As Head of Global Talent Acquisition at CEB, Teresa Green knows something about successful summer internship programs. She shared with College Recruiter about how they pull it off every year, and what she recommends as best practices.

What does CEB’s summer internship program look like?

CEB’s internship program provides students with hands-on work experience, allowing them to gain business acumen while supporting CEB’s mission to address senior leaders’ most pressing challenges. CEB hosts a ten-week summer internship program for rising college seniors in several of our U.S. office locations.  Interns are placed in one of two business communities; research or business development. Research interns examine common challenges faced by business leaders and produce solutions that help those business leaders to take action.  Business development interns assist with engaging senior-level executives in our services, prospecting and scheduling sales meetings. Each internship gives students a glimpse into the entry level roles within these communities and a chance to receive a full-time position at the end of the summer.

Our interns make an impact, not coffee.

We’re proud to say that interns make an impact – not coffee. Their work is tied to business objectives so we are able to measure the positive impact interns have on the organization.  At the same time, CEB makes an impact on the students’ development, ensuring they are starting their career on the right track. Guaranteeing interns gain valuable work experience, allowing them to establish business relationships and helping them identify possible long-term career opportunities are important objectives of CEB’s program.

Every year we ask for feedback from our interns and, unanimously, they say that CEB hosts a well-rounded intern program.  Throughout the summer students participate in learning and development workshops, a speaker series with our executive leadership, community service projects and various networking activities. Our diversity employee groups also host external speakers, social events and training activities that interns partake in across the summer. And there is always time for a little fun.  In past years we’ve planned ice cream socials, bowling nights, baseball games and boat cruises for interns to hangout outside of the office.

An example of an intern who went on to succeed at CEB

Cody Green, once a rising senior at Western Kentucky University, started as a business development intern working with midsized businesses during the summer of 2011.  At the end of the summer internship, Cody received an offer to join CEB full-time after graduation.  He accepted the offer and joined our sales and service professional development program in our Washington, D.C. office. Cody graduated from the training program and was promoted to Business Development Manager.  He’s now a Senior Business Development Manager and is still an exceptional team member today.

Best practices for developing a successful internship program

Over the years we’ve learned there are three key aspects for running a successful intern program:

1. Selecting the right intern managers is crucial for interns’ success. Identifying strong performing managers who are willing to take the time to coach and develop interns makes a great impression and helps to create high-performing interns.  Our research shows that internship programs should be a preview of development opportunities that university hires receive at your organization.
2. It is important to create a sense of community. Don’t treat interns like temporary employees. Ensure they are welcomed to the team and included in most employee activities and meetings.  This will provide the interns with a well-rounded experience and a friendly work environment.
3. Finally, develop an intern review process. Interns should have objectives and be provided with regular feedback throughout the summer. It’s important for them to understand manager expectations, their goals and how they are performing to improve their skills and quality of work.

Want more tips for intern and entry-level recruitment? Connect with College Recruiter on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

About Teresa Green: Teresa is responsible for leading a best in class, global talent acquisition function for CEB, a global best practice insight and technology company.  She leads a team of 40 talent acquisition experts. She’s responsible for setting the strategic direction and development of the function while managing the expectations of and relationships with CEB’s global client community. Teresa develops the strategies which deliver a continuous pipeline of talent. Connect with Teresa on LinkedIn.