Maximising the potential of your interns

Universities and students in Singapore both believe that accumulating work experience and building a strong portfolio can make or break a fresh graduate's job hunt. Peer at any jobseeker's resume and you'll see at least two internships listed. Come summer, our company receives hundreds of internship applications and the majority of these students already have some pretty impressive work experience under their belt.

Internships seem like a win-win situation at first -- companies receive extra help and interns get to learn the ropes of the industry. In Singapore's high labour-cost market, interns are considered an inexpensive resource that can be easily expended for various purposes.

But a closer look at the different experiences of interns reveals the ugly truth about internships offered across all industries. Mismanaging and maltreatment of interns is more common than imagined, with many interns expressing disappointment with the way their internship turned out. Common grievances include relegation to menial tasks, being forced to work outside of their job scope, unreasonable or empty hours, and a lack of overall guidance.

Bosses in Singapore are missing the point: By neglecting or mismanaging interns, companies are losing the opportunity to groom and hire a potential employee who can actually contribute in a substantial way. Just imagine, an intern who is guided by a mentor and given opportunities to display his own capabilities in a work environment might just turn out to be a valuable addition to the team!

The crux of the problem lies here: Many companies and bosses in Singapore do not put enough thought into designing internship programs. While interns are always told to make the most out of their internships, the management level has to step up to improve the internship experience as well.

An intern can bring the best attitude to work every day but it ultimately boils down to how the company develops his potential. Great bosses know how to maximise employee potential to boost performance, benefitting both department and the company as a whole. We frequently allow our interns to take on higher-level responsibilities such as Analytics, Business Development and Partnerships under the mentorship of a supervisor, and the work they produce is of excellent quality.

It is worth the time for management to plan a detailed program for interns to test their capabilities and suitability for the company. You really don't want to lose a great employee or hire someone who might not be as competent as you think. Here are five tips for bosses looking into hiring interns:

• Assess the needs of your company - This is to determine which area of work you can assign your intern to; you don't want him idling around, contributing and learning nothing. Manual tasks are sometimes inevitable, but we mix up manual tasks with higher-order learning tasks to keep our interns engaged.
• Assigning a mentor - A great bonus if you can spare the manpower. Otherwise, make sure he is settling well into the department or seat him beside colleagues with a similar job scope. Not only will it help him to fit in more readily, his other colleagues will take greater responsibility for his learning which improves team cohesion as well!
• Delegating specific projects - Having concrete objectives and achievable tasks by which you can judge his work performance is very useful both for the boss and the intern as it allows him to measure his own pace and set his own targets.
• Scheduling regular reviews - Check in regularly to allow interns a chance to explain what he is learning and doing. Our interns are given a chance to speak up if they feel that anything bears improvement; sometimes it is also possible to make his proposal into a side-project for him to take on, which will make him more vested in the company.
• Evaluate talent - Consider offering a full-time position to your intern if he meets the criteria that you set. Several of our interns have converted to full-timers after their internship, and we find that their internship experience goes a long way into helping them learn the ropes of the company.

If the diamond in the rough does not meet an experienced gemcutter, the stone will never shine as brightly as it should. The gemcutter will thus fail to benefit from the value of the brilliantly cut diamond because he did not recognise its potential in the first place.

There are many benefits to hiring interns: Most interns in Singapore come equipped with impressive skills and a drive to match, thanks to sophisticated courses at universities that stress the competitiveness of the job market. They are fresh from school and can bring youth, energy, and a fresh perspective to a stagnant work environment.

All of this can translate into efficacy for the company but it depends on how bosses nurture them. Their questions about how things work and why will set you thinking a bit more about your company!

There are many resources for structuring an internship, so do some research and think about how you can help your intern contribute to the company. What most interns need is a sense of direction and guidance, so give them a leg up, show them the ropes, and be socially inclusive! One good way is to make time to eat lunch with them from time to time.

You'll never know, some interns may decide to convert into full-timers down the road, so start grooming your next enthusiastic team-player or future leader today!