Hiring a summer intern? Skip the coffee runs and data entry. Give your small business interns more than busy work by assigning creative, strategic tasks that foster their growth and boost your business.
Here are smart, meaningful ways to make the most of your intern’s time and talent this summer.
[Read more: Tips for Creating an Internship Program for Your Small Business]
Creative summer intern tasks that make a difference
To turn your summer internship into a win-win experience, try these creative ways to engage interns in meaningful, business-boosting work.
Run a research project with real impact
Sam Wright, Head of Operations and Partnerships at Huntr, recommends treating interns like team members and assigning work worth presenting, such as insight decks or summary reports. This builds confidence, fosters autonomy, and delivers valuable takeaways for your team.
“Bonus: Invite them to one leadership meeting for exposure,” Wright added.
Assign creative or trend-driven tasks
Mike Szczesny, Owner and Vice President of EDCO Awards & Specialties, notes that younger employees often have stronger fluency in modern trends and tech, making them valuable assets for digital marketing.
“Offer inclusion in strategy sessions for marketing and other brainstorming meetings so that interns can be utilized for their modern-day creative concepts,” Szczesny advised.
Give them room to experiment and create content that connects with today’s audience, like social media posts, blog articles, or branded graphics.
Let interns experiment with AI by drafting content, analyzing FAQs, exploring data trends, or testing chatbot tools for customer support.
Explore new ways to use AI
According to Harvard University IT, encouraging artificial intelligence (AI) exploration fosters innovation, creativity, and cross-functional learning across teams. Let interns experiment with AI by drafting content, analyzing FAQs, exploring data trends, or testing chatbot tools for customer support. These hands-on tasks offer a low-risk way for your business to discover new efficiencies while allowing interns to build fluency in modern, in-demand tools.
[Read more: Top Artificial Intelligence Applications for Every Team]
Let them audit your systems and experience
Invite interns to review your website, customer journey, onboarding documents, or overall digital presence. Not only does this help develop real-world problem-solving and analysis skills, but a fresh perspective can highlight gaps or inefficiencies you might overlook.
“You’ll learn just as much from them as they will from you,” said Wright.
Co-create a mini-project based on their strengths
Ask interns about their interests and strengths, then build a focused project that lets them apply those skills, whether it’s planning an event, running a small marketing campaign, or designing a new resource. When aligned with business goals, these passion-driven projects provide meaningful experience for interns while generating real value for your team.
Tips for creating a great summer internship experience
A summer internship may only last a few months, but with the proper structure, it can leave a lasting impact on both the intern and your business. Here are a few practical ways to create a positive, productive internship experience for both parties:
- Set clear expectations from Day 1. Define goals, responsibilities, and success metrics early. Interns perform better when they know what is expected and how their work contributes to the overall picture. “If you treat them like an integral part of the team and as an investment in the team’s success, you will get a skilled employee,” said Katherine BonDurant, author of “The Design Internship Handbook” and Founder of The Intern Mentor.
- Provide ongoing feedback and mentorship. Frequent check-ins and constructive feedback help interns improve and feel supported. Pair them with a mentor for guidance and professional development.
- Find opportunities for cross-departmental exposure. Kaileigh Gallivan, Senior Manager of Early Talent Programs at Atrium, recommends having interns rotate through various departments. “This not only keeps the experience engaging but also helps them develop a broad range of skills,” added Gallivan.
- Encourage them to share fresh ideas. Interns bring outside perspectives and generational insights. Create space for them to pitch ideas or suggest improvements to your existing processes.
- Incorporate learning opportunities into their workflow. Mike Thompson, CEO of Learner Mobile, suggests creating on-demand, bite-sized resources to provide context and understanding for their work. “Rather than treating an intern’s onboarding and training as a destination where interns show up to a meeting for an hour or two … [on-demand resources] allow them to access important information at their convenience,” Thompson said.
- Celebrate progress and show appreciation. Recognize milestones, big or small. A little praise goes a long way in boosting morale and reinforcing the value of their contributions.
[Read more: 6 Great Reasons to Hire Teenage Workers This Summer]
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Sydney Kerelo
