How to Be a Good Mentor for Your Interns

Internships are opportunities for students and budding professionals to get a glimpse of their career prospects. It’s also a time for them to test the waters and environment to see whether certain environments suit them and whether the company can provide a springboard for growth. Interns are sponges ready to absorb but also can provide refreshing insights to your company. That’s why it is important for employers to not only show interns what to do but also play a role as mentors too to guide their paths. Here are some suggestions to help your interns thrive in their role, and at your workplace.

Create a hospitable environment by providing opportunities to talk in both professional and casual settings

It goes without saying that a welcoming environment can ease interns into ways of working and building connections. A professional setting might mean that interns may not feel completely comfortable in expressing their aspirations. Ensuring that there are other settings where they can meet others would give them a chance to loosen up and grow their circle too.

Have regular and proactive check-ins

Some interns may be daunted to approach superiors and simply don’t know what tasks there are that need a helping hand. Having regular check-ins with your interns not only gives room for them to raise issues, it also provides a chance for them to express interest in specific work that you may not have considered.

Let them have a say

Interns feel most valued when they are doing work valuable to them. If interns get a chance to steer what kind of work they want to achieve, as an employer, it demonstrates that you are supportive of their professional development and that you respect and support them to meet their individual milestones.

Contextualise their work

Interns are also further motivated if they know how their work fits within the larger scheme of things. If they know how their contributions are helping out with the company’s objectives, it can have a snowball effect for them to be eager to contribute more to related tasks and think beyond what’s just given to them on the surface.

Assume a blank slate

However impressive their CVs are, interns are always there to learn and build on their experiences. Rather than building on assumptions on their existing skill sets — interns will appreciate complete transparency and training on the outset to meet expectations.

Slot in a feedback session at the end of the internship

Rounding up the internship session with positive and constructive feedback will allow interns to bring their experiences and areas to improve on their next journey. Not only will this provide interns confidence and valuable insights, but would also strengthen the relationship between the two of you for the future if they were to consider returning to work at your company.

Internships benefit from a symbiotic relationship between employer and employee. While internships are rewarding for career trajectories, they can also be significantly rewarding for mentors and employers who put the effort in letting their interns flourish in their field.