Mentoring and skill development in e-Internships

Abstract

PurposeMany employers experiment with virtual working modes for project-based work. Virtual internships are one such mode that is gaining increasing popularity worldwide, particularly e-internships that require remote working with employers. However, little is known about the extent to which e-internships present learning opportunities to such e-interns.Design/methodology/approachThe current study examined mentoring experiences among a cross-sectional sample of 158 e-interns working for different companies. Data were collected using an online survey in two data collection rounds.FindingsThe length of the e-internships did not increase mentoring satisfaction, but the likelihood of e-interns having a mentor was higher the longer the e-internships. Mentoring was offered irrespective of working hours per week. Mentoring increased reported skill development, particularly in relation to their communication skills and their ability to think strategically about problems. In addition, mentored e-interns were more likely to have opportunities to cooperate with and help others. They likewise had opportunities to share information, knowledge and experiences.Research limitations/implicationsThe study recruited interns from various countries. Potentially relevant cultural differences were not explored as part of this study.Practical implicationsThe results demonstrate that the benefits of mentoring observed in relation to traditional internships can be fostered in e-internships. E-internships represent an opportunity for managers and employees, regardless of company size, to become mentors. E-internships thus represent another work-integrated as well as work-applied learning and skill development opportunity that creates additional options for many interns and organisations alike.Originality/valueThe evidence suggests that mentoring is becoming a regularly available feature for virtual and temporary workers such as e-interns, many of which are hired for short-term projects. As remote working has become a standard practice, e-internships are on the rise – and worthy of further study in order to promote best practices.

Internships before and during COVID-19: experiences and perceptions of undergraduate interns and supervisors

“…E-internships share similar challenges with distance learning (Ragusa, 2017) and telecommuting (Jeske and Axtell, 2014). According to Jeske and Linehan (2020), slightly more than half of e-interns reported having developed interpersonal and communication skills, and mentored e-interns reported developing these skills to a larger extent than those unmentored. There was a smaller proportion of e-interns who developed traditional soft skills in our study, suggesting the need for a more structured approach to supervision in e-internships.…”

Unveiling business school interns' satisfaction toward online summer internship program amid COVID-19

“…Mentors are admired by the mentees as role models and are relied upon as confidants (Haran and Jeyaraj, 2019;Mitchell et al, 2015;Parent and Oliver, 2015). Virtual internships require flexibility along with focused interaction that can be informal, and in this context, mentoring appears to be a beneficial option (Jeske and Linehan, 2020). Informal and flexible mentoring has been considered a requisite as substantiated in several studies related to the workplace (Singh et al, 2002).…”

“…Despite of the fact that internships are an integral part of our business management degree programs, the new age online internships are gaining popularity worldwide and complementing remote employment patterns (Jeske and Linehan, 2020). It is ubiquitous to mention that higher education institutions are aptly acknowledging the worth of e-internships as a mode of valid experiential learning opportunity to attain relevant skills and competencies (Franks and Oliver, 2012).…”

Ten simple rules for running and managing virtual internships

“…The research evidence also suggests that mentored interns increased their communication and strategic problem-solving skills. Mentored interns report more opportunity to share information and cooperate as well as receive help from others [ 16 ]. Specific guidance around setting up the appropriate documentation to guide the mentor–mentee relationship is already available [ 17 ].…”