The BrandForward Blog

Being a Creative Director is one of those jobs that drives everyone around you crazy. Let’s face it, you’re always on high receive, you’re addicted to TV, hypnotized by all forms of media, a gadget freak, have no attention span, constantly rushing to and from meetings, and permanently connected to your iPhone. You always have some weird indie band playing on your PowerBook, some trendy drink on your desk, and your clothes rarely match.

Oh. And you’re always always always busy. Damn busy.

Those who enter the office of a Creative Director never know what they’re in for. On a good day they could encounter the frothing mad scientist with the idea of the century. Or on a bad day have something thrown at them.

So you really have to hand it to someone who actually chooses to spend time with a Creative Director. Especially if that brave someone is a 20 year-old who’s intentionally choosing to intern for the Genghis Kahn of the ad world. That really takes some stones. (Typically to be thrown in self-defense.)

But despite the reputation of Creative Directors at large, I’ve had a handful of wide-eyed college students insist they wanted a place in that not-quite-so-comfy chair next to my desk.

We all end up having someone who wants to intern with us at some point. Whether we’re a crazy creative or a harried account person. Someone will be interested in learning from us, or someone managing the intern pool will decide it’s our turn.

So what do you do? With a hectic schedule and more responsibilities than you can count, do you embrace your intern or blow them off?

Me, I’m not of the ilk that prefers my interns fetching coffee, making copies, and playing Farmville. I want them learning and experiencing and walking away from the internship with time under their belts engaged in critical-thinking and creativity.

The very nature of an internship is temporary and doesn’t last very long so it’s important to instill everything you can in a short period of time. Every moment matters.

Sure, go ahead and blow off your interns if you feel like you’re too important or too busy. But all I can tell you is taking your interns for granted is a big mistake.

Don’t relegate them to the boring stuff or blow them off. Don’t shoo them away to surf the net or chit chat in the break room. Keep them right at your desk (or their own nearby) so they can listen, watch, and ask questions. Create projects that give them the opportunity to exercise new skills and aim for excellence.

Somehow it ended up that the times when I’ve had interns it was during extremely stressful, busy periods at the agency. Little did my interns know that the time I was spending with them meant extra hours spent at my desk long after everyone else had gone home for the day. But I wouldn’t trade a minute. I only wish I’d had more to give.

I do stand behind my philosophy of not handing interns the reigns to a brand or letting them run the client’s Twitter or Facebook account, my gripe being that social media for brands should be handled by someone with plenty of brand experience, and management should know better.

But do give interns the opportunity to share and engage in ways that will teach them how to research, analyze, and make judgement calls. If you don’t have projects that encourage them to think, learn, and create… come up with something.

And I’ll tell you why.

Because interns are valuable. They’re valuable because they’re people. People who have taken the initiative to spend their time with you, and who look to you as a mentor and someone they trust for information and guidance.

Be worth it.

And in case that’s not enough, do it because they grow up to be pretty great. You never know when someone who was looking over your shoulder for six months will be sitting across the boardroom from Donald Trump.

Yeah. This happened to me.

My former intern is on NBC’s The Apprentice this season. What are the odds?

Think back to all the “apprentices” you’ve had over the years. If they suddenly became famous or got a prestigious job at a company you want to work for, did you treat them well enough to deserve their gratitude and inclusion? Or will they be rolling their eyes and sharing with their new colleagues what a jerk you were?

Treat every intern like they’re somebody important. Not because of what they can “give you” someday, but because of what they need from you today. As I’m finding out, the time you spend investing in them can come back to you in ways you never imagined.

I got lucky. It’s years later and my former intern is giving me the unbelievable opportunity to personally manage her PR and social media… after the show (and her agreement with NBC) is over. I’ll have a “celebrity” personal branding client as I help her pursue her dream of being a global advocate of educational technology.

And there’s nothing quite as surreal as chit-chatting on the phone with someone you’re going to see on national television later that night.

Still want to blow off your intern?

What are some unique ways to include interns in challenging and interesting projects?

Do you think it’s okay to have interns doing errands and office work?

Do you have a former intern who’s a success story?