Microinternships are short-term placements with an employer, generally with a maximum duration of 30 days, that commonly focus on the completion of a short, clearly defined project created by the host organization. Because placements are generally shorter than a traditional internship, microinternships offer a level of convenience and accessibility to organizations that might not ordinarily be in a position to support a traditional internship.
If your organization is interested in hiring a student to complete a specific deliverable, we can help you customize that microinternship for your business and recruit the student to participate. Let our career professionals help you create a short-term work experience that will be benefit both the student and host.
Learning and Development Outcomes
The learning outcomes for this type of placement are typically determined based upon the length of the project, nature of the project, and the deliverables sought by the employer. Hosts are encouraged to foster connections and/or mentoring relationships with students. For example, scheduling regular check-in meetings with students and connecting students to relevant colleagues within the organization.
EMPLOYER ORIENTATION FOR MICROINTERNSHIP MODEL
STUDENT ORIENTATION FOR MICROINTERNSHIP MODEL
Format Options
The format of a microinternship varies greatly depending on the project and the employer. Microinternships typically range between 1-4 weeks and 10-35 hours per week; however, terms are flexible and predicated based on the nature of the highly specific, project-based work.
Specific Activities Covered
Activities involved with a microinternship can vary widely depending on the scope of the project. Here are some examples of potential projects appropriate for a student in a microinternship:
Book Editing
Have a student provide editorial support for a book. The student can gather relevant and current research related to the book’s topic and log and annotate notes.
Community Relations
Have a student establish a positive relationship with the communities in which you operate. Allow this student ambassador to help create and maintain a positive presence. This may include drafting content for local publications and social media, event planning, and/or strategic outreach.
Extracting Insights from Data
Provide the student with a set of data to review and manipulate. After reviewing the data set, the student can provide a summary of actionable insights.
Presentation Refresh
Have a student update a PowerPoint presentation into a new presentation template.
Social Media Engagement Feedback
Have the student review postings on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites that tag or reference the organization. The student then can prepare a report summarizing this information including key areas of positive and negative feedback.
Updating User Manual
Have a student update a product’s user manual to reflect recent changes made to product specifications and features. Organization will review the new product updates with the selected student and provide access to edit the user manual.
User Experience Testing
Have a student conduct comprehensive UX testing on the organization’s website and provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Vendor Research
Have a student research 5-10 products based on specific criteria. Once identified, the student can create a spreadsheet comparing the specific offerings of each vendor and make recommendations.
Website Updates
Have a student assist with making various changes to a website. Changes could include reformatting pages, revising text, changing images, and more.
The best microinternships are mutually beneficial, where organizations get work done that isn’t the best use of their time, while identifying and auditioning potential summer internship or job candidates.
Benefits to Employer
- Completed short-term project or “deliverable” for employer
- Spurring of interest in a particular industry among future generations of employees
- Development of a potential pipeline of candidates from qualified applicants
- Marketing and name recognition among the area community as well as local colleges and universities
- An opportunity to collect new perspectives and ideas from students regarding processes, organizational branding, and more
Benefits to Students
- Explore a particular industry, career, or employer site
- Gather information on an industry culture, lifestyle, norms, and expectations
- Industry-specific experience
- Resume development
- Professional development
- Networking and “face-time” with potential employers
- Expert insights regarding strengths, challenges, and potential career trajectories in a particular field
- A shorter-term, more flexible opportunity to gain experience than a traditional internship
Compensation
Microinternships should be equitably paid based on hours worked and typically do not qualify for academic credit. See additional Best Practices for Internship Programs.
Evaluation Process
- A Student Portfolio
- Presentation of Completed Deliverables
- Student Performance Evaluation
- Survey of the Student Experience
- Survey of the Employer Experience
HOST EVALUATION FOR MICROINTERNSHIP
STUDENT REFLECTION FORM FOR MICROINTERNSHIP
Additional Links
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