Leadership First: Internships take effort on both sides

Dear C.B.: Internships can and should be advantageous to both parties, but as your question suggests this is too rarely the case.

Actions for employers: No. 1. Include intern positions as part of your talent-management planning. Look at them as an integral part to your efforts to attract future talent. No. 2. Design internship positions that focus on what you want the intern to learn, then design what you want them to do. When the process is reversed, you end up with a bunch of tedious busy work that your intern will get bored with, then leave, then never forgive you for how your firm misused their talents. No. 3. Assign one of your more-capable leaders to mentor the intern. This person should meet regularly with the intern to have open dialogue about what they’re learning, any challenges and what work that interests them. No. 4. Do not take advantage of cheap labor. Follow through on what you promise the internship will provide.

Actions for interns: No.1. Know what you want to learn, and create specific goals for the job experiences. No. 2. If you know what industry you want to enter upon graduation, first pick a possible employer, then weigh the balance of your decision on the internship position. No. 3. If you do not know whether this is the field you want to enter, create an “interests list” and identify three places you’d like to work. No. 4. Be candid with the firm and let them know your real level of interest in their industry. If you determine that you are not well-suited for this work, tell the company and leave graciously. No. 5. Do not place too high a value on pay at this stage, it is all about learning and gaining experience for your résumé. No. 6. Before you accept an internship position, ask plenty of questions about what you will learn versus what you will do. In some jobs, you will learn everything you need in the first month or so. You do not want to end up in a dead-end job that does little to advance your skills or build your résumé.

Dear Mark: Gen Yers seem to get stereotyped as being selfish. Is that accurate, or is it more an issue of youth and lack of maturity? —E.O.

Dear E.O.: While some conclude that Gen Yers as narcissistic, ego-driven and spoiled – there is even a book titled “Generation Me” – I personally believe they are inaccurate. Why? First, I do not see credible evidence that warrants such claims. Second, I find that Gen Yers’ motivations are more accurately understood through one of their most common questions “How does this affect me?” versus the often mischaracterized “It’s all about me.” Finally, according to my extensive research, including a national online survey, more than 70 interviews/focus groups and nearly 100 behavioral assessments of Gen Yers, many of these claims appear to be false.

Here are some findings: Admittedly, some Yers were spoiled by doting parents for far too long, and consequently, they do have attitude. They are the type of employees who demand versus ask, threaten to quit if they don’t get what they want and complain bitterly when asked to occasionally come in on a day off. But they are not the majority.

Most Yers do not pack attitudes of entitlement. While they admit that some of their peers are indeed selfish, they insist this is the minority. Instead, most Yers are interested in a meaningful career, value highly the input of others, and insist that all people are treated fairly and equally. I queried this stereotype as well as others thoroughly and came away concluding that they are conscientious, ambitious and highly intelligent, much like the generations preceding them.

My research shows that Gen Yers want the opportunity to be involved, participate in decision-making and planning, work with others and be appreciated for their work. They want ongoing learning, and they want to be respected for their ideas despite a lack of experience. They are highly motivated to make everything better or faster – and they like to work without being micromanaged. All generations share many of these qualities, pointing out that we have more in common than we have in conflict, if we will just look for it.

Springfield-based consultant Mark Holmes speaks nationally on increasing employee and customer retention and improving employee performance. He is the author of “Wooing Customers Back” and “The People Keeper,” and his ideas have been featured in the Wall Street Journal and on Fox Business Network. He can be reached at mholmes@thepeoplekeeper.com.

Workplace Solutions

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