If you’re an organizational decision maker looking for a little extra help from an intern, I challenge you to carefully develop a program that is mutually beneficial to all involved. Too often interns are used to solely meet the needs of the business, but an internship program run the right way is capable of so much more.
Aside from being 5 Stones Media’s Creative Lead, I’ve also enjoyed the privilege of teaching students as an adjunct professor of communications at Southeastern Louisiana University. Because I consider mentoring those who want to learn a privilege, I’m constantly looking for hardworking, talented college students to fill internship positions. When developing our program I wanted to provide experiences that would be mutually beneficial while potentially giving back to the community. Our program has two key components at its core:
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- Real World Experience: Academic degrees will open many doors, but work experience and transferable skills build careers. Our interns are given real projects – not busy work – that can be proudly presented in their professional portfolios. They weren’t hired just to make coffee, run errands or answer phones (though everyone at 5 Stones Media is responsible to do these things). As a matter of fact a poster designed by one of our graphic design interns hangs proudly on our meeting room wall for all to see.
- Skill Development: An intern should have a diverse and challenging learning experience that helps us identify and develop permanent team members. By way of example, our graphic design interns interact with clients, research topics, create full corporate branding packages, and develop marketing campaigns. Do they work on the big projects for the most influential clients right away? No, but smaller jobs as well as pro bono projects present opportunities for intern development and experience.
Perhaps you’re considering developing a similar program. I challenge you to think of yourself as a resource with learning as the real opportunity. If you do, you’ll invest in another’s career, build goodwill within your community and perhaps find that key team member you’ve been searching for.
