People tend to relate first experiences to infantry and early childhood, in actuality first experiences occur throughout life– we just become better adapted and more experienced at responding to these new situations.
In my mind the internship is under-recognized as a first experience in a tremendously new and often idiosyncratic job world. A failure by employers to recognize the transitional role of the internship for students at times leads to a disconnect and an under-utilization of an intern’s skills. With 80% of college students interning once during their college years and 50% at least twice, this is roughly 2.58 million students who are juggling their college life with a very different professional working environment. For many students this means first staff meetings, first handshakes (instead of fist pounds), first networking events (instead of career fairs), first getting dressed up and sitting in an office all day long, and many more novel situations.
Interns have proven time and again to learn these new skills and embrace this new environment incredibly quickly– but with minimal investment or effort employers can really make this river crossing much easier. I wanted to post a few tips to make this first experience better for all parties:
Interns come into the work world with a range of experience– but for many it is a first foray into the job world which they will live in for the next 40 or 50 years. While some employers see the task of training a fresh out of school employee as daunting, the truth is by re-aligning your approach and being cognizant of your role as a teacher you will find 90% of interns learn quickly with minimal managerial buy-in. Those who make these adjustments will find even bigger rewards in the improved work flow of interns, and the potential for a long and successful partnership.
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