Onboarding checklist
The onboarding process is an important stage of a successful internship. You are potentially introducing them to their first professional experience which means that making this transition as easy for them as possible will reduce any stress and misunderstanding. The aim of the following checklist is to simplify this process and outline key steps.
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Arrange a meeting
Meet with your intern before they start to cover these key areas:
- Start date
- Time and location of arrival on first day
- What to bring with them on first day
- Dress code
- Usual hours
- Provide them with a contract prior to their start date.
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Prepare your team
Inform your team about the intern before they start. Cover these key areas:
- The intern’s role
- Their expected start date
- What the intern will be doing
- Info about the intern’s background
- Remind mentors and buddies of the new additions to their role requirements.
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Set up a workspace
Your intern will likely need some resources for the role, prepare these before the intern arrives:
- Arrange a workspace and other physical resources
- Make sure the intern has all the necessary resources, for example, do they require their own laptop?
- Set up all of their accounts, accesses and security passes
- What areas of the company and intranet will the intern have access to? Organise this information in a way which protects the company and makes information easily accessible for the intern.
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Put together an information pack
Create an information pack which provides interns with any details they need to remember. Include such information as:
- A schedule of their first day or week
- Their accounts and initial passwords
- Your company’s email policies and etiquette
- Information about the company, its customers, the project goals
- Tax information forms – it’s best to get this information on day one so request the intern has their tax information on hand on their first day
- Non-disclosure agreements.
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Induct your intern
Welcome your intern to your company while covering key information, such as:
- Explain the layout of the office, facilities and the health and safety procedures
- Offer to teach them about coffee machines and explain the local businesses
- Introduce the intern to their mentor (technical support) and buddy (social support)
- Remind them of available services they may find useful (for example, mental health services)
- Give them the information pack you created
- Give them a task early into the role
- Organise to meet with the intern after their first week
- Collect signed tax forms, confidentiality agreements, non-disclosure agreements, code of conduct and any other important documents.
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Week one
It may take your intern the duration of their first week to fully adjust to the role. Make sure to be particularly attentive and supportive at this stage:
- Check in with your intern daily to make sure they are happy and don’t need extra support
- If there are issues, address them immediately in a supportive manner
- Offer feedback. Try to keep it positive at these early stages
- Meet with the intern at the end of the first week to see how the overall experience has been.
You want them to feel valued. And then after that, they will begin their placements with their teams, and will be given a buddy. Their buddy is not the team leader or the manager, it's a person, probably with a couple of years' experience, who will mentor them and be their day-to-day person.
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This resource was designed and compiled by interns sourced through Summer of Tech 2017.