Internships have always been a mutually beneficial program where individuals new to the industry can study and learn from the professionals. In return, those businesses can delegate some responsibilities to the interns. However, never being able to meet interns face-to-face and only interacting over a computer screen can be more difficult to navigate.
Digital marketing is one of the many businesses that has been able to thrive away from an office workspace. As the owner of Power Move Marketing, I have successfully led multiple intern programs for my company while working in the comfort of my own home. There are several details on how to properly structure and implement an effective intern program.
Plan and Set Boundaries
Before recruiting interns, a structured plan needs to be put in place. Talk with other businesses in the same situation and figure out problems that may arise before they happen.
Something to consider before starting is that interns should never be sending any material out with the company name on it before someone else has approved it. Taking on too many interns at once could become overwhelming while trying to cross-check and keep up with everyone’s work.
When leading a team from home, it is vital that you set work and time boundaries. Different sleep schedules and time zones may cause multiple channels of communication 24/7 for intern leaders. If interns have a direct point of contact such as a cell phone number, that cell phone just might end up going off every night at 3:00am. Setting boundaries before an internship begins will allow leaders to have more of a work-life balance.
Locating and Interviewing Interns
With jobs disappearing and evolving since the COVID-19 pandemic, more young professionals are looking to take advantage of internships in order to further their careers. When I first reached out online to Chegg looking for interns, I received over 100 applicants. The second time I reached out that number sky-rocketed to 300.
I slowly worked my way through the applicant pool by sending questions to the interns such as their reasons for wanting to work for the company. What worked the most was asking the interns to send a graphic of what they would design for one of their favorite brands. This allowed me to judge potential candidates for creativity and design style.
Competition Versus Camaraderie
There will always be competition in business whether it is fighting to gain a client, or workplace rivalry to be the best. Why not highlight that competition and make it a motivational factor? Each intern at Power Move Marketing has access to a Google spreadsheet where weekly tasks are assigned. Each task is worth a certain number of points and at the end of the week for every task that an intern completed, they were awarded those correlating point values.
For those interns wanting to go above and beyond the call of duty, there was an “up for grabs” tab where each intern could claim uncompleted tasks for additional points. These points earned throughout the internship could then be traded in for cash or gear and products from companies that Power Move Marketing represented. Initiating a point system such as this not only gave the interns incentive to complete tasks each week, but it also gave them rewards, since internships are often unpaid.
Weekly Meetings
Having meetings at least once a week will make sure that everyone is staying on task. This is also a great chance to check in virtually since the daily face-to-face communication is missing. I would structure the Monday meetings so that the first 30 minutes would be spent going over weekly tasks, talking about clients, and announcing the point winners from last week.
The second half of the meeting would be dedicated to learning. This second half of the meeting was not mandatory but did involve gaining points for participation. Focusing on this time to teach the interns things such as email marketing or Facebook ads allowed them to get their feet wet while learning new avenues of digital marketing.
Monthly Report Cards
At the end of each month, I would send a progress report to each intern. The report included strengths and areas of improvement. Most items were rated on a 1-5 scale. Implementing this scale not only lets the employee reflect on how well each intern is doing in various capacities, but it gives the intern specific ideas on improvement.
Some interns will thrive and learn to be autonomous while on the program, while others feel comfortable staying in their safety bubble. Responsibilities and task assignment can then be expanded for the interns who are thriving and going above and beyond. All of these metrics are tracked and at the end of the intern program, an employer can have a clear picture of which interns improved the most over the course of the internship.
Growing an Intern Program
Once a solid intern program is established, a business can be free to grow and expand that program. To be as efficient as possible, onboarding new interns should take place in large groups all at once. Rather than bringing on 3 interns a month for the fall, simply bring on 10 all at once. Doing so will allow all resources to focus on the intern group as a whole.
If previous interns return for more experience and growth, a more seasoned intern will be able to mentor a newer intern. Setting up a mentorship program such as this one would ensure success and growth within the team.
Tools for Success
Overall, it is just important to provide interns with the proper tools to be successful all while allowing personal space while learning. Being too overbearing will not allow for personal growth and development. Interns need to have a structured program that challenges them, but they also need to be able to make mistakes along the way.
Learning online can pose some challenges, but constant positive reinforcement and a simple pat on the back for a job well done, can foster continued feeling of growth and achievement while learning in a virtual environment. It can take a lot of wheels turning correctly to operate an effective intern program from home, but once those wheels are spinning, everyone benefits.
