Internship ASIA

Internships as we see it in Internship ASIA is more of a boon than a bane. With our database of members from the top UK universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial, we have a pool of highly talented intellectuals who are genuinely interested in learning from an internship. It is important that organisations take the time to carefully research and plan an effective internship program and if you would like help in doing so, Internship ASIA can step in and help. As a first step in order to help you in designing an effective internship program, we have done some research for you and we have highlighted several key elements that are crucial to a successful internship program here:

Imagine yourself in their shoes; a warm introduction to your organization would be very very helpful, especially to those that are completely new to the “working” world. It would be good to go through the necessary company policies (e.g. the organization's communication process, chain of accountability, extent of their job authority, decision-making capabilities, work hours, safety, allowance, etc.) with the intern together as this would assure them you take them seriously. By showing the interns the work space and environment and also by introducing interns to co-workers would also make them feel more welcomed.

Do consider the necessary workload and the availability of projects suitable for interns, staff support, office space and financial resources. It would be ideal if you could post internships at least seven to ten weeks prior to the expected start date as this will allow sufficient time to screen and select appropriate candidates.

It is important to provide interns with sufficient supervision as this would better guide the intern and also help the company in minimising mistakes done by an intern. It is also recommended that the supervisor plan ongoing weekly meetings to stay up-to-date with the intern's progress. Preferably choose a seasoned staff member who understands the importance of utilising interns, that an internship is a two-way gain. Besides gaining on-the-job training that will help them in their future career search, interns will provide some useful assistance for the organization.

4. Meaningful Assignments

Students are seeking opportunities that will stimulate them and provide real experience. Every intern understands that due to their relative inexperience, a certain amount of repetitive tasks like photocopying and data entry are unavoidable, however, too much of it is more of a harm to your company’s reputation than you might sometimes think otherwise. By guiding interns with adequate supervision so as to provide an information resource and to ensure interns are keeping pace, challenging projects and tasks can be done more effectively and also prove to allow the intern to learn better. If possible, try to include the intern in staff meetings or opportunities for networking and informational interviewing with key personnel.

With a two-way communication between the employer and intern, a mutually agreed list of learning objectives can be drafted. A well-documented list of learning objectives gives a clear direction and targeted goals for the intern, also making the intern feel that they are actually responsible for a project instead of just standing around and observing. This ensures both parties envision the same experience and reduces the possibility of misunderstanding and disappointment. Note that effective learning objectives should be concise and measurable.

It is also a good idea to also document other aspects of your internship program to attract the best talents out there. This may include your internship program mission, internship job descriptions, eligibility and application requirements, compensation structures, supervisory roles, and supervisor/intern evaluations.

An internship can only be a true learning experience if constructive feedback is provided, where the learning objectives that were identified at the start of the internship were evaluated. A truthful evaluation would be perfect, with both the positive and negative equally emphasised. Suggestions for improvements should be provided in the case that the intern was unable to meet their learning objectives. This will help both the company and the intern as both would be able to learn from the mistakes made and would be able to further improve the internship program.

In conclusion, utilising interns in your organization can result in many benefits. Careful planning before creating your internship program is important to ensure that it gives the maximum benefit to your organization and also the intern. An effective, thorough internship program ensures that you have the upper hand in recruiting from your pool of internship candidates and also foster positive public relations.