Managing Remote Interns for Success

by Bradley Joseph Sinkaus on August 06, 2020

Wondering how your office can best manage remote interns? CMF has developed a checklist that provides management tips and best practices for before, during, and after the internship.

 Before Internship

  • Send your office's handbook (or CMF's!) ahead of time for interns to review, as well as any office policies, confidentiality forms, and evaluation criteria). Go over this information with them their first day.
  • Ensure interns have access to a reliable Internet connection and necessary video conferencing software (Teams, Zoom, etc.) as well as the G-Suite (Google Docs, Sheets, Hangouts, etc.) and determine ahead of time which methods are preferable for assigning work and communicating regularly
  • Add interns to your office's Slack and Asana Teams (if used) and assign them an office email account with a login and password.
  • Establish mutually agreed-upon intern working hours (considering challenges presented by multiple time zones) and inform all staff of interns' working hours.
  • Connect with interns a few weeks before their start date to discuss goals and expectations for their remote internship.
  • Record short welcome/introductory videos by staff for your interns (either evergreen or personalized)
  • Connect with staff to determine relevant projects/project contacts for interns (e.g., if an intern is doing morning clips, will they report to the press assistant, communications director, or direct supervisor?).

During Internship

  • Develop a mutually agreed upon work plan for their success (and go over via video conference during their first week).
  • Include list of everyday mini assignments, potential bigger projects, as well as project contacts for each task so the intern knows who to direct questions to.
  • Provide a list of staff contact information that includes their titles, duties, and any issue assignments. Include an organizational chart if you have it.
  • Set up 15-minute introductory "meets" between interns and, depending on the size of the office, each staff member, each "department" (comms, leg/policy, casework, etc.), or each "department head."
  • Establish a designated staff member with whom the intern will have weekly check-ins (consistency is essential).
  • Include the intern wherever possible: ensure intern receives invitation to all-staff meetings and devote part of the weekly staff meeting to briefly discussing the intern's projects as a team.
  • When delegating tasks and assignments to the intern, provide examples or templates of relevant work products so they are aware of the end result wanted (such as memos, briefing materials, constituent letters, etc.).
  • Conduct a mid-term evaluation of the intern's performance and schedule 1-hour video call to go over evaluation, and listen to any concerns the intern has or problems they have been experiencing.
  • Recommend that interns keep running list of completed projects so they have a portfolio of accomplishments when they leave.
  • Incorporate interns into office culture. While this can be challenging to accomplish virtually, encourage staff to invite interns to "get-to-know-you" coffees, brown bag lunches, and staff virtual happy hours.
  • Encourage interns to connect with each other virtually to promote a friendly and collaborative work environment

After Internship

  • If interns were given access to any sensitive information or accounts, ensure logins and passwords are changed.
  • Conduct a final evaluation of the intern's work and go over it with them on a video call. Also, conduct an exit interview with the intern to receive feedback from the intern on what worked or didn't work during their internship.
  • If this is the office's first remote internship, conduct an all-staff After Action Review (AAR) on what worked well and what didn't go as planned, and incorporate a list of changes for future remote internships.
  • Send intern letter of recommendation and agree to be included as a reference.

Resources:

Carnahan, Rebecca. "Best Practices for Creating a Successful Virtual Internship." Harvard Business School. April 8, 2020. https://www.hbs.edu/recruiting/blog/post/best-practices-for-creating-a-successful-virtual-internship

"What to do about internships in light of the COVID-19 pandemic?" The Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions, UW-Madison. Spring/Summer 2020. http://ccwt.wceruw.org/documents/CCWT_report_COVID-19%20Internships.pdf

"Tips & Guidelines for Employers to Create a Remote Internship" Yale Office of Career Strategy. https://ocs.yale.edu/narrative/tips-guidelines-employers-create

Congressional Management Foundation. "Keys to a Successful Internship Program." Congressional Management Foundation. https://www.congressfoundation.org/projects/communicating-with-congress/face-to-face/134

College to Congress. "Interning on Capitol Hill 101." College to Congress. https://www.c2cuniversity.org/courses/interning-on-capitol-hill-101?th__ug=cd9d284d

 

 
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