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PLSO Issue 2, 2016 March/April

EXCEEDING YOUR EXPECTATIONS 15 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org 15 BEST PRACTICES FOR INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS For you, having your executives speak to interns is another way to “sell” your organization to the interns, and get your executives invested in (and supporting) your program. Best Practice #12 Oer training/encourage outside classes. Providing students with access to in-house training—both in work-skills-related areas, such as a computer language, and in general skills areas, such as time management—is a tangible way to show students you are interested in their development. You may also want to consider providing interns with information about nearby community colleges: Many students will be interested in attending during their work term to take care of some electives and/or get a little ahead with the hours they need to graduate. If you have the budget, you may also want to consider paying the tuition for courses they take while working for you, but, as is the case with housing, any assistance you can provide—even if it’s just providing them with information about local schools—will earn you points with students. Best Practice #13 Conduct focus groups/surveys. Conducting focus groups and feedback surveys with these representatives of your target group is a great way to see your organization as the students see it. Focus groups in particular can yield information about what your competitors are doing that students nd appealing. Best Practice #14 Showcase intern work through presentations/expo. Students work very hard at completing their work and are generally proud of their accomplishments. Setting up a venue for them to do presentations (formal presentations or in a fair-type setting such as an expo) not only allows them to demonstrate their achievements, but also showcases the internship program to all employees. Best Practice #15 Conduct exit interviews. Whether face-to-face or over the telephone, a real-time exit interview done by a member of the college relations team is an excellent way to gather feedback on the student’s experience and to assess their interest in coming back. Having the students ll out an exit survey and bring it to the interview gives some structure to the conversation. Answers to the PLSO Crossword From page 10 JBJoshua Boes REAL ESTATE Joshua Boes Licensed in Oregon & Washington 503.747.8515 www.joshboes.com AMONG THE TOP 5% OF AGENTS IN PORTLAND


PLSO Issue 2, 2016 March/April
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