15 Tips for Great Design Internships

Well after the initial scare I received that internships may be considered unethical, I have come to the conclusion that this may be the concerns of a vocal few. For the most part I have received some rather positive responses to the question “were your internship experiences valuable to you?” In additional pretty much every person that I asked said that they would do it again if afforded the chance. However the main reason I am writing another article on the subject is to share the information I received about how to have a great internship experience. In fact the information I received along with my personal experiences have helped to create a list not only for the employer but the student as well.

TIPS FOR INTERNSHIP EMPLOYERS

• Set realistic expectations for your interns. Usually those interns who are not happy with their position are disgruntled because of a falsely perceived expectation for the position. If a position is strictly production and no creative work will be done at all then communicate that fact. There are plenty of students looking for this type of experience, however employing one who is looking for more is a sure fire way to get poor performance and low quality work.
• Define goals that interns should achieve. Interns are just like any other employee and having goals for them to reach is not only a fair way to judge their performance, but also gives them a sense of accomplishment when they do.
• Pay your interns. If you can, then do it not only is it somewhat shady to not pay for work but unless you are a huge agency that students are dying to work at you are not going to attract the best talent. Experience is worthwhile but remember school is expensive these days and some schools even charge the students for the credit hours to do an internship. If you hope to attract the largest pool of talent then paying is a necessity.
• Mentor your interns. A huge part of the internship experience is learning in a “real world” environment, and that means responsibility on your part. It should be your goal to foster an environment where the interns can actively ask questions and learn about how your firm functions.
• Be as transparent as possible. You most likely will not be sharing the firm’s financial data but explaining how the agency functions and why will help the student learn more about design and the industry than they were expecting.
• Make sure everyone is aware of the intern’s role. If everyone is aware of the responsibilities and goals of the intern, they are less likely to try and take advantage of the position. Also the entire firm should be aware of what their personal responsibility may be to the student.
• Set up frequent status checks for your intern’s projects. It is easy to forget that an intern is less experienced and not watch them closely enough. Give the intern enough space to learn on their own, but remember to watch them closely and offer constructive criticism when appropriate chances are they are looking for it.

TIPS FOR POTENTIAL INTERNS

• Know what you would like to learn. Knowing which segment of design you would like to learn about will help you decide which position you will get the most out of. Often times interns take the first position that comes there way either in order to fill a graduation requirement or because they lack confidence in their work.
• Set criteria that a firm should meet. Qualifying the firms you seek to internship for is should be done just the same way you would if you were seeking a full time position. Don’t just apply for a position because they are offering it.
• Don’t only ask how something is done but why. Learning about design is just as much about the process as it is about the practice. Knowing why things are done will help you to understand the business and how it works.
• Have realistic expectations. Chances are no matter what type of position you take you are going to have to do some less desirable task such as heavy production. The sad truth is that you are inexperienced and not all tasks a firm participates in will fall within your skill level.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for more responsibility. Being a creative is a busy and time consuming practice which means you supervisor may not be able to devote as much time to you as they would like. If you feel underutilized then ask for more responsibility, chances are they would love to give it to you.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for a reference. When you graduate and begin looking for a job you will need these references. Just keeping in contact can go a long way as well, the firm may be looking to hire a full time employee when you graduate or may even know another firm looking to hire.
• If you are unsure what type of position you would like, then test the waters. Part of being a student is experiencing new things and finding out what you would like to accomplish with your career. If you are unsure which area of design you would go into then why not try out multiple ones and see firsthand which may be the best fit for you.
• Ask your peers for help. When trying to find out if a position may be the right fit for you asking your peers can be a great way to find out chances are if the position is being offered to your school that a peer may have filled the position in the past. This is also a great way to find a firm that has hired a fellow student that they would recommend you to.

These tips may not be applicable in all situations, however using them as a guide should bring you a long way to providing a positive internship experience or obtaining one. If you have any others that you would like to add, please share them in the comments below. Also, thank you to all those who have helped make this list possible.

And if you are looking for a place to list your internship position, why not try my new site CreativeInternships.com its free so what do you have to lose?