Interns bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm. With the right mentoring, they might not only grow and discover new opportunities for your company but also contribute valuable insights. In addition to completing their research project and thesis.
Attending ‘The Internship Jumpstart’ at Innokite made me reflect on the Talent Program I once piloted. Early on, as an entrepreneur offering thesis guidance, I also worked for another company. There, I noticed their interns struggled to manage both their thesis and internship. Why was this so stressful for the interns? Why couldn’t they support each other? I also wondered if both interns and the company could benefit more from the internship. The research outcomes, for example, might positively affect the company and make it easier to spot and retain future talent. It seemed there was much more win-win to gain.
What I proposed: a Talent Program for interns
Focusing on:
1. Connecting emerging talent with the organisation, laying the foundation for the organisation’s future.
2. Improving internal and external processes through interns’ research results
3. Becoming the organisation where you, as a student or young professional, want to do your internship
4. Creating added value to society by offering a learning opportunity to young people.
This process would also allow me to identify the interests and strengths of those involved and align them in a blueprint for personal and organisational growth. Such a structure provides clarity and energy, as talent development (most of the time) brings out the best in people. And if talents develop, ideas do so too.
How it actually worked in real life: the pilot
This led to a five-month pilot with six interns from one department, where I could step into my favourite role: mentoring. I was convinced then, as I am now, that bringing interns together inspires learning and mutual support. By sharing insights, encouragement, and guidance—much like I do at Scriptiewijzer—I helped them:
- Taking the step from student to professional by discussing the work situations they faced.
- Communicating with all internship supervisors involved.
- Their thesis process.
- Balancing personal-, student-, and professional life (or: learning to prioritise).
That resulted in the interns becoming more assertive and energetic, completing their internship tasks, research, and thesis. Simultaneously, the company benefited from having interns up to the task, a more pleasant working environment, and, by the end, research outcomes that could be potentially integrated into in- and external processes.
How? By simply bringing them together once in a while, learning to share their stories, struggles, and opportunities, and having one-on-ones that go in-depth into their personal challenges.
Mentoring interns at your company?
Although the pilot didn’t evolve into a formal program, I remain committed to the idea that strong mentoring and structured feedback can benefit both interns and organisations. An effective internship structure allows interns to flourish and contribute, while organisations gain motivated and capable team members.
Having gained experience and insights since that initial pilot, I am now keen to explore mutually beneficial opportunities for interns (students and PhDs) within a company setting. Feel free to connect if you’re interested in helping your interns succeed and adding more value to your organisation, and you:
- Acknowledge the importance of students completing their thesis within the duration of their internship.
- Want to improve the quality of research conducted by your interns.
- Seize the chance to incorporate research conducted by interns into your business processes.
- See the added value to society in offering a student a high-quality learning opportunity, and want to be the company where interns can prosper.
- Emphasise the importance of developing your staff’s mentoring skills.
- You once wished for a dedicated mentor during your own internship, and now you can offer that support to your interns—while your company reaps the rewards too.
Please reach out only if you recognise the importance of purposeful mentoring, rather than assigning interns numerous unrelated tasks.
So, in short:
- My approach focuses on personalised mentoring and fostering peer support to help interns grow both personally and professionally, conduct their research, and complete their theses.
- There is also an opportunity to collaboratively develop a customised mentoring structure for your company’s intern talent.
- And I can train the people within your company who work with the interns.
I flourish in a flexible role that emphasises exploring knowledge, expertise, and opportunities together. By learning through action, collecting and refining everyone’s perspectives and insights, I am able to create a strong framework for feedback and reflection. This supports the future success of both interns and organisations—a win-win situation!
Interested? I am happy to talk things through with you.
Additional information
Expertise in coaching and mentoring talent within organisations results in measurable growth for both individuals and the companies they serve. Empowering employees to develop their skills improves organisational performance and promotes a culture of continuous improvement. Tailored talent programs create mutually beneficial environments that allow both organisations and employees to succeed.
