EPISODE · May 21, 2026 · 21 MIN
Episode 95: How to Hire, Onboard and Actually Utilize a Summer Intern
from The DesignDash Podcast · host Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove
We hired two interns this summer. Here's what most firms get completely wrong. There's a version of the summer intern that costs you time, energy, and patience. And there's a version that quietly transforms your studio, generates revenue, and hands you back your bandwidth. The difference isn't the intern. It's the structure. In this episode, we're getting into everything, how we source, how we screen, how we onboard, and how we've built a system where interns aren't just helpful, they're billable. We talk about the industry knowledge gap that's widening every year and why the designers who actually last in this field all have something in common that no university program is teaching anymore. There's a reason the best hires we've ever made started as interns. And there's a reason most internships feel like a waste of everyone's time. We know the difference. And this week, we're talking about it. Check out our website too: https://designdash.com/ Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/designdasher/ https://www.tiktok.com/@designdasher https://www.facebook.com/DesignDasher
What this episode covers
We hired two interns this summer. Here's what most firms get completely wrong. There's a version of the summer intern that costs you time, energy, and patience. And there's a version that quietly transforms your studio, generates revenue, and hands you back your bandwidth. The difference isn't the intern. It's the structure. In this episode, we're getting into everything, how we source, how we screen, how we onboard, and how we've built a system where interns aren't just helpful, they're billable. We talk about the industry knowledge gap that's widening every year and why the designers who actually last in this field all have something in common that no university program is teaching anymore. There's a reason the best hires we've ever made started as interns. And there's a reason most internships feel like a waste of everyone's time. We know the difference. And this week, we're talking about it. Check out our website too: https://designdash.com/ Follow us on socials: https://www.instagram.com/designdasher/ https://www.tiktok.com/@designdasher https://www.facebook.com/DesignDasher
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Episode 95: How to Hire, Onboard and Actually Utilize a Summer Intern
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