Host Tips
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Here are some helpful tips to have a successful internship experience.
Conduct an Orientation Session
Conduct an orientation session with your new intern(s) at the beginning of their internship period to review the following:
Safety guidelines: Review any safety guidelines and procedures for your office and building.
Work Schedule: Review agreed upon work schedule (project length; work days, start and end times for each day).
Lunch and Breaks: Review agreed upon break times, lunch breaks, and procedure for intern calling office if they're ill on their scheduled work day.
Phone & Office Equipment: Review guidelines on use of phone, and office equipment (including e-mail, internet, computer, copier, and fax use).
Expectations: Provide a brief written summary of the assignments intern will be helping with during their internship period. Note: This should reflect what is included in the student's "Goals and Learning Objectives" course form. Also, there are hosts that already have a structured internship program, so they'll have more material to provide to their interns.
Students already have a timesheet to record their time when they report and leave work. They are also told to keep a journal of their weekly activities as they have to submit a 10-page report for their internship course.
Learning From Different Opportunities
Meetings and events: Whenever possible and appropriate, invite your intern to attend company meetings and events. This provides your intern(s) an opportunity to observe host activities and operations in a different manner - a learning experience.
Mentoring: Remember, students are also observing how you conduct your business or office. You're a mentor to them during their internship with you. So this is a time to think about the leadership qualities you would like to instill in them.
Applying what they've learned in class: Your internship project will give your intern(s) the opportunity to apply in the workplace those theories, concepts, and practices that they've learned in the classroom. So we ask that you keep clerical activities to a minimum, and allow them to assist you in projects that will exercise what they've learned within their concentration.
Conduct an Informal Mid-term Evaluation
Mid-term evaluation: Conduct an informal verbal evaluation with your intern(s) half way through the program to let them know how things are going. However, if you'd like to conduct an earlier evaluation that's okay.
This should also help to assess what remains to be completed during the second half of the internship period. The student is also required to submit a one-page summary to their Faculty Coordinator to let them know how things are progressing.
Coming to the Close of the Internship Period
Final Evaluation: During the 9th week, your intern will need to have you complete a supervisor's evaluation. This will be a great time to sit down once again with your intern to briefly review what's been completed, and finalize details on wrap-up activities.
If you have a question to any of the above information, you're welcomed to e-mail us or contact the CBPA Internship Office at 909/537-3581.
Thank you for participating as an internship host!