Process Spotlight: Performance Reviews

Genesys Works exists to give disadvantaged young people the chance to experience an environment--the corporate world--that most never dreamed they'd set foot in. And part of experiencing the corporate world is learning what it means to develop professionally.

Performance reviews give interns a chance to evaluate their progress and ensure that they are developing as IT professionals.

That's why twice during their year-long internship, students engaged in Genesys Works schedule individual meetings with staff members to go over their performance in the workplace and find out how much they've earned as a raise for the next section of their internship. Program staff mix their own observations with feedback from the interns' direct supervisors in the workplace.

The performance review periods represent the pinnacle of Genesys Works' far-reaching mentorship model, where it becomes clear that students have found role-models and meaningful professional relationships not only in Genesys Works staff members but also in their workplace supervisors and colleagues. Supervisors become deeply invested in their interns' experiences, and speak with excitement when they see evidence of professional development. As one supervisor puts it:

[Our intern] is now an expert at completely disassembling laptops and desktops for repairs and was able to pick that up faster than some folks that I have seen work in this field. His skill set increases almost daily and he seems very eager to continue to learn and expand his knowledge. He has added a tremendous amount of value to our team as we can hand off technical tasks such as hardware repair to him knowing we can do so with minimal supervision, knowing it will be done correctly.

The Young Professionals also learn to see the process as one focused around their development rather than simple evaluation, despite some initial anxiety when they learn they will be receiving some constructive criticism. As one intern exclaimed as she left her review earlier this December, "That was way more fun than I thought it would be!"

Would you like to see more glimpses into the processes that make Genesys Works work as a program? Let us know in the comments!