Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals, February 1, 2012 

Three years ago, MAXIMUS began investigating ways to extend its summer internship program into the school year. The resulting “virtual internship” initiative has allowed interns in select departments to continue their projects in a telework capacity, creating longer-term value for both the interns and the company.  

“We looked at the positions that required minimal daily supervision and areas where we have ongoing business needs throughout the year,” says David Ong, director of corporate and college recruiting for MAXIMUS. “Approximately 15 to 20 percent of our summer internships extend into virtual internships during the school year.”   

These internships include positions in the company’s corporate contracts, marketing, business development and human resources departments.  

After completing their summer session on site, MAXIMUS interns return to school with a company-issued laptop. They continue to receive pay and typically work between 10 and 15 hours per week, with once-a-week check-ins with their supervisors. The virtual interns are also invited to help with the company’s on-campus career fairs and information sessions.  

“Summer internships run for such a limited duration that an extension into the school year really allows our interns to delve deeper and see projects that they worked on over the summer to completion. The virtual internship offers interns flexible work schedules and the opportunity to continue to build their resumes with relevant work experience,” Ong says.  

“Likewise, MAXIMUS benefits from virtual internships by alleviating the training and other costs associated with hiring new temporary workers. Our interns know our processes and expectations, so it’s a seamless transition into virtual work during the school year and, for many, into new hire positions following graduation.” 

The primary challenge with virtual internships during the academic year has to do with scheduling, Ong says.  

“It can be tricky to alter a work schedule depending on a student’s activities or during exams, especially when considering the requirements of the corporate deliverable they’re working on,” he says. “On the other hand, we have expanded hours for our virtual interns during holidays or other school breaks.” 

Ong adds that selecting the interns who can work virtually during the school year and placing them into the right department is the most critical step for ensuring success of these internships.  

“You need to handpick virtual interns and placements very carefully,” he points out. “You’re looking to place individuals in the departments where working virtually makes sense. We look for interns who work well on their own, are most committed to the organization, and will represent us well on campus. If you can find these individuals in your intern pool, virtual internships can be a mutually beneficial offering.”  

Note: Does your organization offer virtual internships? If so, we’d like to hear from you for a possible future Spotlight story. Please e-mail Kevin Gray at kgray@naceweb.org.