One of the best ways to motivate interns is to let them contribute to the company in a real way.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nUsually, they should be tasks that take too long (so they would be too expensive if you let a permanent staff do them) or need a fresh perspective. Examples include field research, consumer analysis, product testing, assistance in PR activities, social media marketing, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Align Their Goals with Your Company\u2019s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Every intern joins the company with their own goals. Aligning your company\u2019s goals with those of an employee is one of the best leadership secrets. While some managers may think that personal goals can deter an employee from being loyal, a good leader uses personal motivations to the company\u2019s advantage. They make sure the employees know why delivering results will benefit them too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding the intern\u2019s goals or ambitions is key to aligning them. Plus, this will make the intern feel valued (because you care about their ambition) and that encourages them to work hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Set an Example for Them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The best way to motivate interns to be good employees is to show them how, by being one yourself. Interns watch closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So make sure you do everything you expect them to \u2013 respect your colleagues, be punctual, keep your promises, be honest and work smart. Be professional in your communication, take accountability for your actions, and admit your mistakes easily, where necessary. Interns love a good leader they can follow, and will appreciate having a good role model right in their first work experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Keep Them Busy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The best internship programs are those where interns have enough work so that they are never free! The trick to getting quality work done from interns is to split major projects into small, easy-to-understand tasks that you can create briefs and deadlines for. If these are repetitive year after year, it\u2019s very efficient to make video tutorials or detailed written briefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Giving them enough work will not just motivate interns but also make them accountable. Set deadlines and follow up, encourage them to come to you as soon as their work is finished. Teach them good work ethics like replying to emails ASAP, and importance of deadlines, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Keep your interns busy, just like you would any other employee.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n7. Help Them Broaden Their Horizon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n If your interns are smart, they will want to learn from each other as much as from their mentor. They are here to work with people of all ages and from different cities. Smart people are curious, and they want to increase their cultural quotient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I learned this from the Harvard application process, which tries to select students that can create a diverse class. Try attracting applicants from different colleges, education backgrounds or interests, to create an interesting group of interns who can learn from one another and also do complementary tasks. You can do this by promoting your internship program beforehand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes for interesting intro sessions and brainstorming sessions, too. They contribute fresh ideas to the pool. Also, it\u2019ll help you learn different perspectives from the younger generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Keep It Flexible & Help Them Stay On<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Every intern\u2019s work requirement is different. Some have their classes going on and want to work evenings and weekends, some are pursuing part-time college, while others want to work full days during the summer break. Some can work from home while others\u2019 home situation doesn\u2019t permit a lot of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping a flexible schedule for them helps them maximize their contributing hours. For example, I let my interns know (in their acceptance email) that I am okay with them taking time off for exams, school work or mental health days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often times, an intern\u2019s workload expectations don\u2019t match with the internship after they join, and they want to quit or work slow. It\u2019s a good idea to understand why they are leaving or missing deadlines. Give them the benefit of doubt, help them stay on instead of quitting by encouraging and mentoring them. But yet, respect their decision and privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Give Individual Work According to Their Strengths<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Every intern is different, and wants to be treated that way. Once you get to know the strengths, skill-sets and expectations of each intern, it\u2019s going to be easy to give them projects they find interesting and challenging too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They will be more likely to give their best if they know you\u2019re trying to give them the most suitable work. However, explain to them the importance of being flexible in a work environment, and that not all the work they get can be of their choice.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Aligning targets with skill-sets is a great way to motivate interns.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n10. Provide Timely Feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Give feedback to interns, both written and verbal. For example, I conduct 3 calls for all interns, in addition to anything scheduled to discuss everyday work. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A beginning-of-program review call for intro, expectations & help with first few tasks.<\/li> A mid-program review call that helps them keep a track of their work so far and next targets.<\/li> And an end-of-program review call in which we discuss feedback for each other, and I mentor them\/ give them advice about their future career, if requested. I tell them how their work was overall, and also get their advice on improvement of the internship program.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nFeedback is important for every employee, but more so for interns, as they have little to no knowledge of how well they\u2019re doing in the real world. Set meetings or get on calls with them to clear their doubts or improve their work. Encourage them to ask questions. Be patient if they ask for clarifications again and again or suggest a bad idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. Try Bonding Activities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Young employees love activities that help them work with or get to know their peers. This is the #1 feedback I have received on ShilpaAhuja.com internship program. Interns want to have more group projects or excuses for them to create contacts in the industry, or get to know more people their age from different colleges\/backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bonding activities can be a Starbucks trip, pizza evening, or a fun on-campus activity like a girls vs. boys game. You can ask their suggestion for internship activities. If you have remote interns, host a Zoom call for introductions, or a group project where each intern has to get a survey filled by other interns\/staff about a company task.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Bonding activities like meet-ups and hot chocolate evenings engage and motivate interns and can help build a great office culture they will remember.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n12. Create Healthy Competition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Healthy competition should motivate interns to keep up with the best among the team, instead of feeling discouraged. The way to create healthy competition is to applaud good work in front of everyone and discuss mistakes privately. A competitive environment helps young employees deliver good results \u2013 and fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, you can fill in your shared task sheet for each intern who completes the task so they can all view and get an idea of what\u2019s left, etc. It can also create healthy competition as no one wants to be left behind. You can also announce task deadlines on a WhatsApp group and applaud those who are first to complete or have done a great job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
13. Give Encouragement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Everyone, not just interns, wants to work in a positive work environment. Interns are youngsters and are used to getting marks or grades for their college assignments. When they join an office, they\u2019re mostly unaware that in a job, the not-getting-fired part and salary are usually considered enough encouragement by managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it\u2019s a good idea to give them a bit of encouragement here and there, like I give them a \u2018star\u2019 and a great, good (or sometimes not-great!) rating on their work so they know how they\u2019re doing. Try to improve not fire, tell them if they\u2019re doing something well, and give soft constructive feedback when they need improvement. Tell them why the work they\u2019re doing is important to the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
14. Make Them Feel Heard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Interns\u2019 ideas may be raw and mostly impractical or already tried, but it\u2019s still important that they feel encouraged to speak up. The best time to get their ideas is actually towards the end of the internship, when they know enough about the work to give good ideas. Ask them for any improvement tips on the internship program, learn about their experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listening to an intern\u2019s ideas is not just good courtesy. Think of it as an industry-relations building activity, too. Ask them their future plans and keep in touch with them, because you never know when you\u2019ll need their help \u2013 they may go on and join a client and recommend your company, or even get you a job at their next company in the future. So it\u2019s definitely a good idea to encourage them to pursue their dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
15. Let Their Benefits Extend Beyond Internship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n I think this is similar to the first point, so it has all come full circle. Since I already mentioned that creating long-term relationships is a great way to motivate interns, this mentorship will extend even after they leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guide them for the future in the exit interview. Advise them to improve their skill-sets to be more employable in future. Help them build their online presence and give them personality development tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNever hesitate to introduce them to your connections if they request it, and to give them a recommendation in the future. Give them advice to further their career or higher education if they need it. Create an environment where they can come to you for any professional advice. They\u2019ll always return the favor in some way or the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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