We all start somewhere and strive for people to receive the best experience possible, especially if they are new to the PR industry. Gabrielle Tutheridge of Articulate Productions shares her tips for managing interns based on her experience.
The best conversations happen over a hot cuppa
You just hired an intern who you are managing and therefore you are in charge of their well-being, workload, and experience within the industry - congratulations! That’s something to be proud of. The next step upon meeting your new intern is to take them outside of the office. It’s always nerve-racking walking into an office of busy bees and feeling like you are just a tiny piece of the puzzle (though that couldn’t be more false). Offer them coffee/tea, sit in a cafe, or go for a walk around a park - just you and your intern - as this is the best way to break the ice when meeting someone new and instilling confidence in them. It's also a good idea to ask them if they have any questions/worries about their new exciting role in your workplace.
The Little Black Book
On their first day, there will be so much information being thrown at them - just learning everyone's names alone is no small feat. It’s important you give them a physical or digital book of information about (insert your company's name), including the people within the company, clients, passwords to websites/useful apps, and - most importantly - the role they play. Interns are sometimes an afterthought, so it’s important to let them know what their role is, how they can best support your team, and how you can best support their career goals. Ask them what they are interested in and what they are not - try to cater to them as much as possible to give them the best experience.
The day-to-day experience
It’s super important to ensure your intern has a list of tasks as soon as they arrive in the morning. This way, if your day gets busy, they are not waiting around twiddling their thumbs. In PR, days very much ebb and flow, so the more tasks they can help you with to make your team’s workload easier, the better. Remember to treat them as equals, no matter their role. The typical (old and outdated) narrative is that interns are expected to make the coffee runs and be at the endless mercy of their leader’s tasks. This should not be the case, as internships are purely for the candidate to gain experience in a field of interest.
Breaks are SO important
This gets overlooked in not only our industry but the New York work culture. A recent survey conducted by Indeed showed that over half (52%) of survey respondents are experiencing burnout in 2021—up from the 43% who said the same in Indeed’s pre-pandemic survey. This is a reality among individuals who do not take a lunch break, get away from their laptops during the day or leave work at an appropriate time. Make sure you insist that your intern takes a 30-minute to 1-hour lunch break. Even better, be the leader and take lunch with them so that they can ask you questions about PR to get the most out of their internship.
Pick their brains
Usually, interns are fresh out of college or are still in college - therefore they are receiving and studying the most up-to-date information about the industry. Better yet, they are studying a new course and have insight into new technologies, systems, applications, and ways of working. Stay curious.
Make sure they are getting college credit, or pay them an honest wage
Gone are the days that interns are unpaid - if you would like them to work 3-5 days a week, make sure your intern is getting school credit, or is being compensated accordingly. Interns are just as much an integral part of the team as anyone else!
Mistakes are learning experiences
We are ever-changing humans who make mistakes, and it's important to remind interns that mistakes are simply great learning experiences.
