Summer internships can be a great way for students or recent graduates to see if they like a job or industry and it can lead to the opportunity for a full-time position. For employers, summer internships are a great way to test whether a person fits in to their business and whether they have the right skills to succeed there long-term. It’s also an opportunity to train a young, energetic person in the ways that you run your business and how they can help you succeed. If you’ve decided to hire Hawaii summer interns, it’s important to avoid these summer intern hiring mistakes.
Avoid these top 5 mistakes when hiring Hawaii summer interns
1. Picking the wrong interns
Picking the wrong interns can have a huge – if temporary – negative impact on your team and overall productivity. An intern that has no passion for your industry, no drive to learn; who doesn’t want to work hard or lacks the right skills will be very frustrating for your team. The first step to hiring the right intern is to weed out applicants who do not have right work experience, academic or technical training required to succeed in the position. Make sure to ask potential interns why they want to work with your company and why they are interested in your industry; you are looking for enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn more.
2. Failing to create a welcoming environment for your interns
Interns are usually young and new to an industry. They are eager to learn and looking for your guidance. Take the time to think about how to make the internship experience positive so that you will get the most out of their time with you and they will walk away with a positive opinion about your business. Introducing them at a team meeting or lunch and explaining how they will be contributing to the team is a great way to start. Matching them with experienced team members for training is another way to help an intern feel comfortable.
3. Failing to plan enough work
Having an intern bored and moping around your office is miserable for the intern and everyone else around them. You should only hire a summer intern because you have specific work or projects that you want them to handle or contribute to. The tasks should be substantial enough to help the intern learn more about your field and make them feel a part of the team. Make a list of projects and tasks the intern will handle before placing an ad, which will help you to identify the skills and experience they will need in order to be considered.
4. Failing to set expectations
If expectations are not communicated it will be very difficult for your interns to succeed. Schedule a meeting with them to talk about what you want them to accomplish over the summer, what tasks they will be responsible for, and how they should interact with the other team members. Follow it up with an email so it’s in writing. Setup meetings with interns every week or two to check on their progress and see if they have any questions.
5. Failing to provide feedback
Interns are looking to learn. If you fail to tell them both the good and bad of their performance they will not learn about their strengths and weaknesses and opportunities to grow. Checking in after a couple of weeks on the job, then half way through and again at the end is one way to make sure that performance management is handled properly. At the final meeting, give interns an opportunity to showcase the projects they completed to upper management and team members.
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