Finding new talent is crucial for any successful business, but in our current, increasingly uncertain, climate this has never been more fundamental. However, with remote working looking increasingly more permanent, the challenges of discovering and training new talent have also heightened. Latest data shows that the Covid-19 pandemic caused over 40 percent of interns to have their programs cancelled, with only 5 percent finding alternatives. We also note that only 14 percent of internships were transitioned to an online environment, with many employers facing unable to make the change. But, when grad schemes are one of the main ways of finding entry-level talent, it’s crucial that these continue to run.
Experts predict remote internships are here to stay. Caleb Kauffman, CEO & Co-founder of Remote Internships and CareerUp, says “Although many companies will return to in-office work, we expect a larger percentage of internships to stay remote. One of the biggest blockers for internships was the physical requirements of arranging desk space and key cards for someone who would only be with your team for a short time. Remote internships remove these logistical barriers and will likely stay the preferred model for many companies.”
With remote internships looking increasingly fundamental to the success of businesses globally, we’ve analysed the best ways of running these remotely to kick-start long and prosperous careers.
There are many challenges when taking Grad Schemes online.
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To unearth what new starters find essential in a grad scheme, I spoke exclusively with Emily Woitas, who’s been interning at one of Forbes’ Best Place To Work For New Grads, Liberty Mutual. Emily’s been at the insurance firm during both in-person working, and remote working so knows the struggles of transitioning to an online training environment.
“Whether it is being able to bounce ideas off your cubicle neighbours, shooting quick questions to your manager, or having the chance to work with peers in a focus room, there are so many opportunities in the office. Virtually, the most crucial yet challenging skills to develop are flexibility and having the courage to seek out help at any point.”
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Whilst on the Analyst Development Program, Emily found that “opportunities for interns to learn about each other and bond in interactive online games” were fundamental for her success on the program, and helped her overcome the challenges her confidence faced whilst working online.
“In the first few weeks of my internship, I spent a lot of time in one on one meetings with different people across my team to understand their roles, to learn the types of work my team deals with, and to make meaningful connections. Setting aside time to get to know my team as individuals before attempting to understand the dynamic of the team made it so much easier to establish my role.”
Here’s how to succeed when taking your grad schemes online.
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Using Emily’s insight, I’ve discerned the three most crucial steps leaders must to follow when running their grad schemes remotely.
Firstly, set your class of 2021 up properly. Ensure everyone has the technology that’s needed and knows how to use it. This will require online training sessions as part of your induction program. According to Emily, being able to rely on her work from home technology set up made it easier for her to connect with her fellow interns and reach out for help when needed.
Secondly, run frequent events and training for your graduates. After all, grad schemes should be a place for learning and development, so remote internships should not skimp on the experience, training, and networking that traditional internships offer. Employers should also remember how interns learn, say’s Kauffman. “Most candidates understand that the value of an internship comes both from the hard skills learned on the job as well as the soft skills that they developed by interacting with coworkers.” Emily mentioned some of her internship highlights included a Zoom event with Ibram X. Kendi, author of “How to be an Antiracist”, an “Ask me Anything” session with Liberty Mutual CEO David Long, and several Analyst Development Program “Mix & Mingles”.
Thirdly, connect your graduates with mentors. Under normal circumstances, graduates would be busy working alongside your colleagues, enabling the new-starters to both learn and network from their more experienced counterparts. Equipping each graduate with a mentor ensures that this opportunity doesn’t go missed. Surprisingly, Emily has said that working remotely allowed her “to network more with people from different offices” who she otherwise would likely not have connected with, giving her confidence to navigate this type of work setting in the future.
Ultimately, employers wishing to run internships remotely should treat the internship no differently than they would an in-office internship. The Remote Internship CEO says “If you would normally have an intern sit in on a meeting, don’t hesitate to add them to your Zoom call. If you would normally ask your intern to join you for lunch, go ahead and hop on a casual video call while you eat from home.”
There is a huge appetite for remote internships in the 2021 season, with Remote Internships seeing over 350k sign ups in just 90 days, but it’s down to the employers to make this transition to capitalise on, and succeed in, this hugely competitive market. Otherwise, says Caleb Kauffman, firms “will fall behind on recruiting the best young talent and also limit access for students to a critical building block for their careers.”
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