Internships have become a crucial pipeline for top-tier talent acquisition. According to NACE research, companies convert an average of 58% of their interns into full-time employees, with 72% of interns receiving offers and nearly 80% accepting them. This underscores the critical importance of creating exceptional internship experiences that not only attract but also retain high-potential talent.

Donut Journeys offers the tools to create memorable, impactful internship programs that can significantly boost these conversion rates. By leveraging automation and personalization, People Leaders can transform their internship programs from simple temporary positions into strategic talent development initiatives. Let’s explore how you can leverage Journeys to optimize your internship program.

Donut Journeys for Internships

Donut offers two prebuilt Journeys for internships:

1. Internship Full Lifecycle (14 weeks, 50 messages)
2. Intern Offboarding (2 weeks, 11 messages)

These Journeys involve multiple roles including the Intern, Manager, HRBP, Department Lead, Buddy, and IT, ensuring a comprehensive approach to program management.

Deep Dive: Internship Full Lifecycle Journey

This 14-week Journey covers the entire internship experience, from onboarding to offboarding. Here’s how you might structure it:

Weeks 1-2: Onboarding

• Send welcome messages and company overview.
• Automate reminders for IT setup and access permissions. 
• Schedule introductions with team members and mentors.

Weeks 3-11: Core Internship

• Deliver links to weekly learning modules or challenges.
• Prompt managers for regular check-ins and feedback.
• Facilitate remote or in-person networking events and skill-building workshops.

Weeks 12-14: Wrap-up and Transition to Offboarding

• Remind interns about final presentations.
• Collect program feedback.

Use Case: Tech Startup Summer Internship

Imagine you’re running a 12-week summer internship for a fast-growing tech startup. Here’s how you might use the Journey:

• Customize messages to reflect your startup culture and rapid pace.
• Use Donut to pair interns with different team members each week for “coffee chats.”
• Set up weekly challenges that align with company projects.
• Create a virtual “Demo Day” in the final week to showcase intern projects.

Tips & Tricks

1. Personalization is key. Use Donut’s customization features to tailor messages for different departments or roles.
2. Leverage the Buddy system to pair interns with experienced employees for ongoing support.
3. Use Donut’s polling feature to gather real-time feedback throughout the internship.

Deep Dive: Intern Offboarding Journey

This two-week Journey ensures a smooth conclusion to the internship. It’s particularly useful for remote or hybrid internships:

Week 1:

• Send reminders about final deliverables.
• Prompt managers to schedule performance reviews.
• Initiate equipment return process.

Week 2:

• Conduct exit interviews.
• Distribute alumni network information.
• Collect and synthesize program feedback.

Tips & Tricks

1. Create a digital “Exit Packet”: Use Donut to deliver links to a comprehensive digital package with alumni network information, reference letters, and certificates of completion.
2. Implement a “Knowledge Transfer Sprint”: Set up a structured process for interns to document their projects and learnings in their final week.
3. Organize a virtual “Intern Alumni Panel”: Invite former interns who are now full-time employees to share their experiences and career paths..
4. Set up a “Reverse Mentoring” session where interns share insights and fresh perspectives with senior leadership before they leave.

These tips and tricks can help transform your intern offboarding from a simple administrative process into a strategic tool for relationship building and program enhancement. By leveraging Donut Journeys, you can create a memorable and impactful conclusion to the internship experience, setting the stage for potential future engagement with your top intern talent.

With Donut Journeys, you’re not just running an internship program — you’re building a talent pipeline that can transform your organization. By automating the routine, you’ll free up time for what really matters: meaningful interactions and mentorship. Scale your program, keep it personal, and watch as today’s interns become tomorrow’s game-changers. Your future workforce is waiting — let’s make every internship count. ✨

If you have questions or need guidance as you kick off your next internship program, contact us by clicking the purple Donut icon in the lower right corner.