Template

Internship kickoff template

The first proper meeting with a new intern: what they will work on, what they will learn, who helps them, and what a great summer looks like — so they can contribute from week one.

60 minutesFor The intern, their manager and their buddy or mentorAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. Welcome and introductions5 min
    • What are you hoping to get out of this summer?
  2. The project15 min
    • What will you build or deliver, and why does it matter?
  3. What you will learn10 min
    • Which skills do you want to come away with?
  4. How we work10 min
    • Who do you ask, how do we communicate, and when do we meet?
  5. The first two weeks15 min
    • What will you do this week and next?
  6. Questions5 min
    • What do you want to ask?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Hoping for. Experience building something people use.

Project. Add a dark mode to the dashboard; used by 2,000 customers.

Learn. Writing and reviewing production code; presenting to the team.

First two weeks. Set up, fix two small bugs, write the plan for dark mode.

Running it well

Ways to change it

Group of internsStart together for the welcome, then split by team.
RemoteShip the laptop early and pair the intern with their buddy daily for the first week.

When to skip it. Never; an intern without a kickoff spends the first week guessing.

Questions

What should an internship kickoff include?

Introductions, the intern's project and why it matters, learning goals, how the team works, who to ask for help, and a plan for the first weeks.

What makes a good internship project?

Real work with a real user, a clear goal, achievable in the time available, with room to learn.

Should interns have a mentor?

Yes — a buddy or mentor besides their manager helps them settle in and ask questions.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Internship wrap-upAt the end of an internship: the intern shows what they did, gets honest feedback, gives theirs, and hears clearly what happens next — a return offer, a reference, or both.Job interviewA structured hour: their story, the job's hardest problem, and their questions.New hire 30-day check-inA month in: what makes sense, what does not, and what they need to do the job properly.Exit interviewWith somebody who is leaving: why, what would have changed their mind, and what the company should fix.Interview debriefAfter the interviews: each interviewer's view, written before the meeting, and a clear yes or no at the end.New hire orientationA new starter's first morning: who we are, how work gets done here, the tools, the people to know, and what their first week looks like.Peer feedback sessionColleagues give each other specific, useful feedback face to face — what to keep doing and what to change — in a format that makes honesty feel safe.Performance review calibrationManagers compare the ratings they plan to give, person by person, so the same work gets the same rating across teams — and nobody's rating depends on who their manager is.

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