Summer Internships Are Winding Down. Here's What Interns And Employers Should Do Next.

Forbes

13-08-2025

As fall approaches and college students plan to return to campus or resume their post-graduation job search, another season of summer internships is winding down. But for interns and employers, the end of an internship can represent the beginning of a long-term relationship that benefits both.
According to Handshake's latest Internships Index, 79% of interns said their experience had a moderate or significant effect on their interest in landing a full-time role with their internship employer—and more than half (56%) said they would 'definitely' or 'probably' accept a full-time job offer. Meanwhile, a new report from Strada reveals that nearly two-thirds of college students (65%) choose internships and other work-based learning experiences primarily to gain specific skills for a chosen career, while nearly 1 in 10 say their main goal of this temporary opportunity is securing a permanent full-time job with the organization where they worked their internship.
That's why internships are such powerful tools for building talent pipelines: Interns are often interested in turning this experience into a permanent position. But this conversion doesn't simply happen. To turn a fun and interesting summer experience into a lasting professional relationship, interns and employers need to take a moment and take stock. As summer internships come to a close, here are three ways that both interns and employers can capitalize on the moment to build connections and retain talent.
Let's start with interns.
Interns should use this pivotal period to reflect on their experience thus far. They should think about what they learned, what projects or tasks may have challenged them, what aspects of their work interested them and areas where they might want to develop their skills. The end goal is for interns to determine whether this is a career worth pursuing and if the employer is a good fit.
In lock-step with reflection is communication—a key component for interns. Before an internship ends, interns should have a conversation with their hiring manager about their performance and post-graduation career goals. If an intern is interested in returning to the organization, now's the time to have that discussion.
Here's one more task for interns before they depart: Build their network and secure mentors. Mentorship is an internship's hidden benefit. Though students initially start an internship thinking about the skills they'll gain, the networks they'll build and the line they can include on their resume, what they often find to be just as valuable is the opportunity to receive support and guidance from more senior employees. Handshake's latest internship survey found that the vast majority of interns connected with someone they could go to for support and career advice, while 59% said the mentorship they did (or didn't) receive played a major role in their interest in seeking a full-time role with their internship employer.
For L'Oréal, the cosmetics company, mentorship is a cornerstone of its immersive summer internship program. The company pairs each intern with a dedicated mentor, then offers virtual 'Mentoring Moments' to help interns gain broader insights and build relationships with senior executives outside their immediate team. United Airlines' award-winning internship program pairs interns with mentors outside their department to give interns a broader range of summer experiences and learning opportunities that help them better understand the company and the industry.
Now let's turn to employers, for whom the end of an internship is a pivotal moment for retention, branding and long-term talent cultivation.
Employers should start by conducting an end-of-internship performance review—ideally, interns have received feedback throughout. Structured feedback helps interns learn from their experiences and grow as students, employees and people. Employers should also use this time to discuss an intern's potential return to the organization. This conversation should clearly cover the decision-making process and the timeline for a return offer.
Employers should build structures to ensure that there's a process for reaching out to and retaining top intern talent. Organizations should consider creating early return offers and return pathways and making sure that interns know they can avail themselves of these programs. Building a returnee community—by using Slack or another messaging app—can help keep former interns in the loop on company developments and potential full-time opportunities.
Finally, employers should strive to stay connected with their interns. Facilitating thoughtful send-offs, providing ongoing mentorship and networking opportunities and creating informal 'intern alumni' associations can keep the relationship warm.
A well-designed internship can provide college students a pathway to their new careers and employers a vital pipeline of early talent. But for interns and organizations to realize their mutual professional goals, they should remember that, as with a college commencement, the end of an internship is really just the beginning.