How to successfully mentor interns

1. University Talent
May 2013
Internship:
Successful Mentorship

2. Page 2
Importance of Mentorship
As a mentor, you are the go-to person for your
intern, and a crucial factor to his/her success.
Internship experiences, good and bad, are
widely shared among students. The better
their experience, the better your company’s
reputation, the more referrals you’ll get.

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Why an Internship Program?
HIRE GREAT PEOPLE
If you have a stellar intern, work with your team and
the HR group to see how you can hire that student.

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Obligatory vs. Voluntary Mentorship
 Mentor because you want to, not
because you feel you have to.
 Being a mentor is an opportunity to:
– Share your knowledge
– Grow your leadership skills
– Provide career guidance to students
– Launch a project you’ve cared about for a while
– Promote your company’s culture

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Time Commitment
 Internships are typically 12 weeks long.
 Before committing, be mindful of personal
vacation, critical releases, and work schedule/trips.
 Mentoring begins prior to the intern’s start date:
• Send out welcome /introductory email to the intern
• Gauge interests, expectations, technical capabilities
and discuss potential projects together

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The Intern’s Project
 Define a realistic project. It should be challenging,
but not impossible.
 Lay down clear milestones to monitor progress.
 Provide resources that will help the intern succeed.
 Have a backup project. Yes, some interns will finish
their project early!

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Weekly 1:1
 Schedule weekly 1:1 and stick to them.
 Topics to cover:
– Progress of your intern’s project
– Does s/he have all necessary resources to succeed?
– How can you be helpful?
– Does s/he feel engaged, challenged, etc…
– Are expectations met?
 Be honest and provide constructive feedback.

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Evaluations
 Initial Check-in ~ 2 weeks (optional, but useful)
 Goal: Evaluate how the intern is getting situated.
To be completed by someone other than the mentor
 Midpoint Evaluation ~ 6 weeks
 Goal: Assess the intern’s progress and impact within the team.
To be completed by the mentor
• Is your intern self-sufficient with his/her project by now?
• How is the project progressing? Should it be less/more challenging?
• Is your intern learning new skills?
• Any area of improvements?
• How does your intern compare to a full-time employee?
• How is your intern enjoying his/her internship so far?
• Who else in the company has been working closely with your intern?

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Evaluations
 Final Evaluation ~ 11 weeks
 Goal: Determine whether or not you should hire the intern full-time /
invite for another internship.
To be completed by the mentor & 2-3 teammates
 Questions to be answered by Mentor
• What was the size and scope of the project? How difficult/impactful was it?
• What was the quality of the work delivered?
• Did s/he do more/less than what you expected?
• Is this someone you want to be part of the company? If so, how much? Why?
 Questions to be answered by Teammates
– How would you rate the work delivered?
– Was the intern easy to work with?
– Would you consider him/her for the team? Why?

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Evaluations
 Mentor Self-Evaluation ~ 12 weeks
 Goal: Evaluate your leadership and training skills as a mentor
• How did you help your intern ramp up to the project?
• What piece of advice would you give to new mentors?
• Anything you would do differently?
 Intern Evaluation ~ 12 weeks
 Goal: Assess intern’s overall experience & interest in returning
• How did the project align with his/her expectations?
• What has s/he learned?
• Would s/he recommend his/her friends to your company?
• How can the company improve its internship program?
• Any area(s) of improvement for the mentor?

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Dos & Don’ts
 DON’T give your intern a low priority project
 DON’T micro-manage your intern, but make sure s/he’s on the right track
 DO reach out before your intern starts
 DO be mindful of how many interns you can manage at once (1-2)
 DO follow-up with your intern after the internship (example: feature release)
 DO make the internship a memorable experience
 DO ask for referrals!