Tuesday Tips and Tricks - How to Manage your Interns?

1) Assign them Real Work

Recognize that interns are not only there to learn, but to help as well. So, don’t treat them as assistants or errand boys and girls with very mindless tasks to do. Treat them as members of the team and give them meaningful tasks to accomplish, and ensure that they are included in at least one big project your company or organisation is working on.

2) Be a Mentor!

Intern’s main goal out of joining an internship program is to learn; so, don’t assume that they have prior knowledge of anything. Give them clear instructions and guide them through the work process.

Also, make time to answer any questions they might have, and listen to them, their ideas, perspectives, suggestions, and points of view.

3) Give them Feedback

Make time to sit with your interns at least once a week to give them your feedback regarding their performance.

Point out their points of strengths and weaknesses, and advise them on how to accomplish their tasks better, how to achieve their goals, and how to become better employees later on.

In your weekly meetings with them, show them their points of improvement and how they developed from one week to the next till they reach the end of the internship program.

Written by Yasmine Mokhtar