Summer is fast approaching, and with it comes internship season. With Generation Z entering the job market in force and the rise of remote working, it is important to redefine best practices for onboarding.
Here are a few tips from Hugo, the new intern at Engagés, to help you prepare to welcome your future recruits.
1. Create a human-scale experience
Being confronted with a new environment, whatever it may be, is an intimidating experience. To put your interns at ease and ensure a natural and welcoming integration, it is important to pair them with someone who knows your organization’s culture and is comfortable presenting it. Offering an initial experience in small groups reduces stress and allows for better conversations. If possible, put your interns at ease by pairing them with individuals of their own age group for the initial stages.
2. Demonstrate your mission
As a nonprofit, your dedication to a cause is probably one of the aspects that attracted your interns to you. It is therefore important to demonstrate your mission from the outset. This will likely have already been discussed with your interns during the recruitment process, so give your new recruits a chance to see what they are contributing to with a field visit early in the onboarding process. Whether or not a visit is possible, you can also demonstrate your impact through videos, testimonials, etc. In short, showing in a tangible way how your organization helps your community will be motivating.
3. Lay your cards on the table
Continuing with the theme of a humanized experience, be honest with your new interns. Encourage them to ask questions by sharing not only the positive aspects of the experience you are offering them, but also some of the challenges they are likely to encounter, or a more personal anecdote. This creates a bond of trust with them, allowing them to see that you offer open communication and that your organizational culture is aligned with the purpose of your work.
4. Ensure a good understanding
Whether it’s an in-person, remote, or hybrid internship, you need to acclimate recruits to what is expected of them as soon as possible. To this end, learn about their strengths and areas for improvement. When they arrive on the job, you will have a better idea of the level of support and supervision required by each intern as they integrate.
5. Provide feedback
This step is the most crucial: collecting data is a winning strategy that can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your recruitment and onboarding process. Ask questions to find out what needs to be improved. If these are not elements that can be improved during the internship, reassure your interns that their concerns are being taken into account.
In conclusion
To ensure that your interns are well integrated and have an enriching experience, you need to get to know them on an individual level and build a relationship of trust with them, especially in a rapidly changing professional environment.