TALENT AND HR NEWS UPDATE: INTERN ENGAGEMENT AND GEN Z

Summer is here and internship programs are in full swing. Understanding how interns benefit your business and how to engage Generation Z is key to recruiting and retaining talent for the future. In this month’s round-up, we’ve curated five articles with insights into interns and the newest generation in the workplace.

1) How to make the most of an internship for the intern and your business from Lexington Herald Leader

Does your department host interns over the summer? Summer is the most popular term for college students to intern as many are not taking classes.

Joia Patterson, Career Advisor and Internship Coordinator in the Gatton College of Business & Economics at the University of Kentucky, says that interning in the summer gives students the chance to take what they have been learning in the fall/spring semesters and apply it in a real-world setting.

In the summer, students are able to staff more hours without the conflict of a full-time academic schedule. Patterson shares advice for community members who are hosting collegiate-level interns.

2) How to make sure your internship is worth your time from Marketplace

Earlier this month, we asked listeners for questions for Ask a Manager's Alison Green on navigating an internship. Now, as internship season approaches rapidly, she gives her best advice for how to get the most out of an internship. Read a summary of her answers.

3) 4 tips for hiring (and holding on to) Generation Z workers from The Business Journals

Net Generation. Centennials. The iGeneration. Whatever label you choose, Generation Z is here, and its oldest members are beginning to enter the workforce.

Born after 1995, this generation has never known a world without the internet, and most can’t recall a time before smartphones. The oldest members of this new generation have been shaped by events like 9/11 and the Great Recession, and now they’re beginning to look for work.

With nearly 73 million members, Generation Z is expected to make up one-fifth of the workforce by 2021. Bringing with them a whole new set of experiences, these digital natives have different needs and expectations than their generational predecessors. Successfully welcoming them to the workforce requires a thoughtful approach.

4) Generation Z: What They Want in the Workplace from CMS Wire

For the last three years Phone2Action, a software maker for civic engagement campaigns, has run a fellowship program in the summer to give students the chance to work on tech projects throughout Phone2Action’s departments including engineering, marketing, customer success and operations. One program member eventually became a summer employee, according to CEO Jeb Ory. She is a student from Stanford who went on from the fellowship to spend some time overseas with NATO and then turned down an internship with the U.S. State Department to come back to Phone2Action. She is a member of Gen Z.

Now that the working world has finally figured out what inspires and draws Millennials, it waits anxiously for the next generation. That would be Generation Z, a cohort born in the mid-1990s to early 2010. They make up 25% of the population, a larger group than the Millennials or Baby Boomers. “We are still learning a lot about this new generation, but we do know that they will be a big part of shaping the future of work,” said Pushpa Gowda, the Global Technology Engagement Director for JLL.

5) Summer Intern Advice from the Boss: More Passion, Less Entitlement – According to Korn Ferry Survey from Yahoo! Finance

As the summer internship season kicks into high gear, a new survey by Korn Ferry (KFY) points to the reasons bosses would choose one intern candidate over another.

Nearly two-thirds of professionals surveyed (65 percent) said passion is the top attribute they look for when hiring an intern. Significantly trailing were an intern’s performance (21 percent), school they attended (7 percent), grades (4 percent) and pedigree (3 percent).

When asked what is the biggest intern performance dealbreaker, the largest percentage (37 percent) said entitlement. In addition, more than two-thirds (67 percent) said learning should be the most important area of focus for interns.

“Coming from a highly regarded school or having a strong pedigree will only get intern candidates so far,” said Ally Van Deuren, Korn Ferry University Relations Center of Excellence Lead for North America. “What really matters is attitude and their willingness to work, learn and grow.”

Do you have news or insight about employer branding, talent, or culture to share? Want us to include it in our monthly update? Contact us below.

The Talent and HR News Update is a #teamexaqueo collaboration. exaqueo is an employer brand experience firm building employer brands and the talent strategies that drive them through research, consulting, and creative and digital execution. Contact exaqueo to learn more about our employer brand innovation, workforce research, and recruiting strategy offerings.

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