Why are intern programs seen as a burden in some offices and so valued in others? In our more than 30 years of orienting interns and helping staff manage and train them, CMF has found the key ingredients to managing a successful intern program are:
- Developing a clear purpose;
- Creating a formal orientation and training program;
- Providing clear guidance and structure; and
- Balancing interns' administrative duties with more substantive work.
Developing a Clear Purpose
The office needs to develop a written "intern plan" that carefully assesses the office's needs, determines reasonable objectives, and spells out how the office intends to meet them. Agreeing on the purpose and objectives of your intern program is critically important if there is internal disagreement in the office regarding the role and function of your interns. Without a clearly defined purpose, it will be more difficult to structure your program properly to meet your needs.- Would you rather provide the opportunity to as many applicants as possible, hosting several interns simultaneously or offering shorter internships?
- Or, would you rather host fewer interns, but ones that could preferably serve longer and/or be full-time in your office?
- How much time can your staff dedicate to the intern program?
Creating a Formal Orientation and Training Program
The best programs provide formal orientation and training, rather than simply "on-the-job" learning, which is critical to set the interns' expectations for their internship, as well as to acclimate them to a professional work environment.
Many offices spend the first week training interns on the full range of activities they will be expected to perform. Some offices present this essential orientation information — how to use the phones, computers, sort the mail, file documents, draft letters, cover hearings, and research legislation — in an intern manual. Possible topics to include in a manual are:
- welcome
- learning agreement
- confidentiality notice
- office rules/policies
- staff positions and general assignments
- intern duties
- evaluation criteria and performance review information
It is critical to have both a written manual and to cover this information orally with interns as part of their orientation to the office. One option for their in-office training is to split the training among staff (e.g., the staff assistant trains them on the phone, the communications director discusses press duties, the LC teaches mail log-in, etc.).
To give interns a crash course in how to work in a congressional office, CMF has written the Congressional Intern Handbook: A Guide for Interns and Newcomers to Capitol Hill. The Handbook's purpose is to orient interns to staff expectations, congressional operations, lingo, intern duties, etc. so that they can quickly become contributing members of the team. Having produced this publication for more than 30 years, CMF has found it best to provide this information to interns before they arrive.
We would also recommend that you provide your office's intern manual to them ahead of time, to prepare them for their internship and lessen their anxiety. Questions you should consider when developing your orientation and training program include:
- Who will draft/review the intern manual?
- Who will assist in the training of interns?
- What are the office's expectations that need to be conveyed (confidentiality, professionalism, initiative, etc.)?
Providing Clear Guidance and Structure
Effectively managing interns requires providing them clear guidance and structure, which can reduce the fear and anxiety associated with working in a new and intimidating environment. It should clearly define who the intern supervisor is and provide a regular forum for interns to ask questions, voice concerns, and receive feedback. The management structure should be supported by regular intern meetings. In addition, schedules, work plans, and timelines should be used by staff in supervising interns.
Typically, staff will need to be more hands-on in the supervision of their interns for their first two weeks — checking their work, answering questions, retraining on duties — which might require more frequent check-ins, but that the time spent up front at the beginning of the internship will pay off down the road.
Staff may be reluctant or uncomfortable to provide feedback, but of-the-moment feedback is critical to their performance. Additionally, acknowledging good performance and letting interns know when they have met office expectations is just as important as critiquing performance. The key to effective feedback — whether positive or negative — is to provide it quickly and objectively that clearly identifies the specific behavior you seek to reinforce or improve.
Finally, we estimate that less than 20% of offices conduct formal evaluations of their interns. Letting them know at the beginning of the internship that they will be evaluated, and on what criteria, contributes to a more professional internship. To make the most of this process, offices should conduct a mid-term and final evaluation of the intern's performance and allow the intern to submit a self-evaluation and/or provide the office with feedback.
- Should the office manage the interns as a team, with one person overseeing the entire program and someone else serving as day-to-day supervisor?
- Who will serve as day-to-day supervisor?
- If the supervisor is not the staff assistant, how will the supervisor and staff assistant coordinate intern duties?
- Who will contribute to or participate in the intern's evaluation?
Balancing Interns' Administrative Duties with More Substantive Work
One of the biggest challenges offices face when managing interns is balancing administrative duties with more substantive work. Typically, intern duties in a personal Member office break down to about 40% clerical/admin (phones, errands, data entry, mail sorting), 30% legislative (research, memos, hearings, briefings) and 30% constituent services (tours, flags, constituent mail) (a combination of admin/leg work).
First, interns must understand that all work in a congressional office is important, and must be performed to the best of their abilities. Even Chiefs of Staff do "administrative work" — this is the government after all! But staff must show interns that they are valued members of the team, and that by performing their intern duties well, they are enabling the staff to focus on other office priorities. Additionally, most offices view the interns' performance on admin duties as a test for more substantive work, or how much substantive work they will give the intern. Explain to interns that if they demonstrate reliability, professionalism, timeliness, and initiative, they will be recognized for their hard work.
Second, you must provide an educational experience for interns. Besides the learning that will happen by just being on the Hill, facilitate a more well-rounded experience by encouraging interns to participate in press, legislative, and constituent service activities. Allow the interns to attend staff meetings, constituent meetings, press calls, hearings, etc. Ask interns before they arrive or during their orientation if specific topics are of interest to them and have them work with the LA on that topic or conduct a research project related to that subject.
