Interns Rock!

1. Interns Rock! Designing an Intern Program for the Volunteer Services Office Kathryn Berry Carter, CAVS, CVA St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Director of Volunteer Services Kathryn.berry-carter@stjude.org – 901-595-2277

2. Who Has Interns? • Who currently engages interns? • Paid/ unpaid • Where do they come from? • In general, what motivates them to apply?

3. Why Invest in an Intern Program? • Provide students with real world experience • Recruitment source for future employees • Expansion of staff capacity • Frees staff for more complex management duties • Allows for increased quality of services • Program expansion and quality improvement

4. Before Implementation • Do you have space – computer, desk? • Who will manage and support them? • Do you have projects interns can “call their own?” • Have you considered the legal perspective?

5. Identify Your Intern Usage/ Needs • Brainstorm with your team a “dream list” • Ask volunteers: are VS services lacking in any area? • Ask internal staff: what more can VS do for them? • Benchmark with other internal departments • Benchmark with outside institutions

6. Intern Classifications • Volunteer; experiential learning • Paid versus unpaid position • Academic credit only • Paid by outside entity; work study, grant, scholarship, etc. • Some combination

7. Intern Position Description • Who will mentor? • Hours of position? • List paid/ unpaid • Learning opportunities • Education required; preferred degrees • Professional experience and work history • Special skills, knowledge, and abilities • Volunteer experience

8. Recruitment of Interns • Include posting on your volunteer web site • Check your posting via Google search • Seek out professors in preferred degree at local colleges • Student associations (PRSSA, Non Profit Certification, Fraternal organizations, student government, student activities) • College career centers • Word of mouth

9. Web Posting • Be transparent about what you’re looking for in a candidate: • List typical learning opportunities • Education Required • Characteristics and experience of the successful candidate • How to apply • Deadlines • Questions and contact information www.stjude.org/volintern

10. Application Content • Students declare the semester they are applying for • Indicate if they’ve previously applied • Declare previous patient connection • Confirm their academic status, major and GPA • Indicate if the internship is for academic credit • List work and volunteer experience • Upload resume and cover letter

11. Interviewing and Hiring • Review of cover letter and resume • Phone screen • Behavioral and situational interviewing • Format of face to face interviewing; who is included • Interview scoring • Reference checks • Extending the position

12. Interview Sample Questions • Tell me about a manager, mentor, supervisor, or team leader with whom you have had a productive relationship. Why was it productive? Have you ever had difficulty with such a person? How did you resolve the conflict? • Describe the characteristics of people with whom you enjoy working.  Those you dislike.  What do you do when required to work with someone you dislike.  How do you handle the situation/person?

13. Interview Sample Questions • Tell me the most difficult communication problem you have faced?  What made it difficult?  How did you overcome the barriers? • Tell me about a time when you planned an event from start to finish. Please give specific examples. • Describe a time when you found a problem and took action to correct it rather than wait for someone else.

14. Preparing for Interview

15. Effective On-boarding & Training • Institutional training check list dictates content • Creating structure to make on-boarding simple; ensure consistency between interns (manuals) • Treated as co-worker, part of team • Setting goals, evaluative meetings • Establish reporting structure, sick/ call-in, recording time, pay procedure • Determine flexible and ongoing communication systems between intern and supervisor

16. Standardized Orientation • Don’t “re-create the wheel” semester to semester: • Director orientation • Coordinator orientation • Administrative Assistant orientation • Previous interns leave manuals or notes behind • Attendance at volunteer orientation

17. Increasing Intern’s Productivity • Creating goals and expectations • Daily or weekly check-in meetings; open door policy • Giving assignments they can own • Clearly defining reporting structure • Frequent check-ins • Addressing issues immediately; directly • Determine intern’s pace and multi-tasking ability; adapt accordingly

18. Increasing Intern’s Productivity • Beginning, middle and end formal eval /review of goal progress • Require interns to contribute to manuals/ instructions for future interns • Encourage internal networking; professional development • Include interns on staff meetings and internal meetings where appropriate

19. Goals Template

20. Evaluation Template

21. Examples of Intern Contributions • Volunteen program • Newsletter articles & spotlights • Coordination of photography & videography • Supply procurement • Plan and implement appreciation events; video creation, photography, logistics, creativity • Daily program stat tracking • Quality improvement initiatives

22. Examples of Intern Contributions • Creation of Power Point presentations • Organizing work spaces and storage • Implementing conferences and meetings • Fill-in shift volunteers; Helping Hands • Reports, data tracking, entry, creating graphs • Technology gurus (Volgistics on-line scheduling & applications) • Hosting patient special events

23. ABCs of Volunteer Services

24. Supplies

25. Hospitality Carts

26. Data Tracking

27. Volunteer Spotlight

28. Volunteen Program

29. Volunteer Appreciation

30. DOVIA

31. Volgistics Self-Scheduling Feature

32. Intern File Maintenance • Attach photo to their file • Keep offer letter, cover letter/ resume, training documentation, goals and expectations, reviews, exit paperwork • Include summary of what they did • Notables, work performance, job success factors, short comings • Be prepared to give reference

33. Break-Out Session • Discuss your existing intern program: what might you do to improve it? • Outline ideas for implementing your own intern program. List three simple things you can do tomorrow! • Brainstorm 5 new projects you could ask an intern to implement.

34. Group Discussion: Ideas and Lessons Learned • How will you improve your existing programs? • What will you implement “tomorrow” • What intern project ideas did you come up with?

35. For a Closer Look . . . www.stjude.org/Volintern

36. Questions, Comments? Kathryn.Berry-Carter@stjude.org