Internship Academy 2026 · Back Office track

Intern Rotation
in Talent Acquisition

Every great team starts with a great hire. Come see how we make them.

In your first week you learn the 12 steps behind every Gradion hire. From your second, you help make them better, with AI and a fresh pair of eyes. By your last day, you hand over a project the TA team keeps using.

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Interns
Duong Vu, Trang Pham, Thu Nguyen, Minh Duong
Period
2 Nov 2026 – 31 Mar 2027
Track Leader
Rich Pham
Supervisor
Gam, in the Intern Portal
Mentors
Ngoc (Rachel), Nhi
Updated
2 Nov 2026
You won't be thrown in. You'll be walked in.You see how the team works first. Then you do it yourself, one step at a time.
Real support. Real deadlines.Your Trello board always holds your next task, and someone is always there to help with it.
You'll never wait to know where you stand.Written feedback every Friday. Nothing is saved up for the end.
A note from the TA team

Welcome to Talent Acquisition. For the next few weeks you'll sit where every Gradion story begins: the moment someone decides to join us.

We'll show you how we find people, how we judge fairly, and how we treat every candidate with care. From your second week you'll work on how Gradion hires, and you'll leave behind something we keep using.

Ask anything, early and often. We're glad you're here.

Gam, Ngoc (Rachel) and Nhi

What you'll leave with
  • A finished projectDemoed, handed over and in use by the TA team.
  • Real recruiting skillsLever, sourcing with Boolean search, and screening with SPARC.
  • A portfolio of your workSix assignments, a project brief, a demo and a handover note.
  • An honest picture of yourselfWritten feedback every week and a Rotation Review backed by evidence.
What Gradion looks for

You were chosen from more than 750 applicants. Here is what turns that into a full‑time role.

The Internship Academy exists to offer full-time roles. Gradion looks for three things, and your TA rotation gives you room to show all three.

1AI literacy, and delivering above expectations

Use the TA AI tools every day and always check what they give you. Deliver a project the TA Lead actually uses, and go past the brief where you can.

2Proactiveness

Own your work. Raise risks before Friday, solve problems before you are asked, and act on feedback without needing a reminder.

3Teamwork

Gradion is a company of about 250 people. Work with colleagues so everyone wins: help your pair, keep stakeholders informed, and hand over so the next person succeeds.

How you show all three, every week

Every assignment you submit ends with three short lines. AI: which tool you used, what you asked, and what you checked or corrected. Beyond the brief: one thing you did that was not asked for. Team: who you worked with or helped, and what they said.

Every dayEvery weekIn your assignments
AI literacy and above expectationsUses a TA AI tool where it fits and writes on the Trello card what was checked or corrected.Boolean strings tested on the top 20 results. Hiring post drafted with AI and edited by the intern. Weekly LinkedIn report beats its own target.The AI line and the beyond-the-brief line in all six assignments (A1 to A6); your demo shows one AI error you caught.
ProactivenessBlockers raised at standup the same day. Picks the next card without being told.Weekly status names risks before Friday and one thing done without being asked. Development goal acted on without reminders.Your project brief (A3) names risks and the scope cut before anyone asks; your AI process review (A4) brings ideas nobody asked for, each with evidence.
TeamworkKeeps Trello current so others can see the work. Helps the pair or a recruiter when asked.Win of the week credits who helped. Pair feedback once per phase. Hiring post agreed with Marketing; stakeholders kept informed.Your process map (A1) checked with a recruiter; your project brief (A3) agreed with the person who will use it; your demo credits who helped.

Feeling stuck? Talk to your buddy, your mentors, your supervisor or the Track Leader. Asking early is part of being proactive.

01 Rotation planner

Your rotation, week by week

Pick your name and enter the password your mentor gave you. Then open any week to see what you learn, what you do, what the team does alongside you, and why it matters.

WhyEach rotation runs to the end of its calendar month, so the dates line up with the Academy and nobody leaves halfway through a project.
02 A typical week

Mornings for TA work, afternoons for the project

From week two, every week has the same rhythm: mornings on TA work, afternoons on your project. Anything urgent still comes first.

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Morning
StandupTA workCards from Trello. Standup runs right after the TA team's own weekly meeting.
TA workAI process work and recurring tasks.
StandupTA workAI process work and recurring tasks.
TA workAI process work and recurring tasks.
StandupTA workAI process work. Weekly status sent.
Afternoon
TA workAI process work and recurring tasks.
Side projectFocused time on the brief.
Side projectFocused time on the brief.
Side projectFocused time on the brief.
ReviewSide projectThen the 15-minute Friday review and your win of the week. Sprint 1-1 every other Friday.
TA work: learning, AI process work, recurring tasks, about 60%Side project, about 40%Standup: Mon, Wed, Fri, 10–15 min
WhyA fixed rhythm keeps the intern busy without idle time and keeps mentor time predictable. The 60 / 40 split is the Academy rule agreed on 7 Sep. Interns do not join the TA weekly meeting because it carries confidential updates; the standup gives them what they need instead.
03 Work

Make hiring better with AI. One project that outlives your rotation.

From week two, most of your TA time goes into improving how Gradion hires, with AI and a fresh pair of eyes. The rest goes into one of the six projects the TA team has set, and you choose which.

From week 2, three tracks run in parallel1Enhance the recruitment process with AI2Weekly tasks: hiring poster (started in week 1), LinkedIn & Social Scan, Boolean strings3Your side project, on Tuesday to Friday afternoons

Enhance the recruitment process with AI

From week 2, most of your TA time goes here. It is an open brief: you decide how to tackle it, agree the approach with your mentor and back every idea with evidence. The work carries on from one rotation to the next, so each intern starts from the previous intern's handover.

1Candidate and newcomer experience

Walk the hiring process and the onboarding process the way a candidate and a newcomer live them. Where does it feel slow, unclear or impersonal? Where could AI make it faster, clearer or more personal?

A journey map from first contact to Day 60, with pain points and evidence.
2A fresh pair of eyes

You are new to TA, and that is an advantage. If you were a recruiter, what would you do differently? Bring new ideas, each with the problem it solves and how you would test it.

An idea list, ranked by impact and effort.
3Connect the agents from A to Z

TA already has AI tools for many hiring steps. Find out which ones exist and what each does, map them onto the 12 hiring steps and onboarding, spot the gaps and hand-offs, and design how the agents could work together as one workflow, with the points where a person checks.

An AI tool inventory, a step-by-step map and a workflow design.

How the relay works. The first rotation maps and inventories. Each later rotation picks up from the handover and goes further, from a map to a workflow design to a tested connection. Every handover says what is done, what is next and what was learned.

Start with the TA Playbook (Recruitment Process, Newcomer Onboarding, AI Projects page), the TA team, recent hires and the previous intern's handover. Candidate data stays inside TA, and nothing changes in a live tool without TA's approval.

Every week, every rotation

Hiring poster and content

From week 1: one every 2 weeks, on a role TA is hiring for. TA approves the text and the design.

Daily LinkedIn & Social Scan

Every day from week 2: look for Open to Work and strong candidates for TA's open roles and log them in a simple sheet. Grow your LinkedIn network. Report findings and network growth every week.

Boolean strings

From week 2: research and test strings for the roles Gradion hires most often, and add them to a shared library.

WhyYou are new to TA, so you see what the team no longer notices. Gradion is AI-first, and improving the hiring process with AI is real work with real impact. A mentor approves every message before it reaches a candidate; offers, pay, hiring decisions and client contact stay with TA.

Your side project

  • Pick one large project with your mentor by Friday of week 1.
  • Scope it in your project brief (A3) in week 2: size it to the time you really have: about 10 afternoons in a 1-month rotation, about 25 in a 2-month rotation.
  • Finish it, demo it and hand it over before you leave. Cut scope, never quality.
  • The engineering projects (#1, #2) are for 2-month rotations, and only once engineer hours are confirmed before the rotation starts.
  • In a pair, each intern picks and leads one project, and you build both together.
  • Later interns start from the earlier intern's finished result and handover note.

[ The bar: would the TA Lead actually use it? ]

#1Engineering: TA Playbook in the TA DashboardHow do we bring the whole TA Playbook into the TA Dashboard, so TA has one place for its data and its rules?Priority: LowEffort: Heavy8 weeks onlyOpen the full brief
Why it matters to Gradion
Today the TA Dashboard lives in Dispact and the TA Playbook is a separate website. Two places means two things to maintain, links that drift and lookups that get skipped. One home makes the Playbook part of daily work and keeps TA information in one place for the future.
What you deliver
A content inventory of the Playbook, a target structure inside the Dashboard, and a working version with the most-used Playbook sections migrated by week 8. A simple routine for keeping the content current in one place.
Success looks like
The migrated sections are live in the Dashboard, TA members find answers there without opening the old website, and the Playbook owner agrees the structure and the migration plan for the remaining sections.
How to approach it
  1. Weeks 2–3 Map the current Playbook: every section, page and link, and which ones the team uses most. Learn with the engineer how the Dashboard is built in Dispact.
  2. Week 4 Mid-point: the target structure inside the Dashboard (navigation, sections, search), a migration order, and the build scope agreed with the engineer and the Playbook owner.
  3. Weeks 5–7 Migrate section by section with the engineer, most-used first, and check each migrated page against the source with its owner.
  4. Week 8 Test with TA members, write the content-update routine and the list of sections still to migrate, demo, hand over.
Ideas to make it great
  • One search box across the Playbook content and the Dashboard.
  • An owner and a 'last updated' date on every section, so the single source stays current.
  • Links from Dashboard metrics to the rule behind them, for example from an SLA chart to the SLA section.
Using AI well
Use AI to convert and restructure Playbook pages for the new format, then check every migrated page against the source with its owner.
If time runs short
Migrate the most-used sections completely and leave a clear plan for the rest. If engineer time runs out, deliver the content inventory, the target structure and a spec.
Start with
TA Playbook v4.1 (website). The TA Dashboard in Dispact and its engineer, once hours are confirmed before the rotation starts. The Playbook section owners.
Go further
Find one Playbook rule that is out of date and get its owner to fix it before it is migrated.
#2Engineering: CV Upload improvementsWhich manual CV steps still cost recruiters time, and which can we remove?Priority: LowEffort: Heavy8 weeks onlyOpen the full brief
Why it matters to Gradion
The Automatic CV Upload Tool already turns 20 to 40 minutes per batch of 20 CVs into about a minute. The steps around it are still manual, and every minute saved goes back to talking to candidates.
What you deliver
An issue list from real batches and the Upload Log, and an improved version of the Automatic CV Upload Tool or a spec.
Success looks like
Time per batch and the number of Failed or Skipped uploads measured before and after.
How to approach it
  1. Weeks 2–3 Time a real CV batch end to end with a recruiter, read the Upload Log for failure patterns, and review the earlier CV processing tool.
  2. Week 4 Mid-point: a ranked issue list. Agree the fix with the engineer.
  3. Weeks 5–7 Build and test the fix on the Lever test job.
  4. Week 8 Measure before and after on a real batch, demo, hand over the issue list and the spec.
Ideas to make it great
  • A plain-language summary of failed uploads, so a recruiter can fix them without opening the log.
  • A check of folder names before upload, since the [Job Title] - [Source] folder sets the posting and source.
Using AI well
Use AI to group Upload Log failures by cause, then confirm each cause on the real files.
If time runs short
Keep the issue list and one working fix. If engineer time runs out, deliver a spec the engineer can build from.
Start with
Playbook AI tool 08 and its Upload Log. The earlier CV processing tool, via Gam. An engineer, once hours are confirmed before the rotation starts.
Go further
Time a real CV batch first, so the before and after are real numbers.
#3Candidate-facing brand auditWhat does a candidate see about Gradion before applying, and does it make them want to apply?Priority: LowEffort: Light4 or 8 weeksOpen the full brief
Why it matters to Gradion
Candidates judge Gradion on the careers page, job posts and reviews long before they talk to TA. Old posts, missing benefits or unanswered reviews lose applicants quietly.
What you deliver
A score per channel (careers page, JDs, ITviec, TopDev, LinkedIn posts, candidate reviews) on a sheet agreed with TA, with screenshots, and a fix list ranked by impact and effort that can feed Marketing.
Success looks like
Every channel is scored with evidence, and the top fixes have an owner agreed with TA and Marketing.
How to approach it
  1. Week 2 Agree the channels and a scoring sheet with TA: role clarity, salary and benefits shown, match with the current JD, freshness, replies to reviews, mobile view.
  2. Week 3 Walk the candidate journey: search Gradion as a candidate would, read every channel, score it, capture screenshots.
  3. Week 4 Rank the fixes by impact and effort, agree owners with TA and Marketing, present. 2-month: this is the mid-point.
  4. Weeks 5–8 (2-month) Ship the quick wins with their owners, compare with two or three companies from the market research, re-score the channels you fixed.
Ideas to make it great
  • A before-and-after view of each fixed channel, so the improvement is visible.
  • Ready-to-use reply templates for candidate reviews, approved by TA.
  • A side-by-side with how two competitors present the same role.
Using AI well
Use AI to group review comments into themes, then read the reviews yourself to confirm each theme is real.
If time runs short
Score the three channels with the most candidate traffic first and deliver their fix list. Leave the remaining channels for a later intern, listed in the handover.
Start with
Channel list and scoring sheet agreed with TA. Active JDs. Drive 09: ITviec Review Campaign.
Go further
Ask two recent hires what they saw before they applied.
#4Team & Project Info (project repository)What does each team at Gradion work on, which roles does it hire, how does it hire, and what does it need from a candidate?Priority: HighEffort: Medium4 or 8 weeksOpen the full brief
Why it matters to Gradion
Recruiters who can explain the team and the project write better outreach, screen more sharply and need fewer rounds with hiring managers. Today the answers sit with different stakeholders and are not written down in one place.
What you deliver
A project repository: one page per team covering the project, roles hired, hiring process, technical requirements and special requirements, from a template agreed with TA and confirmed by the team. A gap log for anything still open.
Success looks like
Every team on TA's list has a page the team has checked, and recruiters use the repository in intakes and phone screens.
How to approach it
  1. Week 2 Agree the page template with TA and rank the teams: teams with open roles first. Book 20-minute talks.
  2. Weeks 3–4 Talk to each team, write the page the same day, send it back for confirmation. 1-month: the teams with open roles are done by week 4.
  3. Weeks 5–7 (2-month) Cover the remaining teams, add a 'what candidates ask' section to each page, and link pages to the live JDs.
  4. Final week Hand over the repository with an owner and a 'last confirmed' date on every page, and a simple routine to keep it current.
Ideas to make it great
  • A one-paragraph team pitch on every page that recruiters can use in a phone screen.
  • The questions candidates usually ask about the team, with agreed answers.
  • A 'last confirmed' date and owner on each page, so nobody trusts stale information.
Using AI well
Use AI to turn your interview notes into a first draft of the page, then have the team correct and confirm it.
If time runs short
Finish the teams with open roles completely before starting any others. A smaller repository that is confirmed beats a full one that is not.
Start with
Team and contact list, the template and the existing tracking file, from TA. Playbook: Recruitment Process.
Go further
Flag one requirement missing from a live JD.
#5Sourcing Guide for Hard-to-Fill RolesWhy do roles such as Principal Engineer and Integration Developer stay open longest, and what worked the times we did fill them?Priority: MediumEffort: Medium4 or 8 weeksOpen the full brief
Why it matters to Gradion
The longest-open roles cost the most in time and missed delivery. What worked sits in individual recruiters' past searches and notes, so it is lost when people change roles.
What you deliver
One short guide per role: where these candidates are, the keywords and Boolean strings that found them, and the outreach messages that got replies.
Success looks like
The recruiter who owns each role confirms the guide is usable, and it is used on the next search for that role.
How to approach it
  1. Week 2 Agree the roles with TA: two for a 1-month rotation, three or four for a 2-month rotation. Interview the recruiter who owns each one.
  2. Week 3 Read past pipelines in Lever: where interviewed and hired candidates came from, their titles and companies. Draft a candidate persona per role.
  3. Week 4 Write and test the Boolean strings, map the communities, collect outreach messages that got replies. 1-month: guides done.
  4. Weeks 5–8 (2-month) Run a one-week sourcing sprint with the guide on a live role, measure the reply rate, and improve the guide.
Ideas to make it great
  • A one-page persona per role: current titles, companies, skills, where they spend time online.
  • A three-touch outreach sequence per role, approved by TA.
  • Talking points on 'why Gradion' for these profiles, using the market research if it is done.
Using AI well
Use AI to generate variations of each Boolean string, then judge each one by how many of the top 20 results really fit.
If time runs short
Finish fewer roles completely. One guide that a recruiter has used beats three drafts.
Start with
The list of hard-to-fill roles, past searches and recruiters' notes, from TA. Playbook: Candidate Search Guidelines. Your own Boolean string work.
Go further
Talk to someone who holds one of these roles today and use what you learn.
#6Market research: companies in Gradion's segmentHow do companies in Gradion's segment compare with Gradion on everything a candidate weighs before saying yes?Priority: MediumEffort: Heavy4 or 8 weeksOpen the full brief
Why it matters to Gradion
Candidates compare offers on far more than salary. With a side-by-side view, TA and hiring managers can position Gradion, answer candidates' questions with facts and see where an offer needs to be stronger.
What you deliver
A research sheet on TA's template, one row per company: who they are, what they build, how they hire, what they pay and offer, and why people join or leave. Plus a one-page summary: where Gradion wins, where it loses, and what to do about it.
Success looks like
Every company on the agreed list is filled in, with a source per field or the field marked unknown. TA checks the pay data, and the TA Lead reviews the summary.
How to approach it
  1. Week 2 Agree the company list with TA (about 5 to 8 for a 1-month rotation, 10 to 15 for a 2-month rotation) and walk through the template field by field.
  2. Week 3 Desk research: career pages, ITviec, TopDev and Glassdoor reviews, LinkedIn for headcount and locations, the Market Intelligence Report Generator for salary ranges.
  3. Week 4 Fill 'what interviewees said' from interview notes TA shares, mark each field's source, and write the one-page summary. 1-month: done.
  4. Weeks 5–8 (2-month) Add the remaining companies, turn the findings into one-page battlecards, and propose how often to refresh the sheet.
Ideas to make it great
  • A one-page battlecard per competitor for recruiters: how to answer 'why Gradion and not them'.
  • A confidence mark on each field (confirmed, public estimate, unknown), so nobody over-trusts a number.
  • A simple heat map of where Gradion wins and loses across the template.
Using AI well
Use the Market Intelligence Report Generator for salary ranges and AI to summarise reviews, then check every number and quote against its source.
If time runs short
Fill every field for the most important companies first, rather than half of every field for all of them.
Start with
TA's research template and the list of companies. Gam's existing research to build on: Vietnam IT Market Research 2026 and Vietnam IT Salary Benchmark 2026, shared by Gam. Market Intelligence Report Generator. ITviec, TopDev and Glassdoor reviews. Interview notes shared by TA. No internal salary ranges.
Go further
Find one benefit or selling point Gradion could adopt, with a rough cost.
WhyOne finished project is worth more than several half-done ones. The next intern builds only on finished work, so nothing is left hanging when a rotation ends.
04 What good looks like

You'll always know what great looks like

Every phase has one clear goal. Every score is tied to behaviour you can see. You get the bar on day one, so nothing about scoring is ever a surprise.

One goal per phase

Week 1 · Learn

Explain how Gradion hires from request to Day 60, and work safely in Lever with candidate data.

Week 2 · Get started

Pass the Lever test and start looking at TA's process with fresh eyes.

Week 3 · Map and ideate

Map how candidates, newcomers and AI tools move through TA's process, and bring the first ideas.

Week 4 · Mid-point (2-month)

Show progress against the brief and reset the plan for the second half.

Weeks 5–8 · Own it (2-month)

Turn the maps and ideas into a workflow the agents can run, and lead the project to its milestones.

Final week · Deliver

Finish, prove the value with evidence, and hand everything over cleanly.

TA core competencies

The 40% block of every Sprint 1-1. Scores run from 1 to 5 in half steps; 2 and 4 sit between the anchors below.

1 Not yet2 Partly there3 Meets the bar4 Above the bar, needs a concrete example5 Role model, needs a concrete example
Competency1 · Not yet3 · Meets the bar5 · Role model
Process and SPARCSprint 1-1 · 40% blockCannot yet explain the steps or who owns them; levels are guesses.Explains the 12 steps and owners; places most CVs at the right level with a reason; maps where each step can improve.Spots where a step loses time or candidates and backs it with evidence.
Lever and data hygieneSprint 1-1 · 40% blockStages, tags or archive reasons missing; needs reminders.Stages updated the same day; one archive reason with an evidence note; tags in [Stack] [Level] format; no new tags.Clean record in every spot check; finds and fixes others' data issues once TA approves.
Sourcing and researchSprint 1-1 · 40% blockSearches return mostly unrelated profiles; claims have no source.Boolean strings where most of the top 20 results are relevant; leads added with the right source; every claim backed by data.Finds channels or candidates TA did not have; research changes a decision.
AI and process improvementSprint 1-1 · 40% blockIdeas without evidence; AI tools used without checking the output.Maps the journey and the AI tools accurately; each idea names the problem and how to test it.Designs a workflow TA adopts or tests; catches where AI or the process lets candidates down.
Work disciplineSprint 1-1 · 40% blockTrello out of date; blockers raised late.Trello current before standup; weekly status on time; blockers raised the same day.Plans the week ahead; flags risks before they become blockers.

SPARC for interns

The other 60% of every Sprint 1-1, 15% each.

Competency1 · Not yet3 · Meets the bar5 · Role model
Growth MindsetSprint 1-1 · 15%Repeats the same mistake after feedback.Applies feedback by the following week.Asks for feedback unprompted and improves week on week.
Critical ThinkingSprint 1-1 · 15%Makes calls without evidence.Ties every call to evidence from the CV, the JD or the data.Flags risks TA missed, with evidence.
Communication & CollaborationSprint 1-1 · 15%Messages unclear; people have to ask again.Clear and complete; people get what they need the first time.Adapts to the audience and updates people before they ask.
AI LiteracySprint 1-1 · 15%Copies AI output without checking it.Uses the right TA tool for the task and checks the output.Picks the right tool unprompted and catches AI errors.
WhyThe Academy decides on attitude at its gates, and an intern can only be judged fairly if the bar was stated out loud before any work was handed over. Behaviour anchors also keep three mentors scoring the same way.
05 Tracking and evaluation

Progress you can see, every day

Daily work lives on Trello. Assignments and scores live in the Intern Portal. Feedback is written down every week.

How a card moves

1 · Mentor addsA card in To Do with a due date and a "done when" line.
2 · Intern worksMoves it to Doing. No more than 3 at once.
3 · Intern hands inMoves it to Reviewing with a link to the output.
4 · Mentor closesReviews, writes feedback on the card, moves it to Done.

Your skill passport

A checklist card on your board lists the core TA skills. A mentor ticks each one as you move from seen (you watched it) to with help (you did it, every step checked) to alone (you did it to standard). It shows your progress every day and becomes evidence for your reviews.

Lever stages, tags, archive reasons (test job)Boolean searchHiring post with AILinkedIn sourcing scanCandidate journey mappingNewcomer journey mappingAI tool inventoryAgent workflow designTesting an idea with evidencePresenting to TA

The board

To Do mentor adds

Map the candidate journey: job post to offerDue Thu · reviewer: a mentor
Read Lever Day 1 EssentialsDue Tue

Doing max 3

Channel map: 5 communities per open roleDue Fri · reviewer: a mentor
Waiting for JD access in Drive 01Raise at standup

Reviewing intern moves here

Test job: move 5 candidates through every stageLink to output attached

Done mentor moves here

Recap: Recruitment Process, 12 stepsFeedback on the card
Knowledge learningOn-job TA work: AI process, poster, LinkedIn, BooleanSide project one card per milestoneBlocked waiting on someone

Example cards. One board per rotation, named TA Intern · name · month. In a pair, each card carries one name.

WhyAll mentors see the intern's workload in one place, and the intern always knows the next task. Feedback written on the card becomes the evidence behind every score: a 4 or above needs a concrete example.

Your six assignments

You submit six assignments in the Intern Portal. The Portal numbers them A1 to A6; this plan uses their names, with the Portal number in brackets.

AssignmentWhat you submitDue
Process map (A1)A map of the hiring process, a guide to candidate levels, and three real cases solved with the PlaybookFriday, week 1
Lever test (A2)A test job run end to end in Lever: create, upload, move stages, archive with reasonsTuesday, week 2
Project brief (A3)Your side project brief: goal, output, 'done when', weekly milestones, who will use itFriday, week 2
AI process review (A4)Your candidate and newcomer journey maps, the AI tools mapped to each hiring step, and your top ideas to improve themFriday, week 3
Demo (A5)1-month rotation: final demo and handover. 2-month rotation: mid-point demoWeek 4
Final demo (A6)2-month rotation: final demo and handover noteFinal week

How interns are scored

Scores run from 1 to 5 in half steps. Gam scores in the portal, with written notes from the mentors.

Sprint 1-1

Every two weeks, in the Intern Portal.

TA core competencies: process and SPARC, Lever, sourcing, AI and process improvement, work discipline.

Rotation Review

On the last day of the rotation.

Growth comes automatically from the Sprint 1-1 scores.

Academy gates. Separate from scores, the Supervisor and the Track Leader decide at Gate 1 (end of month 2) and Gate 2 (week 2 of month 6) whether an intern continues, based on attitude: communicating, flagging problems early, asking for help, taking feedback. If an intern does not improve, the gap and a date go in writing at the Friday review, and Rich Pham hears it at the next Sprint 1-1.
WhyNo decision should come as a surprise. Feedback goes in writing every week, so an intern always knows where they stand long before a gate.
06 Templates

Start from a good page, not a blank one

Templates for every recurring piece of writing. Copy one into Trello, Drive or the Intern Portal and fill it in.

Project brief (A3)Intern · Friday of week 2
PROJECT: 
LEAD:                      PAIR PARTNER (if any): 
MENTOR: 

THE PROBLEM
What is wrong or missing today, with one piece of evidence:

WHO WILL USE IT
Name or role, and how they will use it:

OUTPUT AND "DONE WHEN"
The output:
Done when:
- 
- 

SCOPE
In: 
Out: 

WEEKLY MILESTONES
Week 2: 
Week 3: 
Week 4: 
(2-month rotations continue to week 8)

WHAT I NEED
Materials, access, people:

RISKS
What could stop me, and what I will cut first if time runs short:

HOW I WILL USE AI, AND HOW I WILL CHECK IT

WHO I WILL WORK WITH, AND WHO WILL USE THE RESULT

MENTOR SIGN-OFF: ________  DATE: ________
Weekly statusIntern · before the Friday review
WEEK __ · NAME

DONE THIS WEEK (with links)
- 

IN PROGRESS
- 

BLOCKED · who can help
- 

RISKS I SEE
- 

NEXT WEEK'S TOP 3
1. 
2. 
3. 

ONE THING I LEARNED

ONE THING I DID WITHOUT BEING ASKED

AI THIS WEEK · one time it helped, one time I corrected it

TEAM · who I helped, who helped me
Sprint 1-1 self-checkIntern · the day before each Sprint 1-1
FOR EACH COMPETENCY: my score (1-5) · my evidence · what I will do next

Growth Mindset: 
Critical Thinking: 
Communication & Collaboration: 
AI Literacy: 
Process and SPARC: 
Lever and data hygiene: 
Sourcing and research: 
AI and process improvement: 
Work discipline: 

THE THREE THINGS GRADION LOOKS FOR · one dated example each
AI literacy and above expectations: 
Proactiveness: 
Teamwork: 

WHAT I NEED FROM MY MENTORS
Project handover noteIntern · last working day
PROJECT:                 STATUS against "done when": 

WHERE EVERYTHING LIVES
(links to the handover folder, sheets, Lever searches)

HOW TO USE IT

DECISIONS MADE AND WHY

OPEN RECOMMENDATIONS (added to the TA backlog)
- 

WHO KNOWS WHAT
(stakeholders and contacts used)

IF I HAD ONE MORE WEEK, I WOULD
Retro questionsIntern with Rich Pham · end of rotation
1. What is the biggest thing you learned in TA?
2. What is the biggest gap you want to close in your next rotation?
3. Which moment in TA are you proudest of, and why?
4. What should the TA team change for the next intern?
15-minute demo outlineIntern · final week
2 min   THE PROBLEM · what was wrong and how we knew
4 min   WHAT I BUILT · show it, do not describe it
1 min   HOW I WORKED · AI used and checked, who helped
3 min   EVIDENCE IT WORKS · numbers, examples, who used it
3 min   RECOMMENDATION · what TA should do next
2 min   QUESTIONS
WhyThe same structure every week makes progress comparable across interns and mentors, and turns everyday writing into evidence for scoring.
07 Rules and access

Trusted with real data, protected by clear rules

Interns get

  • Trello board
  • Lever, Team Member role
  • LinkedIn
  • Shared Drive, limited
  • TA Intern group: a new group just for interns, reused for every rotation

Interns do not get

  • TA internal weekly meeting (standup instead)
  • Lever sensitive information
  • TA Asset Management and Salary Range Guide
  • Drive 07 Feedback & Offer, 13 SPARC Assessments, 14 Internship Academy
  • TA team groups (gradion-vietnam-ta-team, hiring-ai-process)
  • Finance, admin and client hiring channels
  • Confidential searches
Lever Team Member is the role the Playbook sets for coordinators, sourcers and interns: enough to do real work.
Pay, offers, SPARC records and fellow interns' data are sensitive, and an intern does not need them to learn or deliver.

Ground rules

  • Candidate data stays inside TA. No CVs on personal devices, nothing downloaded or forwarded outside Lever.
  • A mentor approves every message before it reaches a candidate.
  • Live Lever actions start once your Lever test (A2) is approved.
  • Never discuss pay or make promises to candidates. Benefits questions go to TA.
  • No contact with clients. That goes through Staffing or the hiring manager.