Time of year
• Geographic location
• Type of position(s)
• Rotations if any

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Internship Program Design

• Sources and partnerships
• Team alignment
• Intern qualifications/requirements
• Graduate/undergraduate
• Current Associates
• Classifications
• Intern benefits

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Internship Financial Benefits to Consider

• Competitive salary
• Signing bonus
• Paid time off
• Holiday pay
• Scholarships
• 401K
• Transportation supplement

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Internship Work/Life Balanceto Consider

• Mentor program
• Social and professional development activities
• Executive networking
• Community service activities
• Recreational activities
• Intern web site

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Program Marketing

• Kick-off communications
• Business and staffing partner meetings

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Commitment Process and Requisition Form

• Timing
• Program goal
• Manager role
• Financial commitment
• Time commitment
• Link to full-time opportunity
• Job description
• Approvals

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Sourcing, Recruiting and Selection

• Sourcing and Partnerships
• Campus
• Web Site
• Referrals

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Recruiting Process-How?

• Career site postings
• Targeted campus postings
• Campus visits

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Selection Process

• Resume screen
• Campus and/or telephone screen
• Hiring manager interview

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On-boarding (Example For Summer)

• Checklist for Managers
• Prior to interns arrival
• First and/or second day
• Week one
• Weeks three to five
• Weeks four to six
• Weeks six to eight
• Weeks eight to twelve

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On-boarding (Example For Summer)

• May 1 Mailing
• Welcome letter
• Local intern Champion information
• List of acceptable documents needed
• City links
• Directions for First Day Welcome
• Dress Code information
• Manager, recruiter and mentor contact information

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Orientation

• Intern First Day Welcome
• Timing
• Format
• Materials
• Giveaways
• Icebreakers
• Agenda
• Other Cities
• Student pick-up

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Department Orientation

• Departmental structure
• Systems and processes
• Calendar of events
• Performance expectations

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Events

• Kick-off
• Social
• Professional development
• Brown bag lunches with executives
• Networking
• Community service
• Career Fair
• End of Summer

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End of Summer Presentation

• Format/Guidelines
• Content
• Attendees

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Career Development

• Career Development Plan
• Goals and objectives (The What)
• Competencies (The How)
• Mid-Summer Discussion
• Assimilation
• Pulse check
• End of Summer Evaluation
• Quantitative review
• Developmental feedback
• Future employment discussion
• Performance Improvement Plans

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Conversion ProcessTracking and Reporting

• Identification of senior interns and/or graduates
• Performance information consideration
• Campus recruiters
• Benchmark conversation rate
• Feedback to/from Career Services

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Keeping in Touch

• Ongoing communication (holiday cards, e-mails)
• Part time work (solicitation, process, benefits)

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Measuring Success Metrics

• Time to fill
• Hire ratios
• Offer/acceptance rate
• First-round applicants hired
• Cost per hire
• Returning intern retention
• Job posting response and success rates
• Cancelled positions
• Diversity
• Performance
• Conversion rate
• Long-term retention

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Surveys at end of Internship

• Intern
• Manager
• Mentor and business partner

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Continuous ImprovementBenchmarking

• Network
• Other companies
• Asking the right questions

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Annual Review

• On/Off-site
• Survey results
• Metrics
• Partner feedback
• Benchmark data
• Workforce trends
• Line of business forecast
• Project plan

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Table of Content for Company Internship Manual

• Intern Program Management Team
• Contact Information
• Intern Program Goal and Benefits
• Benefits
• Intern definition and other classifications
• Intern program statistics
• Intern Program Partners and Sources
• Organizations, Golden Key, etc

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Table of Content for Company Internship Manual

• Roles and Responsibilities
• Business partners
• Intern Manager
• Mentor
• Local Intern Champion
• General Expectations of Managers
• Manager Commitment
• Financial Commitment
• Conversion
• Intern Program Calendar and Key Dates
• Payroll and Benefits
• Summer Objectives and Performance Evaluations

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Appendix

• Managing Generation X and Y
• Developing Others
• Intern Managers Checklist
• Intern Sample Summer Plan
• Intern Performance Plan Evaluation Form
• Organizational Chart

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Local Intern Mentor/Champion Manual Table of
Content

• Intern Program Management Team
• Contact Information
• Intern Program Goal and Benefits
• Intern definition and other classifications
• Intern program statistics
• Intern Program Partners and Sources
• Golden Key, Clubs, Schools, etc.

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Local Intern Mentor/Champion Manual Table of
Content

• Intern Program Roles and Responsibilities
• Business Partner
• Intern Manager
• Mentor
• Local Intern Champion
• First Day Welcome
• Logistics
• Delivering First Day Welcome
• First Day welcome agenda

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Local Intern Mentor/Champion Manual Table of
Content

• Intern Events/Activities
• Sample Activity Agendas
• General Policies and Procedures
• End of Summer Banquet
• Budget
• Submitting expenses
• Miscellaneous

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Local Intern Mentor/Champion Manual Table of
Content

• Appendix
• Energizers/Icebreakers
• Meeting and Activity Suggestions
• Managing Generation X Y
• Developing Others
• Sample Calendar of Events
• Organizational Chart

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Summary - Tips

• Ask yourself some realistic questions
• Can you provide meaningful work assignments?
• Are you prepared to invest time in interns?
• Is there a professional staff person to supervise
  interns?
• Do your top managers and employees want to have
  interns on-site?
• Can you provide financial support?
• Do you have sufficient office space?

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Summary - Tips

• Create Effective Position Descriptions
• The quality of students attracted to your listed
  positions sometimes depends upon the quality of
  your announcement.
• In addition to the position title, hours, salary,
  and location describe the duties, qualifications
  and application instructions in terms that will
  attract students.
• Provide enough detail to identify specific
  academic disciplines and learning objectives.
  One-line descriptions are not sufficient.
• Reference descriptive material such as your
  website which may include descriptions of the
  type of equipment they will use.
• Identify the contact person. This should be the
  professional designated to coordinate the company
  or department internship coordinator.

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Summary - Tips

• Select carefully the Intern and Site supervisor
• Is this a professional member of your staff who
  is committed to and capable of developing people?
• Does this person have the time to supervise
  interns?
• Work with the Internship Coordinator in the
  College
• Review resumes and/or applications and interview
  students
• Do not automatically accept interns without
  conducting interviews
• Respond to all candidates
• Keep the Career Management Office updated and
  report all hires

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Summary - Tips

• Prepare for the Interns to start
• Discuss start and end dates with the selected
  students
• Agree on days and times they will be expected to
  be on site
• Provide interns with information regarding work
  attire
• Notify your permanent employees when the interns
  will be starting and provide them with background
  information about the assignments interns will be
  doing

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Summary - Tips

• Supervise Interns Carefully
• Orient students and get them started on
  assignments
• Provide any necessary training
• Meet with the interns on a regular basis to
  provide feedback and insure projects are on track
• Evaluate the interns performance at the end of
  the internship using the Student Evaluation Form

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Summary - Tips

• Seek and provide Feedback
• Ask interns to complete the Employer Feedback
  Form regarding their experience with your
  organization
• Ask interns to discuss their performance with
  your organization
• Identify improvements to your internship program
  and make revisions

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Contact Information

• Barry Shiflett..305-348-7395 bshiflett_at_fiu.edu
• MBA/MS internships
• Dawn Lazar305-348-0025 dawn.lazar_at_fiu.edu
• Undergraduate Accounting Finance
  Internships
• Sammi Rosin..305-348-1232 sammi.rosin_at_fiu.edu
• Undergraduate Business Internships
• other than Accounting Finance