A good co-op program is the single most effective recruiting device a manager has in the toolbox. It is also the biggest benefit for a prospective employee. Having operated a co-op program for several years now, I have developed an approach that I find quite effective.

First and foremost, I view a co-op as a test drive. I tell all of my co-ops that by the end of the summer they will know whether they will want to be a designer at my company, and I will know if they they are a good fit. I have a very high success rate of converting my co-ops to successful full time employees.

I achieve this by embedding co-ops onto real teams, giving them real assignments, and making certain that they are contributing to projects that have real outcomes. Some programs like to create special projects for co-ops to pursue, but I dislike this ivory tower approach myself.

Summertime Is Co-op Time

I like to run full time co-ops over the summer, usually from late May until mid August. Full time allows the co-ops to focus on the task at hand without the distraction of school. In addition, I prefer to have two to three co-ops at a time who are either seated near one another or, even better, assigned to the same project. This allows them to collaborate and feel more engaged. In the past, when I have had single co-ops they have felt lonely.

Real Projects and Real Mentors

Assigning a co-op to a real project gives them a true sense of the work that will be expected of them and allows a manager to see the quality and quantity of work the co-ops can produce. Obviously, having a solid mentor, ideally the team lead, guiding the co-ops work and helping them hone their skills is ideal. A key aspect I look for is whether having the co-op on the team has actually reduced the team lead’s workload or winds up increasing it. Obviously, there is always the initial “getting the new designer up to speed” hit, but by the end of the summer, I am looking for co-ops who can take direction and produce deliverables without constant monitoring.

Other Tips and Tricks

A few other things I have found helpful:

• Balance having the co-ops sitting near each other and having them near their mentors. It’s great if you can somehow arrange for them to be near both.
• Plug into your companies wider co-op programs. If engineering is bringing in co-ops, having the engineering and design co-ops working on the same project is usually beneficial.
• Make certain that the co-ops have the chance to dabble in different aspects of the design process. For example, have a visual design co-op attend, or even conduct, a usability test. Co-ops are very early in their career. Exposing them to the breadth of design not only gives them a sense of what the possibilities are, it rounds out their skills and makes them even more effective employees if you choose to bring them on.
• Prior to bringing them in, arrange for monthly touch point calls between the manager, the co-ops, and mentors. Everyone gets to know one another and makes it easier to answer questions and coordinate, for example, around housing. It is not unusual for my co-ops to wind up sharing housing as a result of these early calls.