This fall, thousands of students will develop in-demand skills, cultivate professional connections and gain valuable knowledge that will set them apart in their chosen fields.
However, they won’t just be picking up these attributes in the classroom.
Internships are where the real opportunities are for students focusing on their futures. In the past, as depicted on TV, interns were the cohort of professionals that sitcoms send on coffee runs and mid-level managers scorn for their perceived lack of experience or competence. In reality, today’s interns are tomorrow’s top talent, helping small businesses and global corporations remain agile, innovative and relevant.
Last year, more than 60 percent of college graduates completed an internship before graduation, and one-quarter of interns were hired as full-time employees at the end of the experience.
In fact, internships have become such an important part of the talent acquisition process that some companies start recruiting interns nearly 18 months before the student is expected to start.
In the public relations industry, where strategic communication and media relations are more than classroom concepts, internships allow students to immerse themselves in real-world campaigns, build a portfolio of successful projects, and hone their skills through mentorship and client interactions.
As your agency prepares to welcome your interns to the team, here are five ways to level up your PR internship programs this fall.
1. Give Interns the Best Possible Experience
Interns don’t just need to be around PR professionals; they need opportunities to do the work themselves.
That’s why hands-on experience is one of the most valuable experiences PR agencies can give their interns. Create structured spaces and specific tasks that push interns to develop new competencies without entirely exceeding their professional capabilities.
In the process, explain the “why” behind each task, connecting work with client objectives and company goals. This will translate into more engaged, motivated and empowered interns who know they are performing valuable work and not just doing busy work while they wait to add the experience to their resume.
2. Provide Opportunities for Collaboration and Discussion
Interns excel when they have an opportunity to work alongside your team. Too often, interns work in isolation, playing a supportive role without access to the institutional knowledge that allows them to grow and succeed.
Provide multiple communication outlets for interns, including one-on-one meetings to review tasks, personalized Slack channels or messaging platforms, and daily full team meetings. Couple this access with ample encouragement to ask questions, learn from mistakes and share ideas.
3. Trust and Challenge Your Interns
Once interns are familiar with your team and workflows, try challenging them with more difficult tasks or allow them to lead a project. Interns can offer a fresh perspective and might surprise you with their creative ideas. It’s also the best way to help your interns grow and mature, discovering their full potential along the way.
4. Give Interns a Wide Range of Experiences
Many people pursue internships for one reason: they want an opportunity to develop and hone a specific skill. However, understanding that PR professionals need a wide range of competencies, give interns a wide range of tasks and intentionally strive to teach them something new as often as possible to ensure they have a full understanding of the PR space by the end of their internship.
5. Get to Know Your Interns and Integrate Them Into Company Culture
Intentionally integrate your interns into your company culture. This will help them feel more comfortable throughout their internship and allow your team to gauge whether an intern is a good fit for a full-time position.
Every agency has its own norms and traditions. Whatever your format, give interns and employees space to get to know one another and discuss things like the latest pop culture gossip, trends, favorite movies and more.
Every Intern Is An Opportunity
With a resume of skills and experiences, today’s interns might be your next high-performing employee. These strategies will make your PR internship program more impactful for interns and organizations. Every internship is an opportunity and an investment worth making.
By Jenna Guarneri, Founder/CEO of JMG Public Relations and Author of “You Need PR.”