Career Development
Center
  Occidental College
 1600 Campus Road,
Coons 109
 Los Angeles, CA
 90041-3314

 Email: careers@oxy.edu
 Phone: 323.259.2623
 Fax: 323.341.4900

 
How to Be a Good Internship Supervisor

Responsibilities

The primary objective of an internship is to create a learning environment for the student.  Customize your own job objectives and supervision to best accommodate the needs of the intern and the needs of your organization.  Keep in mind that not all interns are familiar with formal work settings and policies about conduct, break times, attendance, days off, etc.

We suggest that the On-Site Supervisor allow the intern to participate in employee activities and to include the intern in hands-on, meaningful work that will enhance understanding of the industry.

Create Learning Objectives

A learning objective is a statement that describes a measurable activity the intern and the On-Site Supervisor wish to accomplish.  These objectives are often derived from the following categories:

1. Creative--doing things a new way, finding new things to do.
2. Problem Solve--taking apart some existing problem and finding a solution.
3. Acquisition of New Knowledge or Skill--increasing usefulness, improving performance.
4. Personal Development--developing personal habits or skills that allow one to deal better with work situations.
5. Opportunities on the Job--identifying aspects of the internship that offer growth.

Try to avoid ambiguous objectives such as “student wishes to communicate better.”  They are not measurable.

Writing Your Description

When writing a description, students respond best to a simple outline format that includes the following:

• Brief Organization Description--organization history, organization successes, etc.  If you are an Oxy alumni, please let us know if you are available to field questions of inquiring students.

• Intern responsibilities--expectations.

• Qualifications--specify class standing and major if you have preferences.

• Schedule--hours range from eight to 10 hours per week during the academic semesters and up to 40 per week for a summer internship.

• Duration--the ideal internship lasts the duration of an academic semester-15 weeks, September through December and January through April.  A renewal is acceptable.

• Learning Agreement--include the name, title, address and phone number of the contact person who will be hiring and/or supervising the intern. 

• Applying Instructions--students will be prepared with a resume and cover letter at the time of application.  Please indicate if any other documents are necessary (i.e., transcripts, GPA, etc.) and how you wish them to apply for the opening (via fax, email, attachments acceptable, etc.)  

Supervision

Since an internship is defined as a learning experience, proper supervision of the intern is essential.  The On-Site Supervisor serves as a teacher, mentor, and boss.  Ongoing supervision of the student intern is key to the success of your program. The work environment is unlike the classroom in many ways.  An intern might not know what it means to be a professional and need assistance for a successful adjustment to the workplace. 

Effective supervision should include:

• Providing Structure.  As clarified above,  establishing and clarifying written goals and objectives before the intern begins will aid greatly in supervision.  

• Guidance. Some interns need more guidance than others. Many factors must be taken into consideration: the intern’s cultural background, disabilities, learning style, and previous experience.  Evaluate his or her level of maturity and confidence.  Is the intern a critical thinker or a creative problem-solver?  

• Learning By Doing.  Allow interns to participate in activities and meetings.  Interns may have leadership potential but not understand the corporate culture.  They rely on the supervisor to educate them.  

• Questions.  Interns might not know when to speak or how or what to ask.  Assist them in actively learning by explaining and clarifying everything.  Suggest and encourage questions at all times.  

• Information about the organization.  Offer interns literature and other documents for review that are important for them to understand the big picture.

Training and Mentoring

Training is as important as supervision.  It should be specific.  Establish a program that will give the intern a clear understanding of what is expected and include everything about the duties, which will be supervised and evaluated.  

A mentor is a counselor, guide, tutor, and/or coach all in one. Valuable internship experiences not only include effective supervision, but also a large component of mentoring. Per your convenience, you may offer to look at your intern’s resume and provide strategies and advice regarding the next phase of his/her professional development.

Evaluation

Evaluation is important to an intern’s development and is an opportunity to learn strengths and weaknesses.  Evaluate throughout the entire experience, not just at the end. 

You will need to complete the Midpoint and Final Evaluations and submit it to the college in a timely manner.

Criteria to consider when evaluating an intern are:

• Relations with others

• Quality of work

• Attendance

• Punctuality

• Overall performance

• Potential in field

• Suggestions/contributions made

• Attitude-application to work

• Judgment

• Dependability

• Ability to learn

Please remember to read the Occidental College Internship Handbook and be familiar with the policies related to internships.  Click here to access the Internship Handbook.

Last updated:08/02/07