So often, employers do not see themselves in the role of teacher/mentor during an internship experience with a student. The relationship is viewed more as an employment opportunity rather than a teachable period. If you find yourself leaning more on the employment side of the fence, I’d like you to consider the tremendous chance you have with your internship program to teach a student valuable, life-long employment skills that could benefit them throughout their entire career.
Let’s Start with the Basics
The types of skills we’re talking about here are often called “soft skills”. These include skills like communication, time management, problem-solving, critical thinking, team work, flexibility, and the ability to work under pressure. It also includes work ethic, a positive attitude, and self-confidence. Each of these skills creates value not just for the student, but also to any employer they may work for in the future. More and more, employers are looking for candidates not just with the technical skills to do the job, but also the skills that let them effectively interact with those around them.
A Model Company
I am always very excited about companies who really take their role as teacher/mentor seriously. One such company is Group Dekko in Garrett, IN. Making a recent decision to have an internship program this summer, and proving that it’s not too late to find great students, in the last month they posted, interviewed, and hired close to 20 interns. During this time, their CEO has created a culture that stresses the importance of being good mentors to their student interns. It’s not only about what the students will be doing for the company; it’s also about what the company will be giving these young people throughout their experience at Group Dekko. To get everyone up to speed, 30 supervisors and mentors have gone through training to understand their interns’ needs, and come up with strong strategies to manage their experiences this summer. What is great about this internship program is that each student has both a supervisor AND a mentor who will teach and train them.
Trust me when I say, this is a company who gets it. They know exactly what their job is this summer. They want to create awesome future employees, even if they don’t end up being their employees. That’s the kind of attitude that helps make all of Northeast Indiana successful. If we can develop the kind of future employees that we all want, pretty soon, companies outside of Northeast Indiana will take notice of it and we’ll become a model region!
Where to Start
Well, if the above story has inspired you to take on the role of teacher/mentor this summer for your intern, then it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get busy. You won’t be just idly sitting back this summer and watching what your intern does for you. You’re going to become a partner in their success and develop ideas and strategies to help them develop into a superstar employee. You’ll start with choosing a supervisor and mentor who has the desire and patience to work with your intern. Take the time to develop projects that provide the intern with a chance to interact and communicate at a high level.
Remember, it doesn’t matter if they become your employee or someone else’s. What truly matters is that they develop the skills and competencies necessary for their future careers. Oh, and by the way…when you take the time to help your intern develop great soft skills, you get an amazing return on your investment in the form of a happy, high performing student. It’s most definitely a win-win…win!
Need a little help getting started? Attend the Supervisor Boot Camp Wednesday, May 18th from 3 to 5 at the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. It’s only $15 to attend and offers you great information about how to manage your intern this summer. Have a large number of supervisors/mentors you’d like to train? Contact me at jfisher@fwchamber.org to discuss my on-site supervisor training at a reduced rate.
Using Facebook, Linkedin, and Google to Screen Candidates: Great Idea or Bad Business?
Let’s be honest, it’s very easy to look people up on the internet. In a few short minutes, you can run a Google search or look up a potential intern’s Facebook or Linkedin page prior to your interview and know far more about them then you might find out on an application. It seems harmless enough because a lot of people are doing it. These days, many companies use online searches to replace the traditional vetting methods like background and reference checks, even before they have met a candidate. In 2009, Careerbuilder.com reported that 45% of employers were using Facebook and Twitter to screen candidates. It’s possible that the number is even higher now, but is this ultimately a good idea or is there a potential legal problem brewing?
Let’s start with the basics. There are very specific employment laws which have been created to protect candidates from discriminatory practices on the part of employers. Employers are not supposed to have certain information about potential candidates prior to interviewing them. It’s why an I-9 is supposed to be kept in a separate file away from the application. Interviewers should be making decisions about who to interview based on candidates applications or resumes, references, job history, etc. They should not have access to information like race, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or other information which could place the candidate in a protected class.
Searching for candidates online, especially before you interview them, can provide you with information you are technically not entitled to have prior to an interview. Now of course you can argue, “But Jen, they posted that information up about themselves and put that picture up on their profile. Doesn’t that make it public information?” Well yes it does, but that doesn’t mean you have a right to look at it before your interview with them. Even looking after an interview is still a little sketchy to me but that’s a discussion for another time.
Honestly, I think a time will come when a candidate will accuse a company of unlawfully discriminating against them because of information that company gained through an online search. I really do think we will see a case like that at some point in the near future. What this means for you and your company is that you have to weigh the pro’s and con’s to screening candidates through internet searches (especially on websites like Facebook) and decide if it’s worth the risk. I always recommend being cautious and utilizing the more traditional methods of candidate vetting. Also, under no circumstance should you look up a candidate before you have interviewed them. It opens you up to potential liability and may mean that you miss out on some really great candidates that you judged before you had a chance to meet them. Remember what your grandma used to say? You can’t judge a book by its cover and in this case you can’t always judge a good candidate by their Facebook profile!
Let’s start with the basics. There are very specific employment laws which have been created to protect candidates from discriminatory practices on the part of employers. Employers are not supposed to have certain information about potential candidates prior to interviewing them. It’s why an I-9 is supposed to be kept in a separate file away from the application. Interviewers should be making decisions about who to interview based on candidates applications or resumes, references, job history, etc. They should not have access to information like race, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or other information which could place the candidate in a protected class.
Searching for candidates online, especially before you interview them, can provide you with information you are technically not entitled to have prior to an interview. Now of course you can argue, “But Jen, they posted that information up about themselves and put that picture up on their profile. Doesn’t that make it public information?” Well yes it does, but that doesn’t mean you have a right to look at it before your interview with them. Even looking after an interview is still a little sketchy to me but that’s a discussion for another time.
Honestly, I think a time will come when a candidate will accuse a company of unlawfully discriminating against them because of information that company gained through an online search. I really do think we will see a case like that at some point in the near future. What this means for you and your company is that you have to weigh the pro’s and con’s to screening candidates through internet searches (especially on websites like Facebook) and decide if it’s worth the risk. I always recommend being cautious and utilizing the more traditional methods of candidate vetting. Also, under no circumstance should you look up a candidate before you have interviewed them. It opens you up to potential liability and may mean that you miss out on some really great candidates that you judged before you had a chance to meet them. Remember what your grandma used to say? You can’t judge a book by its cover and in this case you can’t always judge a good candidate by their Facebook profile!
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