Tips for the care and management of your intern
As promised in my post about being an awesome intern, I’m giving some tips to people who are responsible for interns.
In media and publishing interns are integral and a lot of excellent places wouldn’t function without their interns. But just as it’s important for an intern to be professional and keen to work, it’s equally as important for editors and managers to treat their interns respectfully and responsibly. A few quick tips:
1) Have clear goals and expectations
What time do you want your intern to show up? What time can they leave? What kind of work do you want them to do? These are simple questions, but sometimes these aren’t communicated well to the intern. When expectations are set out clearly then both intern and editor are on the same page.
2) Always have work ready
Interns are there to learn and an unproductive intern is a waste of time and effort for the both of you. Ask yourself, is there research that needs to be done? Writing that can be started? Special projects, etc.
3) Learn how to delegate
If you’re a perfectionist or a control freak, this is going to be tough. But it’s necessary. And giving your intern a bit of trust and responsibility can really go a long way and stop you from going crazy.
4) Train them properly
Spend a bit of time at the start of the internship showing the intern how things work. This investment of time at the start will recoup itself in no time.
5) Make them feel like a part of the staff
Grab coffee with them, let them join in during meetings, introduce them to your co-workers. Your workplace can be intimidating, particularly if it’s a large office, dispelling some of their anxiety is just a nice thing to do.