Mistakes Happen: how to address problem interns

I’m very lucky that at my place of employment we have a steady crop of students every summer.  It’s such a great help having two or three full time volunteers to take on some of the work.  Seriously, I get so much work done during the summer that I get to relax a little.  But to get that quality work product, I had to learn how to supervise closely and provide clear steps for them.  More importantly, I had to learn to address problem behavior as soon as it shows up.

When I first started supervising interns I had no idea how to really guide them.  Some things seemed very easy to me, and I didn’t take the time to fully explain the process to them.  I mean, some things my seem like common sense, but often even basic things have to be taught.  I didn’t know this when I first started “supervising” so it lead to a lot of miscommunication and frustration.  Other times, it was obvious the student didn’t care for the work and instead of confronting them, I would let it slide.  I don’t play that game anymore!  The more interns I’ve supervised the easier it’s become to face them when there’s issues and make appropriate corrections.

I know that many attorneys dislike the added duties of supervising interns, but if a student is providing (sometimes free) services, the least we can do is help them learn and improve.  Or, if they’re doing intentionally bad work because they don’t care, holding them accountable is a great lesson that shows them consequences to their behavior–you’d be surprised how many people this far in life haven’t learned this yet.

Some suggestions for addressing problems with interns:

1.  You must confront the problem early on! I’ve seen too many situations where a student is allowed to miss deadlines, turn in poor assignments, fail to follow procedure, and nothing is done.  Then at the end of the season when it’s time to provide an evaluation or feedback, they are shell-shocked when someone calls their school to complain about the bad work.  Now, yes, poor work is the student’s fault, but part of their participation is to learn and grow.  They can’t do that if no one tells them what they’re doing wrong.  It can be awkward and uncomfortable to confront someone, especially if you have a good rapport with them.  But the quicker you do it, the sooner they will learn that you’re committed to them producing good work.  Hopefully, they will then aim to meet your standard.

2.  When serious mistakes (or repeated mistakes) happen, you need to be as level-headed as possible when confronting them.  Sometimes, it’s our nature as litigators to scream obscenities and be altogether furious when bad things happen.  You can’t do that with students (and you really shouldn’t do that with any coworker).  You have to be respectful and professional even if you’re dealing with a blockhead.  Be the better example.  It’s so easy for people to dismiss criticism when someone is being emotional-oh she’s just crazy, oh she’s just a bitch, etc.  I try to not give anyone any extra fuel.  Plus, if you’re rational yet stern, it’s more likely the student won’t fear approaching you with problems in the future.  This means that sometimes you’ll have to discuss the problem after you’ve collected yourself or after you’ve fixed the emergency, but you’ll get better results if you handle it with a calm demeanor.

3. Plan ahead for next time.  When mistakes happen, it’s likely that this student may require thorough instructions, earlier than needed deadlines, and clearly spelled out expectations.  When a student of mine doesn’t seem to get it and/or fails to meet their expectations, I start handing out smaller, less meaningful tasks.  Not as punishment, but because these assignments won’t result in damaging consequences if they fail to get it done.  Usually, this means they’ll do a lot of smaller tasks with sometimes daily or weekly deadlines.  I still review and supervise their progress, and if they meet their expectations and show improvement I will assign meatier things to do.  If they continue to give me the bare minimum then at least I know not to depend on this student.  As much as this is a learning experience for them, we are actually working for clients that need good work done right, and we have to focus on the clients’ needs accordingly.

4. Finally, have consequences.  Only you or your supervisor can determine what those will be, but it’s an important discussion to have when you’re faced with someone who isn’t able or willing to put in the work.

At my work, there was one situation with a problem student that caused me so much anxiety.  I was on the fringes–not supervising this new worker, but completely aware of the mistakes (sometimes flagrant mistakes) being made.  All I could do was sit on my hands, as I desperately waited for the supervisor to call them out to fix these problems.  That time never came.  And when the person’s position with us finally ended, we were left to fix a lot of inconveniences created by the lack of accountability.  I don’t want students that I work with to create that kind of reputation for themselves.  And I definitely don’t want to have to fix any messes left behind!

And yeah, it can be super awkward to confront someone when there’s a problem (especially if it’s your first time supervising), but the quicker you get into this habit, the better your results when working with students.

What are some of your best supervision tips for students?