Don’t Get Spooked By a Bad Intern Experience

Really, I get it. Not everyone has a stellar experience with an intern. My hope is that the majority of your experiences with interns will be positive. But for those times when it is not, there are some things you can do to help manage or avoid a bad experience again. 

The Bad Intern (well, not really that bad)

I’m pretty sure your worst experience with an intern isn’t to the level of a horror movie. No little “Jason’s” running around with masks on ready to chop people up into little pieces. If you’ve had that experience, let’s get together and write a book, which turns into a movie and we’ll make millions of dollars together.

The normal story I hear about interns starts with, “Our intern is just _____.” Problems arise when you’re dealing with a new person who may or may not have the type of professional skills you are used to interacting with. 

I’d like to share a story with you about a bad experience with an intern. 

“Jeff” (names have been changed to protect those involved) was a younger supervisor who was new to the organization but very eager to have an intern. He went through the interview process and hired what he believed would be a rock-star intern. At first, everything seemed to go well and the intern exceeded his expectations. Soon, however, problems began to arise. The student started showing up late, dress inappropriately and Jeff felt like she didn’t respect him. As Jeff and I sat and talked about the problems he was having, I realized that this was a familiar scenario that I had heard others speak about. I probed a little deeper to get to some of the reasons for the change in behavior and a few things started to make sense. 

It doesn’t have to be a blood bath

By no means is Jeff’s story the worst I’ve ever heard, but it’s a familiar one. Sometimes it’s that the student wasn’t ready for the internship or lacks the maturity to be in a professional environment. Sometimes the intern is not a good fit for the job or the organization. And sometimes, it isn’t really the intern that’s bad; they’ve simply picked up bad habits from other employees. I’d like to focus on this last one for a second. 

After talking to Jeff, I learned that he had initially created a very relaxed environment in the way he treated his intern. While attempting to be a good supervisor, he blurred the lines for the intern who thought they had become friends. It wasn’t that she disrespected him, but rather, she was mirroring his behavior. I don’t think anyone is at fault, but there were some opportunities for both to step back into a professional mode in the office environment and after a few conversations with them, that is exactly what happened. 

While employers may want an intern to act a certain way, ultimately they will become what is around them. That’s not to say that this will always be the case and certainly I know that there are times when interns show up with this relaxed attitude first, but there is an opportunity to provide teaching moments for your intern which can help them become a better intern. 

If you are having problems with an intern, start with a conversation with them that includes what your expectations are, what the issue is, how they can fix it and how you’ll monitor their progress. If a young person doesn’t ever receive feedback, they can’t improve. If you have the conversation a few times and it still doesn’t sink in, maybe it’s time to put on the hat of mentor and discuss with your intern if the job they are doing for you is really a good fit for them in the long run. Often young people go into a career with no understanding of what that career involves. It may take some experience for them to realize it’s not for them. Consider this an opportunity to save themselves (or their parents) a lot of money. Don’t be afraid to have that conversation with them. It may be a relief for you both. 

In the end, having a bad intern shouldn’t deter you from getting another one. Interns are like employees. You’ll have good ones and you’ll have not so good ones, but there will be some that will come along and knock your socks off. For those interns that don’t knock your socks off, train them to be good employees and you will still win in the end! 

Upcoming events

October 5 – Industry to Educator Career Resource Fair, 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Chamber

October 19 – Graduate Retention Re-Launch Breakfast, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Chamber

 TechFEST12 coming March 10, 2012. Get involved now. More details coming soon.

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Protecting Your Business

article by David Lefever, CEO of the Mako Group

One of your company’s laptops is stolen. What now? Protecting your business from a data breach can be somewhat simple to implement, yet many overlook the critical elements of an internal plan. Whether you’re dealing with private or proprietary information, the following steps will help you get on the right track to protect your business against the reputational and financial damage caused by a data breach.

• Train your employees. Security training for your employees helps
to cover your biggest vulnerability. Whether it’s through
accidental or intentional loss of data, properly trained employees
will reduce your risk more than any other piece of your
information security program.

• Lost or stolen laptops are the number one cause of a data breach
in the United States. Over 70 percent of employees don’t notify
their bosses when they lose a USB flash drive with corporate 

data on it. Encryption is key. Make sure you’re using encryption on 

laptops, and consider using a check-in, check-out process for
USB flash drives and other removable media.

• Conduct an annual review of your written and implemented
security policies and procedures. Make sure they’re up-to-
date, that your employees are following them and that new
technologies and risks have been identified.

• In the case of a data breach, have a formal, written plan in place
for how to react. None of us want to tell our customers we’ve lost
their data, but we should be prepared in such a case.

• Passwords are a good way to keep corporate thieves out of
your system, that is, if you’re using them correctly. Make sure you
implement policies to change default passwords on servers and
vendor supplied equipment. Also, make sure your users are
using complex passwords that are changed on a regular cycle.

• Apply software patches, available free from your vendors. These
patches help to cover exposed “holes” in your programs and
operating environments.

• Establish an Internet security plan. This encompasses wireless
Internet security, firewalls, intrusion detection and proper
network authorization documentation.

 Following these steps is a great first step in achieving a comprehensive and successful information security plan for your business. Keep in mind, most of the information you need, whether it’s checklists or sample policies, is available for free online. Take your information security risks seriously and begin your journey towards a more secure environment.

Questions or comments? Contact David Lefever, CEO at The Mako Group, LLC, david.lefever@makopro.com.