How JConnelly is approaching remote internships during COVID-19

How is your organization adapting internships and early career opportunities for young workers during the COVID-19 crisis?

As many offices remain closed, and some organizations look to cut costs, some work opportunities for new grads have been rescinded or postponed. However, some organizations have opted to move ahead with their programs in a virtual capacity.

We caught up with JConnelly’s president, Ray Hennessey, who shared how his firm is thinking about internships for the summer and beyond.

“Since we don’t know how accessible our offices around the country will be, we will bring them on virtually,” Hennessey explains when asked about how he is adapting his programs. “Like everyone else, we went from five offices to nearly 70, with everyone working from home. But we were quick to make sure that we meet as a company in a daily Zoom call, and the individual teams meet more frequently.”

The key for new employees is to make sure they feel a part of the organization, something that requires intention and energy when new workers can’t be brought into a central location.

“We are spending very little physical time together anyway, so in some ways we just have to be mindful of making sure that they are engaged, and we are checking in with them virtually a lot more than we otherwise would have,” says Hennessey.