Guide to Creating a Virtual Internship Program

The recent pandemic has caught many employers off guard. As a result, many of them had to cancel or delay internship programmes. It's understandable since many of these internships require a hands-on approach. But not all is lost, as there are ways to conduct an internship programme even during the pandemic.

A virtual internship program might be possible for certain positions, especially the ones that only rely on Internet connection and laptop. If you're thinking of hosting a virtual internship program, here are some helpful considerations and useful checklists:

Pre-Internship Checklist

Before creating a virtual internship program, take time to consider how interns will be assigned tasks, how their progress will be tracked, and how interns will be able to collaborate with each other and with your team, and so on.

First of all, keep everything organised. You can use project management tools such as Asana which is helpful in keeping interns on track. If you need interns to log hours, you can use a productivity tracker or timesheet software to do this.

Manage expectations across the organisation and with your interns about how the program will be conducted, what tools they’ll need, how often they’re expected to attend virtual meetings and engage with the team.
Prepare interns at least 4-8 weeks before they start to collect all of their onboarding materials, introduce them to their team and getting them familiar with your organisation and culture.
Provide them with the tools they'll need such as a video conferencing platform, messaging app, and productivity tracker. Many aspects of a virtual internship program will revolve around software and applications made to manage remote teams.
Consider mailing your interns their laptop a week before their start date to give them some time to set up their devices. Then schedule a session before the start date to confirm their internet works, and assign an IT contact to help them with any tech issues on day one.
Offer a work from home budget in case interns need to purchase headphones or microphones to do their best work. If they don't have Internet access and you have the budget, consider providing them with a WiFi or broadband service.
Create the same culture you have in the office virtually. It's tough to introduce interns to your culture when everyone's working from home, but there are ways. Give interns enough time to get familiar with your company and culture before starting virtually.
Consider how you’ll train interns. Get in touch with the interns' supervisor(s) and make sure they have what they need to train interns virtually.
Train your supervisors, too. To maintain consistency in their schedule, train managers to encourage their interns to schedule a time for lunch, breaks, and virtual social activities throughout the day.

it may be a virtual internship program, but it can still be a positive experience for interns.

Internship Considerations

Aside from learning what it's like to work at your company, interns are also there to work on projects and gain valuable experience. This is where your organisation becomes invaluable:

Find creative ways to engage your interns virtually. Involve interns in the company's virtual social meetings to get familiar with your culture.

Host virtual tea break sessions and allow interns to expense meals once in a while to offer opportunities for them to get familiar with one another and others in your company. You can use Zoom to host these sessions. You can also host an open Zoom call where everyone can have casual hangouts.
Your supervisors should schedule one-on-one mentoring sessions bi-weekly. Supervisors should also schedule at least two feedback review sessions during their internship, exposing interns to valuable opportunities for learning and growth.

It’s important for supervisors to stay connected digitally with their interns. Supervisors can help ensure that they have enough work to keep interns productive and share how the work they’re doing now is important to business needs and results.
Make it very clear from the beginning if you're offering a full-time job after the internship. This is important as it's something interns are actively searching for, and what most of them are working so hard towards.

Use this opportunity to conduct surveys throughout the internship program to identify areas of improvement. This is how you learn about your interns' thoughts on your culture and their wellbeing.

Don't forget to check up on your interns from time to time.

Post-Internship Takeaways

Once the internship is over, how do you continue to engage and mentor interns throughout their early careers?

Set up some time for interns to present their internship projects and receive feedback from your team before they leave the company. As HR, you can help interns with their resumes, and share tips for promoting their work and skills gained during the internship.
Encourage interns to leave reviews about their internship experience. You can also use their positive reviews to promote your internship program on social media to attract other candidates.
Keep in touch with your interns and highlight the benefits of staying in touch with their supervisors as a channel for guidance and mentorship.
You can now measure the success of your virtual internship. Some employers rely on tracking conversion or placement of rates of their interns, while other employers track who goes on to take an important role in another company as a way to measure their program.

Moving to a virtual internship program may be new for your interns and colleagues, but by following these tips, you can set up a memorable experience for this incoming batch.

Source: Handshake

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