A summer internship can be an exciting time for up-and-coming professionals to gain experience in their field, make connections and hone in on what they’re passionate about.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Many students can find themselves in internships where they exclusively perform menial tasks that don’t align with their expertise or skill set. There’s nothing wrong with learning a business from the ground up, but interns, often working in exchange for course credits or a modest wage, deserve to work on real-world challenges under the guidance of an experienced technologist.
Training and overseeing new talent isn’t easy, and it takes a lot of additional effort for companies to launch impactful internship programs. After all, tech teams need to devote time and resources to ensure interns understand what they’re working on and can execute new-to-them tasks successfully. At OJO Labs, that extra effort is worth it.
According to Sarah Worzala, the real estate tech company’s manager of learning and diversity, a robust internship program has allowed OJO Labs’ engineering team to tap into fresh perspectives as they build and launch products. By giving interns meaty projects to tackle, the company not only furthers their own roadmap, but develops a unique talent pool. It’s not uncommon, Worzala said, for former interns to return as full-time employees who already have a strong understanding of the mission, culture and impact of the company.
Building a smoother home buying journey
Tell us a little bit about the internship program/s at OJO Labs. What opportunities exist and what kind of experience can interns expect?
Our summer internship program at OJO is 10 weeks long, and there are opportunities in almost every department at the company. We start the program with a fun kick-off event and end the summer with an intern showcase, where every intern has the opportunity to share the projects they worked on with the company. We also mix fun activities and professional development workshops throughout the summer. We have some limited-edition swag coming out for our cohort this summer that we’re excited about!
Last summer, one of our engineering interns helped build a product feature that has now been seen by more than 100,000 customers.”
What are some of the coolest projects your interns have gotten to participate in?
There’s no getting coffee or making copies here. Our interns have worked on real projects that have had a direct impact on our company. Last summer, one of our engineering interns helped build a product feature that has now been seen by more than 100,000 customers. We are committed to ensuring that the projects and skills our interns work on are valuable to them and the company.
In an intern’s own words…
How have your internship programs helped your interns grow professionally and kickstart successful careers?
We love to hear our previous interns’ success stories! We are launching a new LinkedIn group for intern alumni so we can better stay connected to all of our interns, share in their future successes —and hopefully work with them again someday.
One of our favorite partnerships is with Code2College, where we host high school engineering interns each summer. Just this week, we heard from one of last summer’s interns, who shared the list of top-rated universities he’d been accepted to. We are eagerly awaiting to hear where he attends, and are honored to have been a part of his journey.
