Employer SUMMER 2017

Toolkit

of supervisors

would hire their

intern if they had a

job opening

of supervisors said

STEP-UP Achieve was a

success at their workplace

of interns said their

internship helped

them decide what

career to pursue

73%

79%

96%

A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR AND OUR PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS Thank you for your interest in becoming a STEP-UP Achieve employer this summer!

As leaders in the public, private, and philanthropic sectors, we are focused on

developing a highly-skilled workforce to ensure the vibrancy of our city and region well

into the future.

You can play a pivotal role in this work by hiring STEP-UP Achieve interns. What makes

STEP-UP Achieve unique is its ability to benefit both you—the employer—and the

interns.

With an entire generation of workers getting ready to retire, build a pipeline of talent

by hiring from our pool of interns and mentor future members of your profession.

Bring fresh ideas and perspective to your organization through the youth and

diversity of our interns.

Get real work done with the help of STEP-UP Achieve interns who have successfully

completed a Work Readiness Training certified by the Minneapolis Regional

Chamber of Commerce.

Create professional development opportunities for your team by having emerging

leaders supervise interns giving them a first-time supervisory experience.

Every summer, each one of us hires STEP-UP Achieve interns in our own offices or

organizations because we believe so strongly in the program’s mission. Our interns

never fail to inspire us, and we are humbled by the opportunity to make a difference in

the life of a young person. We know you will be too.

We hope you will join us in this important work!

Betsy Hodges Mayor City of Minneapolis

Richard Davis Chairman and CEO U.S. Bank STEP-UP Co-Chair

R.T. Rybak President and CEO The Minneapolis Foundation STEP-UP Founder; Co-Chair

STEP-UP Achieve is directed by AchieveMpls and part of the City of Minneapolis STEP-UP program

A ROADMAP TO HIRING

Identify Departments and Supervisors to Host Interns

Use our supervisor recruitment video to build awareness and our Job Description Library to identify internship opportunities.

Host a brown bag lunch with STEP-UP Achieve staff for potential supervisors who are interested in the program.

Ask employees who have a talent for coaching or mentoring members of their teams.

Seek out employees who have a specific summer project they need help with.

Think about emerging leaders who would benefit from the opportunity to supervise someone for the first time.

Encourage veteran employees to build a legacy by sharing their hard-won knowledge and experience with a young person. Brainstorm with your team about “back-burner” projects that would be helpful to get done but never rise to the top of the priority list.

Identify employees who have fallen behind on their workflow and could use some temporary assistance.

Submit a Job Pledge

Form with the number of

interns your company

intends to hire in Summer

2017.

Tips for Developing High-Quality

Job Descriptions

Be specific—this ensures an

accurate placement and manages

expectations over the summer.

Pick one or two substantive

projects for the intern to work on

throughout the summer and

couple them with day-to-day

administrative work as it arises.

Create jobs that are challenging

and interesting by thinking about

skills critical to success in your

field and developing projects that

will help the intern explore and

develop those skills.

Choose projects that require little

supervision after initial training.

Talk to previous STEP-UP Achieve

supervisors to learn best practices.

POTENTIAL STEP-UP ACHIEVE INTERNSHIPS

Job Department # of

Interns

1. PLAN

2. JOB DESCRIPTION FORM

Now—Submit Pledge

OUTLINE OF A HIGH-QUALITY JOB DESCRIPTION

Specific Job Title: ___________________________________________________

Hours Per Week: ________

Primary Project 1: __________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Primary Project 2: __________________________________________________

Day-to-Day Tasks: ___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Skills Needed: ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Supervisor: ___________________________

Submit a Job Description Form for each unique position.

Review and sign the Worksite Agreement Form and

return via fax or email.

May—Intern Placement

When STEP-UP Achieve

makes a placement, you will

receive the resume(s) and

contact information of your

intern(s). We expect you

contact them within three

business days to schedule an

interview.

Contact Your Intern(s)

STEP-UP Achieve will review

the Job Description Forms

and make one-to-one

matches of interns to jobs

based on their skills, interests

and experience along with

your needs as an employer.

March 31—JDF and Worksite Agreement Deadline

3. PLACEMENT

Now—Submit Pledge

Interview the intern candidate placed in

each job to verify each candidate is a good

fit. If an intern match is unsuccessful, we

will send you the resume of another well-

suited candidate to contact.

Tips for Successfully Onboarding Interns

Centrally manage the process by having a single point

of contact within the organization and closely

communicate with STEP-UP Achieve about progress.

Develop a complete list of onboarding steps. Allow ample

time for interviews and all the steps on the checklist.

Try contacting the intern multiple times by phone

(during non-school hours) and email to schedule the

interview. Interns may share a phone and may not

have home internet access, which could delay their

response.

Interview Your Intern(s)

STEP-UP Achieve can assist you and your intern(s)

during onboarding and throughout the summer. If you

are unable to reach your candidate(s), please inform

your primary contact at STEP-UP Achieve, and we will

attempt to contact them on your behalf.

Intern Onboarding Process

Include all key steps like online applications, drug tests,

background checks, and health screenings.

Job title

Hourly wage

Name of employer and location

Department, supervisor’s name, phone, and

email

Job description

Date and time of first day of work

Official start date for

Summer 2017

internships.

June 19—Start Date

Send Hire Letter

4. ONBOARDING

After your intern(s) have completed

the onboarding process, please

send the student(s) an official letter

(including by email) acknowledging

employment. The letter should

include:

STEP-UP ACHIEVE INTERNS

MAKING STEP-UP ACHIEVE A SUCCESS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION We’ve found there are three distinct roles that are critical to making STEP-UP Achieve a success in your workplace. Depending on the size of your organization, one person may fill multiple roles.

EXECUTIVE CHAMPION

Endorses the program at the organization.

Influences, champions, and communicates the organization’s aggregate internship commitment.

Marshals resources and exercises influence to achieve the number of committed internships.

MAIN CONTACT

Serves as primary conduit for communication and coordination between the organization and STEP-UP Achieve staff.

Leads the initiative to determine opportunities and capacity for interns across the organization and identifies supervisors.

Monitors progress toward aggregate jobs commitment.

Manages internal processes from onboarding through internship completion including scheduling interviews, establishing the onboarding process, and coordinating special summer activities.

SUPERVISOR

Interviews intern and makes final hiring decision.

Develops intern job description, work plan, and work schedule and communicates these to intern.

Serves as primary liaison between the organization and the intern.

Identifies a mentor with whom the intern can discuss careers and professionalism (may be supervisor).

Reaches out to STEP-UP Achieve staff directly with any issues or questions (while also notifying Main Contact).

Completes intern evaluations and program surveys.

HOW STEP-UP ACHIEVE SUPPORTS YOU Before the Summer Our staff can help you identify supervisors by speaking at your office or sharing our Job Description Library. With over 8,000 internships created since our founding, we can identify internship opportunities in any business environment.

We also work with you to align your onboarding process with high-school-aged interns. Your primary contact at STEP-UP Achieve will collaborate closely to make sure all placed interns successfully make it through onboarding and are hired.

During the Summer The summer begins with Supervisor Orientation to prepare you to work effectively with your STEP-UP Achieve intern and share best practices and tools you can use throughout the summer. We also provide a handbook with helpful hints for managing youth in the workplace.

Each supervisor-intern pair has a Job Coach—a member of our staff who can be a resource for both of you during the internship. Expect your Job Coach to be in touch periodically with ongoing guidance. Don’t hesitate to contact your Job Coach at any time if you have any questions or concerns.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does STEP-UP Achieve place participants in

appropriate jobs?

We match participants in positions based on the alignment of their

interests, skills and experience with the position’s requirements. In May,

employers receive one resume for each position they submit. Employers

then contact the youth directly to set up an interview. If your

organization determines the candidate is ill-suited for the position, we

will quickly place another candidate for you to interview.

How do young people become involved in

STEP-UP Achieve?

STEP-UP Achieve recruits young people through schools and community partners in

Minneapolis. To qualify, applicants must be between the ages of 16-21, live in

Minneapolis and meet income eligibility guidelines. All participants must also

complete a competitive application and work readiness training.

What is the work readiness training program?

Our nine-hour training program is certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of

Commerce and customized with insights from local businesses. Interns learn critical

skills necessary for today’s workplace including interviewing skills, workplace

communication and etiquette, networking and resume building. At the end, they are

more confident and better prepared for their jobs and future careers. Many interns

received additional training through STEP-UP Discover internships for 14-15 year olds.

How much do the jobs pay and how long do they last?

STEP-UP Achieve employers pay at least $10 per hour and provide employment for

15-40 hours per week for 6-10 weeks. Our Summer 2017 internships officially run

June 19 to August 18, but the dates are flexible to meet your needs.

What if I have a problem with my intern?

Contact your STEP-UP Achieve Job Coach right away to work with you and the intern

to address any issues that arise. Your Job Coach can help resolve

many issues if they are able to intervene early. If a problem

should persist, you may terminate employment at any time.

What additional training and support is

available for interns?

Our Career Pipelines offer year-round, focused career

development opportunities in certain industries including

targeted trainings, career exposure events, and industry-

recognized certification programs, like Microsoft Excel training.

To get involved, contact James Olson, Career Pipelines

Coordinator, at jolson@achievempls.org or 612-455-1535.

STEP-UP is proud to be a

Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Program

CONTACT US Matt Norris

Manager of Employer Engagement

Email: mnorris@achievempls.org

Phone: 612.455.1565

Fax: 612.455.1531

www.achievempls.org/stepupachieve

Printing Courtesy of

Unisys Corporation