How can students and startups both benefit from the internship experience? We spoke with an expert life sciences entrepreneur with years of experience working with interns to find out what works.
Many of us have fond memories of internships that gave us valuable learning experiences – whether they helped us gain specific skillsets, navigate our careers, or maybe even land jobs. But many of us also have memories of internships that didn’t quite meet our expectations for what the experience should be. Our Innovate Carolina team explored how startups and students can make the most of internship opportunities by speaking with Joe Ruiz, PhD, entrepreneur and startup founder of Enzerna Biosciences. Ruiz also serves as a CareerWell executive-in-residence at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Graduate School, where he is active in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.
Why is it important for startups to provide internships for students? What value do student interns bring to startups?
Dr. Joe Ruiz: Students are very ambitious, highly motivated and bring a level of enthusiasm that is really valuable to a startup company. As a startup founder, I find that internships are a very important component of what I need to offer and what I want to offer to students as part of their educational experiences.
What can startups do to make sure internships are high-quality, productive learning experiences for students?
Dr. Joe Ruiz: Any startup company that wants to take on interns has to know why they’re doing it and have a plan for it. What specifically do you want the intern to do for those three or four months? Most startups have the general need to push their companies forward and may not think through how to provide an educational experience for the student. You want to push the student to learn but to also provide value for your company. The startup also has to be committed to making the internship a valuable experience for the intern. For my interns, I tell them exactly what they’ll be doing, what they’ll be learning and what I hope they will get out of the internship. I’m very clear with them up front with what’s going to happen.
Why is it valuable for both startups and students for ventures to hire interns with diverse personal backgrounds, perspectives and skillsets?
Dr. Ruiz: I’ve always been committed to diversity since I started working more than 30 years ago in my startup labs. If you look at my company, you’re going to see 50 percent of my staff are from an underrepresented group. I interview lots of people who are qualified, and I just make a conscious decision that I’m going to give someone an opportunity. When I conduct interviews, I look for someone who has passion, not necessarily if they have previous experience.
What types of mindsets do you think startup leaders and students need to bring to internships for them to be most productive?
Dr. Ruiz: From the startup perspective, it would be ‘what you can realistically get from the student intern.’ And so, if someone is well seasoned, you can ask more of them. If they’re brand new, they can still do something that pushes the company forward so you have to really understand your student intern. You’re there to train them, and you need to figure out what they need to be trained for… what’s their level, what kind of training can you give them. The mentor should think about the student, and how the internship will benefit the students.
From your experience, what are some benefits you have seen of students and startups working together?
Dr. Joe Ruiz: I actually ended up hiring my last undergrad intern as a full-time employee. Most of my interns stay for a very long time past their internships, and I’m completely fine with that. But I encourage my interns not to stay in my company because I feel it’s more valuable for a student to experience different types of settings. I encourage my interns to apply for internships outside the state of North Carolina to see what it’s like to live in other places and go to the next level.
Students, ready to find a summer internship? Startups, ready to hire interns?
Carolina Startup Connect funding is now available for UNC students to supplement underfunded or unpaid summer internships at startup companies or social enterprises that do not have revenue or venture capital funding in excess of $100,000. All details and the two-part application can be found here. The deadline is March 23. Need help finding a UNC intern? Post your opportunity to the 1789 Hub Internship Board by completing this form.
Additional questions? Contact Kimi Yingling at kimberly.yingling@unc.edu.
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