Many organizations are looking for ways to enhance labor networks and build community while reigning in costs. How can you help? One option is to develop a corporate internship program: a structured program for recruiting, mentoring, and evaluating students who will soon enter the workforce.

A successful internship program serves the business needs of your company, while maintaining and priming networks for future hiring. Recruiters often champion internship programs by defining internal program requirements, building relationships with learning institutions, and establishing organizational processes. While there is no one way to develop an internship program, I've developed some useful guidelines to assist you:

1. Communicate Program Benefits

Before launching your internship program, you must first communicate it's value to company leadership. Internship programs simplify recruiting for long-term hires by allowing companies to evaluate potential candidates while accomplishing useful work. For most managers, the opportunity to evaluate a potential employee's skills and interests before making a long-term commitment is a near-ideal scenario.

Networks with universities and trade schools can also contribute to maintaining a company's image and social capital, at a price far lower than other forms of outreach. In developing relationships with individual candidates, companies also build and reinforce their relationships with educational institutions, communities, and the friends and associates of interns.

2. Evaluate Your Organization's Needs

Consult with senior executives and managers to find out how the program can best serve your company's business orbjectives. Clearly defining needs and expectations will go far in reinforcing the benefits of the internship program. This is the best way to ensure your program compliments corporate initiatives and objectives. Furthermore, by defining parameters and expectations early, you help ensure that all parties will be happy with the results.

3. Orient Your Interns

Internships are brief, but intense experiences. Treat interns like normal employees, but be sure that the appropriate controls and communication mechanisms are put in place. Establish an orientation program that helps interns understand what is expected of them and how they fit into the organization. Interns are relatively inexperienced, so defining parameters is more important than usual.

Also, it is important that internships understand the current hiring environment for the company, especially in a weak economy. If an internship is unlikely to lead to a full-time position, make that clear.

4. Distinguish Yourself on Campus

Help your company stand out on campus by developing strong relationships with deans, placement officers, and faculty. These relationships can be a real asset when it comes to evaluating internship candidates. Deans and university officials can be very honest about candidate strengths and weaknesses, but only if they know you and trust your company.

By building relationships and your reputation, you fill the pipeline with strong candidates and honest references. Also, give feedback to the institution about your experiences with it's students. By communicating program successes, or difficulties, you will help reinforce your network and build credibility.

5. Make Resources Available

Interns have a diverse range of expectations for their new position. Make sure they understand what is specifically expected of them, and encourage managers to set concrete goals. Also, cover the basics, and briefly discuss how the candidate plans to relocate to the site: where they plan to live, how they plan to get to work, and any assistance that will be available to them once they start. For some candidates this will be their first job, and you may have to explain that housing is not provided, and that there is no corporate bus!

6. Keep the Door Open

When the internship comes near to a close, take time to debrief your interns. Most importantly, make sure they understand how to pursue a full-time opportunity with your company. This doesn't mean guaranteeing a job, but making sure they understand how to apply and expressing a genuine interest in their futures.

7. Don't Forget Feedback

Obtain feedback from internal and external sources and reincorporate the feedback into the program. Make sure to collect feedback from interns, academic institutions, managers, and executives about the program and the interns. Use a structured approach such as a personal interview or survey to ensure accurate feedback. Tabulate results and communicate program feedback to your company's leadership, showing the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Make sure you are prepared to give answers or provide solutions for resolving any problems. Keep feedback on individual interns and use is as input for future recruiting processes.

These above steps are applicable to all programs, large and small. By starting in the early fall, you can build a strong internship for the summer of 2003. Good luck, and as always, I invite your comments and feedback!
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