Last week we said goodbye to our two interns that had worked with us for 6 months and really helped us take some big step forwards.

In addition to all the hard work they put into the company, they also helped me learn and grow as a manager.  Specifically, today I am much better prepared to work with all of our future interns that come through the company. To help ensure all parties get as much as possible out of the internship we now have a few established practices.

First, we require that all incoming interns fill out an entry evaluation.  This allows them an avenue to communicate their expectations for the position and what they want to get out of it early on.  We can use it to temper expectations and catch any potential issues early on.

Second, we are now holding bi-weekly team meetings on Mondays and Fridays.  We have always held a weekly meeting with our team, but by increasing the frequency to twice a week I hope to increase the accountability of everyone (including myself) to get as much as possible done during the week.  On Mondays we go over the weekly expectations/projects for the week and on Friday we see how everyone did.  I like a little pressure to perform and this helps add it.  These meetings have also proven to be great times for brainstorming and cross-pollination of ideas.

Third, we are requiring some in-office work hours.  This was tough to do in the past as we didn’t have an “official” office.  I am a fan of remote work environments, however I think the accountability of required hours will improve performance.  On top of this it gives them an opportunity to have each other and myself near by to bounce ideas off of one another.  We are requiring that everyone spends about 1/2 their time in the office.

Finally, we have established an official exit review.  All the interns were informed up front that they will have an exit review and they were provided a template of what they will be reviewed on.  This should again increase accountability.  It also provides us another great opportunity to receive feedback on our internship positions, management style, and anything else that is on their mind.

This week we welcomed 3 new interns that will be here for the duration of the summer.  Hopefully these new additions to our internship program will really allow them and us to maximize the value of the internship experience.  I know we are getting better and better at it every day.