Onboarding Tips
Welcome Aboard
The first day on the job will set the tone for the rest of the internship. You want your interns to know you have put thought into their time at your organization. Please provide a friendly welcome for your new intern(s). Do not forget that they will need a chair, a desk, a phone and a computer in order to complete their work assignments. If you want to get a job done, you must supply the intern with the tools to do the job successfully.
Set Up for Success
Be honest with your intern about what they can expect during their internship. If the job will require envelope stuffing at times, then make that clear. When you assign work, make sure you give the intern a detailed explanation. While the assignment may seem obvious to you, it may not be obvious to someone who has never done it before. Patience and a few extra minutes to explain in detail at the beginning will pay off in the end when your intern can produce good work independently.
Make sure that your interns have a mentor or supervisor to provide guidance. It would be helpful if it is someone who truly likes to teach and is given the time to intentionally mentor the intern.
Making a Contribution
Interns watch and learn. You may not find a staff meeting interesting, but they can learn a great deal from attending. Can they quietly join you on the next project meeting? Going to lunch with a few people from the office? Including them in the daily life of the office environment helps them feel valuable to the organization.
It cannot be said too many times that interns want to work and learn. An intern can help you get a job done that you might not have been able to do otherwise, right? Go ahead, blow the dust off that project on your shelf and see if they can get it done.
Remember that interns are students and they may not have the business skills and experiences that you take for granted. If your intern makes a mistake, just pull him or her aside and explain how the situation should be handled in the future.