Creating a Win-Win Internship
Tips for Making Internships Valuable for Companies and Interns Alike
Rose-Hulman Ventures employs scores of Rose-Hulman students every year to collaborate with our clients on product development, innovation and problem-solving. The arrangement offers excellent work experience for interns while giving client companies the chance to connect with potential new employees who bring a strong work ethic and fresh perspectives.
Through the years, we’ve acquired exceptional insights into successful internships. For some helpful tips on what makes internships a great experience for both interns and the companies that have engaged them, we checked in with our Senior Director Brian Dougherty, Project Manager Gage Wilkinson, and Lead Developer and Project Manager Matthew Fulford.
Teach the Basics, Then Stand Back!
Brian: “Interns may not have a lot of practical knowledge, so you’ll probably have to teach them some very basic skills or techniques. This is especially true in industries that run on a lot of niche information. You will find, however, that interns from a place like Rose-Hulman are highly intelligent and learn very quickly. They will surprise you with how fast and how far they stretch their new skills.”
Start Slow and Keep a Close Eye Initially
Gage: “Most interns have a sort of warmup period before they become truly effective. School has started to teach them the math and the process of thinking through a problem, but not as many of the practical nuts and bolts needed to drive engineering value in the real world (literally nuts, bolts and other fasteners). During that warmup, check in with them regularly and nudge their work in a direction that makes more experienced sense.”
Brian: “Interns need a lot of guidance, especially for the first few days. Even once they seem to have their feet under them, you need to check in on them every hour or so to make sure they are still pointed in the right direction.”
Harness Both Their Energy and Their Brains
Brian: “It’s rare to find an intern who can contribute significantly to high-level design concepts. They aren’t likely to have the experience to know which ideas are practical and which will run into trouble. However, if you create a high-level outline, you can use the raw horsepower of the interns to fill in the details.”
Encourage Their Questions and Ask Your Own
Matthew: “I ask interns questions, big and small. Sometimes they’re impactful questions, but sometimes they’re pretty basic. I want them to feel comfortable asking questions in return. I really like asking interns ‘How would you go about this?’ when there’s a technical problem to solve. They’ll often be off the mark, but sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
Gage: “If you’re looking for fresh ideas or perspectives, you don’t want to verbally stonewall someone, even if you disagree or their idea is just flat-out bad. You don’t want them to clam up. Instead, continue to engage with them. Encourage questions and promote ideas, however wild the ideas might seem. Even if an idea doesn’t last beyond the conversation, it may spawn another one that drives real insight.”
Show How to Learn from Mistakes
Brian: “Your company wants the maximum output from an intern, but keep in mind that the intern’s goal is to learn. This is especially important if you see the intern as a potential full-time employee down the road. I make time to share past experiences with the interns and am often shocked at how closely they listen to my ‘war stories,’ and how much of that information they internalize.”
Matthew: “It seems a little silly, but a lot of interns don’t want to look like there are gaps in their knowledge, or that they mess up sometimes. None of us do perfect work, and those learning opportunities are the goal of their internship. I very willingly own mistakes that I make on their projects. It encourages them that it’s alright to fail and shows how to harness those failures into success on a project.”
Interns Lack Experience, so Share Yours
Brian: “If you stop and think about it, why would a 20-year-old know how O-ring sizing works, or why the technician down the hall gets grumpy when you fill the prototype PCB design with 0204 resistors? Don’t underestimate the importance of your years of knowledge.”
Gage: “Don’t expect them to know what took you years of experience to learn. They’re great idea engines, not bound up by the way things are in any particular industry, but that also means they don’t know why it might be a good idea to do it that way either.”
Matthew: “I always listen and try to praise the best parts of their ideas. Then I can share my past experiences to shore up the weaker parts. They get to put what they’ve learned to the test, it often gets to be a teaching moment, and most important, they usually feel ownership of the plan and motivation to implement it.”
With the right approach, employing an intern can be a profitable proposition for all involved. For the intern, real-world experience is an invaluable supplement to classroom learning, delivering not just knowledge but also confidence. For the employer, an intern can bring fresh eyes, unbridled enthusiasm and even the occasional unconventional insight that turns out to be a gem. The ideal internship is truly a win-win experience.
