How to manage your interns effectively
About the Author: Harshad Bhagwat is a scientist-turned-edupreneur. He is the founder of WordsMaya which helps adults improve communication English through WhatsApp like chats.
A typical day in WordsMaya office is marked by the hustle and bustle of 10 energetic interns. Rohan is writing Grammar modules, Shreya and Mouli are writing jingles for teaching vocabulary, Ankita is doing a voice-over for podcasts, Gaurav is improving the website, Aman is serving the new leads, and Kamal is managing the entire operations. Only the two teachers are full-time employees working with 10 interns. Enthusiastic and curious minds of such 20-odd interns have shaped WordsMaya over the past one year.
This is how I, along with the other two employees, successfully managed 10 interns at once:
1. We searched for their souls:
All the interns were anyway selected through our rigorous process. We dug deep into their personality by spending quality time with them during the first few days. We understood how Rohan can focus for long hours, how sharp Shreya is, how introvert Gaurav is, how Kamal is ready to take up new challenges, and how Aman thrives under autonomy. This helped us assign the right tasks to them, monitor them effectively, and intervene with our inputs at right intervals.
2. We found out their limits:
If they were brilliant with limitless potential, we knew they wouldn’t be interning with us. They were capable and enthusiastic but also confused and immature. We never expected them to be the task-masters with 100% efficiency. We did our homework and carefully planned how to get the work done from them according to their capabilities. We also taught them to use to-do lists, report to us at the start and end of the day, and work according to deadlines.
3. We were open to their ideas:
Writing jingles for teaching vocabulary or putting guitar tunes in the background in the podcasts were not in our original plans. Those ideas came from our interns. Aman always gave new perspectives for engaging with customers and Ankita already knew what attracted people on social media. Giving an outlet to their ideas in the huddle at the start of the day, helped them stay motivated and feel connected to the company’s cause. They reciprocated with even better ideas.
4. We put just enough restrictions:
We have seen that interns thrive under freedom and autonomy. Little flexibility in timings was provided, and chatting on WhatsApp and checking Facebook twice a day was allowed. Interns even went out for short walks after lunch and even had occasional afternoon naps. However, we had set clear boundaries and everyone was expected to maintain the discipline. One intern was confronted about downloading songs when we saw abnormal internet usage, and he immediately changed his habits. We had also set clear daily and weekly targets for interns, and they managed to achieve them with some assistance from us.
5. We also had fun on the side
Some fun-at-work activities help interns bond with each other and stay motivated. We had occasional pizza parties and group singing sessions. Manisha, our lead trainer, arranged a sleepover party as well. We celebrated the farewell of interns with cutting cakes.
This may seem like a lot of hard work, but it was totally worth it. We got quality work from our interns in return. This also added 10 fans of WordsMaya who continue to contribute even after their internship ended through blogs, social media posts, and referrals. Our experience with interns was so good that we are currently planning for hiring the next batch of interns.
If you are also looking to hire interns, please post your requirements here.
