Mentoring Interns Mentoring Interns
What research and employer data say about mentoring interns well.
What this presentation covers
What this presentation covers
What this presentation covers
Why internships pay
Your own interns stay the longest
Over three in four hires who interned with the employer were still there a year later.
- No internship under half stay a year
- Interned elsewhere nearly two in three stay
- Interned with you over three in four stay
From intern to hire
Most interns now become hires
Conversion to full-time jobs was the highest in five years.
A two-way test
Treat the internship as a two-way test
Both sides try to impress, and mentoring did not change the minds of uninterested interns.
- Interns who want the job work to impress
- Employers who want to hire welcome intern ideas
- Interns not interested mentoring did not sway them
Learning and mentoring
Mentored interns commit to the company
More learning and mentoring went with satisfaction, commitment and interest in the industry.
Interns who open up
Interns who open up get more
Interns who shared feelings and joined social events received more mentoring.
- Sharing feelings more learning and mentoring
- Social events more mentoring
- Hiding feelings less learning
What satisfies interns
Meaningful work and feedback satisfy interns
Task significance, feedback, learning and supervisor support predicted satisfaction best.
- Work that matters
- Feedback
- Chances to learn
- Supervisor support
- A good organization
The project
Give interns a project that matters
Pick a task the team needs, so the work counts and feedback comes naturally.
- A real problem someone needs the answer
- One owner the manager or mentor
- Weekly feedback fifteen minutes is enough
- A final showing to the team that asked
Common ground
Help interns and mentors find common ground
In 76 intern and mentor pairs, felt similarity meant more liking and contact.
Before and after
Start early and stay in touch
NACE advises engaging interns from a year before to a year after.
- A year before recruiting and pre-internship
- The internship mentor, buddy, project
- Back at school news, events, contact
Training the people
Train everyone who works with interns
NACE advises planning each relationship and training the people in it.
- List who meets each intern
- Give each role one clear goal
- Train mentors and buddies
- Ask managers for regular feedback
Sources
The research behind this presentation
- NACE: National Association of Colleges and Employers (2026) Intern conversion rate hits highest mark in five years (2026 Internship & Co-op Report) NACE, Bethlehem, PA
- NACE: National Association of Colleges and Employers (2026) Internship program retention rates underscore long-term ROI (2026 Internship & Co-op Report) NACE, Bethlehem, PA
- Zhao, H. & Liden, R. C. (2011) Internship: A recruitment and selection perspective Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(1), 221-229
- Liu, Y., Xu, J. & Weitz, B. A. (2011) The role of emotional expression and mentoring in internship learning Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10(1), 94-110
- D’Abate, C. P., Youndt, M. A. & Wenzel, K. E. (2009) Making the most of an internship: An empirical study of internship satisfaction Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8(4), 527-539
- Ensher, E. A. & Murphy, S. E. (1997) Effects of race, gender, perceived similarity, and contact on mentor relationships Journal of Vocational Behavior, 50(3), 460-481
Plan the relationships
Give each intern a mentor, a real project and feedback every week.