What makes an intern want to work with you?

Finding top intern talent can be tough!

Here's our tips for attracting the best candidates to work for you this summer

1. Hire interns for the right reasons

Interns can bring new energy & skills, a thirst for learning and create value for your organisation over the summer!  Interns are NOT a cheap/free source of labour, they need mentoring & support, and should not be expected to hit the ground running on the first day!  Here's some more thoughts about why interns are awesome.

2. Plan your intern role(s) and find awesome mentor(s)

There are lots of different ways to have a successful internship, it could be bringing a newbie onto your team, giving them a stand-alone project, or hiring a team of interns together.  The key characteristics of a successful internship are the human ones - good fit between intern & mentor, good fit between intern & their project, and the right support to maximise their skills in a short period of time!

• Having achievable milestones in the first few weeks can be a great boost to intern confidence
• Having a plan for their first day/week/month is a great idea!
• Adjusting your plan depending on their capabilities is an even greater idea!
• Regular, proactive check ins with a mentor (covering technical and professional aspects of their role) is WINNING for everyone!
  • The SoT team is happy to talk this stuff through - it'll be different for every organisation, but we've been supporting internships since 2006 so we can call on more than a decade's experience to help!

3. Write an informative Organisation Profile

Your employer profile on the Summer of Tech website is the place to shine the light on how amazing your organisation is. Students/grads may have heard of your organisation, but they may have never considered working for you.  Put yourself in a newbies shoes, and that'll be a good starting point!Describe your culture, what do people do, what do they like? What’s a typical day? What will your interns LEARN? What will interns work on (technical & professional development) this summer?If you take the time to describe what it’s like to work at your place, how you’re different from other companies, and most importantly, the OPPORTUNITY you’re offering interns, then that’s how you become an intern-magnet.On your SoT profile, we suggest you talk about your business, including what you do, what your product/service all about, who your customers are, and what it’s like to work there.  Definitely worth shooting a quick video of your office and maybe the team saying “hi”, too!It would be extremely useful if you can outline your recruitment process on your org. profile, too. Will you have technical tests? Will you participate in SoT Speed Interviews? Will you have follow up long form interviews? An assessment day? Are you ok with remote candidates being interviewed by vidcon?  Bonus points if you can alleviate their concerns about what to wear to interviews and to work!(yes, dress code can be a very stressful concern for students during recruitment times, it doesn't take much to be a very empathetic employer that eliminates their stress!)

4. Write an attractive role description

Interns be very interested in what their role or project will be! If you can, include a description of the technology/tools they’ll be working with, whether training or support is offered, and if there will be any specific outcomes from their internship.Who will they be working with? What's the team size? What does a typical day look like?You may also choose to emphasise your team's diversity, socialisation opportunities, and other things that might be attractive. Be aware that "beer" and "fusball" are not universally attractive to all students ;-)We have strong feedback from students & alumni that a focus on “academic excellence” can be off-putting. The realities of student life, finances and priorities means that for many students with family responsibilities, financial pressure or outside interests, grades may not be their most excellent feature. Students want to know that you’re assessing them on their potential in a real world situation, not just their ability to meet university deadlines & academic standards.