Developing a Successful Internship Program

• Kristi Sproul
• March 26, 2018
• Newsletter Article

A critical part of a companies recruitment success is the successfulness of their internship program. If your interns feel like a valued employee they will have a higher level of enthusiasm about the company and may be more likely to accept a position if the opportunity arises. On the other side, if they have a negative experience it could harm your business and any future internships.

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Developing a Successful Internship Program
By Kristi Sproul, AgCareers.com

 

Happy and professionally fulfilled interns are a critical component of an organization's recruitment success. Students who spend their internship feeling like a valued employee demonstrate a higher level of enthusiasm about the organization and are often eager to accept full-time position offers. Conversely, interns that have a negative experience are less likely to recommend the organization to friends and will not consider pursing a full-time position with the group. 

 

The stakes are high with internship programs! The chance to build an engaged pipeline of talent for your organization is an unmatched opportunity that warrants dedicated preparation time. It’s important to be aware of what today’s students desire from an internship so that your organization can be prepared to deliver a remarkable experience that will translate to retainment of top talent.  

 

AgCareers.com is eager to help your organization build an internship program that leaves a positive impression on your student hires. We’re hosting a two part webinar series titled “Developing a Successful Internship Program” that is geared toward human resources professional, internship coordinators, managers of interns and senior leadership. This webinar series will be beneficial to not only organizations who are new to building internship programs, but also those that recognize there is room for improvement within their existing program.

 

Part one will kick off April 16 and focus on the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of Successful Internship Programs. Hosts will share what interns are saying organizations are getting wrong and what they are doing right.  Participants will learn how to overcome those destructive practices and identify ways to build on areas of strength.  This hour-long session will provide unique solutions and advice directly relayed from today’s students.

 

The webinar will resume April 17 with part two which will focus on those responsible for managing or interacting with interns. These personal interactions are what can make or break the internship in the mind of the student.  Understanding the critical role that the manager or mentor contributes to the success of the internship program, both present and in the future, is often overlooked.  In one hour this session will dive deeper into tips specifically for managers and mentors of interns that can help to form a productive working relationship.  When students return to campus, you want them to say good things about their experience and the manager/mentor relationship is the number one way to influence what is said! 

 

This webinar is a critical step in investing in a successful internship program and will be a great learning opportunity for those that oversee interns within your organization. The two hours taken to engage with the webinar will be resources well spent.

 

Register here to participate in Developing a Successful Internship Program: 2 Part Series. 

 

AgCareers.com also offers the Internship Benchmark Survey, a student evaluation of your internship program in an industry benchmarking format.

 

Start your search for a new career or a new employee today at www.AgCareers.com.