Provide encouraging feedback to interns

Summertime is prime internship season for college students seeking real-world experience. Following are some general tips on how to provide honest but encouraging feedback:

• Set expectations up front. Let them know they will be doing actual project work.

• Focus on the learning experience. Judge their work by professional standards but let them know it will be reviewed at multiple stages.

• Be pleasant. Encourage them to come to you with questions or concerns.

• Point out the good and the bad. Don’t just focus on the mistakes.

• Recount your past experiences. Tell them about your own successes, slipups and lessons learned.

– Glenn Gillen, APR, S&A Communications