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Just because you’ve graduated doesn’t mean you can’t stay connected to student life. Hiring an Honors student as an intern is a great way to give back to Temple and grow your own organization. Here are three tips for building a great internship experience.
- Keep them engaged: No one enjoys an internship where they sit in the corner and read BuzzFeed. Set detailed goals for how an intern can benefit your organization, including:
- Developing new talent pipelines
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Getting assistance on a specific project
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Filling gaps as your organization grows
Typically, students intern 10‒20 hours a week during the academic year and 20 hours or more during the summer semester. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average intern hourly wage is $17.20 for bachelor’s level students. We review paid internships in the OwlNetwork to ensure that they pay minimum wage for the amount of hours worked and also abide by the NACE Position Statement on unpaid internships. If offering an unpaid internship, consider how to help with transit, parking, meals, locating housing, purchasing required attire/materials or participating in off-site events.
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Start them off right: You would be amazed to see what having their own space and supplies does for an interns’ pride in their work, so try to get those things in order ahead of their start date. In the first week, line up a few lunch or coffee meetings for them to meet colleagues so they feel welcome.
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Make it worthwhile: Make time in your schedule for regular check-in meetings with your interns and ask them to prepare a brief overview of their work for the week. Speaking of projects, don’t assume that your interns will know the most efficient way to get the job done. Take extra time when assigning work to articulate the tools they will need to do the project, your preferred product outcome and where they can find more information. Interns can be excellent at:
- Conducting and organizing research data
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Offering marketing or promotional insights
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Providing direct service to customers or clients
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Representing your organization at larger events
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Creating content for online and print outlets
If you’re ready to take the next step, think about offering an opportunity for students with Merit Scholarship Summer Educational Stipends. These students have a $4,000 stipend to support them in unpaid internships during the summer semester of 300 contact hours or more. If you have questions about tailoring an opportunity to your organization, get in touch at laura.craig@temple.edu or (215) 204-4474.
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