CAREER SPECIAL..FROM INTERN TO EMPLOYEE

 FROM INTERN TO EMPLOYEE 

How many manage to make the coveted jump and what makes them stand apart?

    Every year, organisations across the globe hire thousands of interns for periods ranging from a month to sometimes even six months. But merely a handful of these hopeful aspirants are offered a permanent position. So, what is it that these interns do better? And what do organisations look for in a prospective employee?
    The criteria for assessing the performance of an intern naturally differs from those used to evaluate a full-time employee, considering that interns are not likely to be entrusted with similar responsibilities. “Interns being fresh out of college come with some theoretical knowledge and a lot of interest and enthusiasm. We use this criterion to assess them initially. Later on, we assess them based on how quickly they grasp the working methods and the kind of interest and energy they bring into their work, and the final outcome as well,” says Ramesh Loganathan, vice president, products and center head, Progress Software. “Apart from technical or domainspecific competencies, the key focus today is on behavioural assessment. We believe that one’s attitude can take one places. The intern must possess the right attitude, potential, positive approach, high learning curve, etiquette and behaviour aligned to the values of the company. These parameters are assessed during the annual performance development review cycle,” adds Jennifer Fernandes, country HR director, Faurecia India. Thus, behavioural cues
seem to be the key to assessing the long-term suitability of an intern.
    Many organisations prefer to assign background duties to interns, thus reducing the visibility of a goof-up in case it happens. “Ideally, in our industry, the interns may not interact directly with guests. However, they may support the frontline staff in departments like front office, housekeeping and food and beverage services,” says Vikas Baijal, vice president - corporate human resources, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group. Detailing the process followed at Faurecia, Fernandes says, “We have five levels of capability matrix – an intern should be able to work on simple tasks alone (level two) and on complex tasks with some help (level three). The number of complex tasks he/she can do alone will determine his/her potential (level four). Level five is when he/she can guide others. Every intern/trainee is given a thorough six months’ classroom training before they are integrated into live projects; during this period, apart from software training, they are taught skills on design linked to a specific domain (interior, exterior, seating domain of a car design) based on which they are assigned non-live projects as exercises that have already been completed in the past. In such a manner, they are given the platform to bring out their potential with no risk conditions. These exercises are then reviewed and assessed.”
    So, what are the odds of landing your dream job once you’ve landed your dream internship? “At Progress, on an average, one out of every three is offered a permanent position,” says Loganathan. “At Faurecia, close to 95 per cent of interns/trainees are offered permanent positions. In fact, the first batch of interns that joined us in 2004 are still with us today as leaders/experts in specific domains,” claims Fernandes. “It truly depends on the evaluation and performance of the interns. Research shows that at least 20 per cent of interns manage to join the organisation they have been involved with for their internship programme. Having said that, there are many companies, which do absorb upto 100 per cent of the interns as that is their mode of hiring and growing talent,” says Rajita Singh, head - HR, Broadridge Financial Solutions.
    It seems that interns are in demand after all, and it is upto them to leverage this opportunity and use the internship as a stepping stone to a permanent position.
Rajita Singh, head - HR, Broadridge Financial Solutions lists a few traits an intern must possess:
Ability to gel in a team; Problem-solving skills; Demonstration of commitment,integrity and honesty; Attuned with the latest happenings; Ability to deal with abstraction; Confidence.

Ankita Shreeram TAS 130501