Automate Training With a Wiki
“Use an internal wiki program such as confluence to put all of your training in one easily accessible place online. Our training is a mix of step-by-step documents and videos so that new interns can go through the materials and train themselves. The live training time is devoted to Q&A instead of walking through the same tasks over and over again. ”
Know Their Previous Experience
“Just like any other form of learning, training is most effective when you know your audience. Discussing an intern’s topical experience in advance will help allocate your training time and resources while avoiding redundancy and poor assumptions. ”
Sam Saxton
Salter Spiral Stair and Mylen Stairs
Throw Them Into Customer Service
“Everyone at Modify, from our CMO on down, started in customer service. While we share a lot of onboarding material, the quickest way to get someone to learn what we’re all about is to get them working directly with customers. They learn our systems, our product line and what it takes to turn customers into fans.”
Keep Them in the Loop
“Rather than just assigning tasks, make sure your team takes the time to explain the larger picture (even when they might not be there to see the full project through). By doing so, they will gain a better understanding of the business and will be better suited to contribute the the company in more substantial ways. ”
Have Them Shadow an Employee
“Have them shadow a person that does a job similar to what they will be doing. It will give the intern a chance to take notes and ask questions about what they are expected to do. It will also help them to establish a relationship with someone within the company that they can go to in the future with questions.”
Phil Laboon
Eyeflow Internet Marketing
Toss Them Right In
“The deep end is the best place to learn to swim, after all. Make sure they feel comfortable asking plenty of questions, then let them loose on a project. Communication is key, so be sure to give plenty of feedback and allow lots of space for their own ideas and comments — a fresh pair of eyes can be invaluable!”