We’re midway through the summer intern season. Hopefully, it’s going well. Internships can be a bit of a challenge-adjusting to an office environment after years of school can be a bit difficult for all involved. Frequently, the people managing interns are low-level supervisors and sometimes it’s their very first time managing another person. The result of this can be a lot of unmet expectations on both sides. The solution?
Every boss of a summer intern should make an appointment with her her intern to do a mid-internship check up and it should begin with the following question:“What did you expect to do or learn at this internship that hasn’t happened?”
This question can open up a conversation that can be invaluable. Your intern may have grand expectations of being a project lead or presenting to the board. She may be frustrated that so far she just gets to sit in on meetings and hasn’t led anything. On the other hand, she may have had very reasonable expectations but has been stuck doing grunt work because everyone in the department gives her their unpleasant tasks. Either way, you’ll find out.
To keep reading, click here: The One Thing Every Boss Should Say to Her Summer Intern
I had a little trouble getting past the photo that Inc. chose to accompany the article. It appears that the intern’s answer to the first question would have to be, “Frankly, I’d have thought you would have hit on me by now.”
very insightful