Attracting the Most Qualified Students
The more information provided about job duties and responsibilities, competent and regular supervision, learning objectives and outcomes, and the benefits of working for your organization serves to maximize your efforts in recruiting the ideal intern.
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 The following elements comprise best practices for an internship:
- Learning objectives that ensure the student is doing meaningful work.
- A commitment to the overall learning process of the intern.
- An established program, committed resources, and an involved supervisor.
- Hands-on professional experience to develop marketable skills and competencies.
- A start-to-finish project and a resulting product (a report, paper, or presentation).
- Training sessions, attending strategy meetings, job shadowing, developing a professional network of contacts, and other learning opportunities.
- Exposure to various departments and/or functions.
- An opportunity to be considered for a full-time position upon graduation.
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Students evaluate internship offerings based on important criteria:
- Is this a paid internship?
- What sort of training and supervision will be provided?
- Will there be short-term or long-term projects, ideally with a deliverable?
- What career-specific skills can I expect to learn from this internship?
- Will this provide me with projects, skills, and team experiences that I can discuss in future interviews?
- Are there any clerical tasks involved? If so, how much time will I be spending on them?
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