Create clear and realistic goals for your incoming interns based on current business needs. Interns can produce meaningful work and are eager to get involved, be ready for their first day with a solid plan so they can contribute as of their first day.

• What do you want them to walk away with and accomplish by the end of their time with your organization?
• Are there projects that could be completed within the time constraints of the internship?
• Would you consider offering a full-time position after the internship period ends?

Onboarding a full-time employee often takes months whereas an intern may only be with your company for 4 or 8 months. Planning their experience is important so that your interns can provide value for your company as soon as possible. Here are some ways to help them manage the information overload:

• Offer bite-sized content instead of a 100-page employee manual.
• Crowdsource best practices from your team and share content with interns.
• Encourage collaborative learning, invite interns to meetings as it will help them understand the bigger picture.
• Plan to introduce the company mission, vision and values so interns can better appreciate what is important to the team.

Make sure your interns meet everyone on the team as soon as possible to learn the different roles are and how they will be working together. If you are hosting multiple interns, make sure they get to know each other as well. Show them around the office and building and don’t forget to show them the lunch room, how to use the fancy coffee machine, or your favorite spot to grab lunch. Take the time to find out a little about them and ask about their educational goals, career goals and what they would like to accomplish while at your company. Have a buddy/mentor have lunch with them on their first day

Email your team to let them know about the intern starting as well as information about their background and what project they’ll be working on. Consider emailing the company as a whole to also inform them of the intern class coming in. Some companies have mentorship programs to help with onboarding. Matching an intern to a younger employee who recently entered the workforce is an effective pairing as the worker can provide perspective and build their own leadership skills while helping to integrate the intern.

For some students, this work experience may be their first job ever. The Software Co-op office and the Engineering Career Centre offer interns pre-departure workshops to get them ready for a first professional work experience but it is important that you set explicit expectations upfront and communicate them in advance because every workplace has different policies. Please don’t assume they will know about casual Fridays, or flex-time, weekly progress reports and other company policies or top-level protocols. Communicate these expectations ahead of time during an introductory training session

Prior to your interns’ arrival, ensure you have a plan to address all the paperwork. Speak with your HR representative and find out if there are any more forms to sign. Speak with IT to plan for computer access, email passwords and programs access. If your company uses ID badges, schedule a time for this very early on. Ensure the interns’ workstation is ready and not only functional, but also with sufficient supplies such as a notebook, pens, paperclips and other office necessities. If your intern will be working remotely, plan to have any equipment delivered before the start date and let them know who they can contact for help with set-up and technical issues.

Interns will be performing actual work for you but keep in mind this is still a learning experience for them. Take time to regularly meet with your intern to review progress and any learning goals that were set up. The meetings will give you a chance to monitor progress and give feedback. Who can the intern turn to when they are stuck in their work? The intern cannot always wait for weekly or bi-weekly meetings to review an issue, is there a company chat function or buddy system? Interns have lots of great questions!

Near the end of the co-op work term, you will be asked to fill out an Employer Evaluation form and send it to the Software Engineering Co-op Office. We encourage you to meet with your intern and review the form with them so as to add to their overall learning experience. As with your full-time employees, it is critical to ask your interns for feedback at the end of their time with you. This will leave them with the assurance that you value their opinions. It will also provide information to improve both your team and the intern process in the future.