Your organization spent the past academic year recruiting interns and then providing them with an outstanding experience on site throughout the summer. However, now that your interns have returned to campus for the fall semester, your work is not done. In fact, the effort you make to strengthen ties with your interns can go a long way toward keeping them in the fold for return internships and/or full-time positions.

“Having strong ties between employers and students benefits everyone,” says Maura Quinn, vice president, early careers and DEI talent acquisition programs at Liberty Mutual.

“From the student side, they can gain a deeper understanding of the company, its culture and priorities, helping them feel more comfortable and committed. From the employer end, you benefit from having more student loyalty to the organization, and it encourages the student to be an on-campus advocate for your organization.”

Employers can start preparing for their interns’ return to campus during the summer session by providing them with clarity and feedback about their performance and any potential next steps.

“Most internships are designed for conversion, and interns look for offers before the end of summer,” Quinn says.

When interns return to campus, they expect to be supported by their internship employer. Specifically, Quinn explains, interns want to:

• Keep in contact with their recruiter in case questions arise;
• Understand what future opportunities look like, especially if transitioning to full-time roles; and
• Stay up to date on the company.

“During the fall semester, it is crucial to keep lines of support open,” she says.

One way to maintain strong ties is to build on personal connections through individualized, regular outreach, especially from managers and mentors. 

“A simple email or text message, if they opt in, demonstrates a care for the person that extends beyond the care for them as an employee,” Quinn explains.

“It allows our team to stay connected and opens communication lines for students to express possible changes or concerns that they have and leads to stronger ties to our company while building a sense of belonging.”

Erin Jouliot, Liberty Mutual’s internship program manager, cites research showing that 90% of students feel that hearing from employers two to three times per month is the optimal cadence.

Liberty Mutual has found that one of the most effective ways to maintain or strengthen connections with prior interns when they are on campus is to meet them where they are. Through its “keep-in-touch initiatives,” the company has made an intentional focus to host meetups, dinners, or coffee chats with prior interns during the school year on their campuses.

“The goals are to build community and connect with new, incoming interns,” Jouliot says.

“We invite former interns to join us when we are back on campus at career fairs and networking events. Providing students with some company swag to wear and a free meal at a real restaurant goes a long way for a college student!”

A few other key ideas that employers can do to keep the momentum going during the academic year include:

• Using social media— LinkedIn, Instagram, and other posts can keep your company top of mind as a way of passive engagement. For a more active approach, interact with prior intern posts, encourage managers to connect or comment on posts, and create new posts highlighting the impact interns at your company are making!
• Ask for their help—Whether getting their feedback on a quick survey or asking for support at a career fair, engaging with prior interns shows that you value their time and perspective, and it will keep them engaged. This can also include asking for their support in referring their peers to apply to open roles. Word-of-mouth marketing can be a strong recruiting tool.

Quinn says the biggest misstep an employer can make when interns head back to campus is to disengage completely.

“That can give off the impression that their work as an intern was only transactional, and that your company may not truly care about them as a person or their development,” she explains.

Quinn and Jouliot offer several other recommendations for building a strong program designed to prioritize keeping interns connected, informed, and involved throughout the academic year:

• Have a role on the team dedicated to managing the overall internship program design and execution—At Liberty Mutual, Jouliot manages the enterprise-wide program and provides a consistent and equitable experience for all interns, regardless of location, function, or education. This includes Liberty Mutual’s keep-in touch-campaign, orientation, summer programming, communications, and surveys.
• Make data-informed decisions when maintaining ties with interns who return to campus—By understanding current trends in everything from gifting preferences to renege rates to top reasons to accept a job offer, these data points can help you tailor and prioritize your efforts. 
• Don’t forget about the importance of supporting your intern managers while your interns are back on campus—Intern managers play a crucial role in the day-to-day experiences of interns, and as a team, you can create resources, tools, and reminders for them to reach out on LinkedIn or be continued points of connection for your interns. It truly takes a village!

“Our internship program was designed to ‘recruit once, hire twice,’ and in a typical year, about 90% of eligible interns are given full-time offers,” Quinn says.

“We know based on years and years of data that our intern population stays longer, promotes faster, and performs better than all other sources of hires. This is why it’s critical that we provide a great experience, even when they have returned to campus.”