Summer is a great time to look for interns to fulfill painstaking duties that have been put on the backburner or just to have assistance to get you above all the paper. Many students are looking to make money and could use the extra credit that goes toward their degree. Hiring interns, however is not one of the most thought provoking ideas for many entrepreneurs. Interns are hired much the same as any other employee with two major exceptions to the rule. First, major training is necessary because of the intern’s inexperience. Second, the hard work of training goes into an individual who’s job has a definite end. Even with what may seem to be disadvantages, hiring interns can prove to be a win-win scenario and a rich opportunity that excels both of you.
Eagerness, Energy and Ideas
Most interns are “fresh out the box†and are willing and eager to learn in order to advance them to the next level even before their career actually starts. Their energy levels are typically higher. Their ideas may seem far-fetched, but keep an open mind with the ideas they bring to the table. Their non-traditional experiences can open doors and present advantageous challenges that can steer old thinking into a new direction. Both you and the intern can benefit by bridging old and new schools.
Hiring Tips
When hiring interns, look for the same characteristics you would in any other candidate. Most interns will not have as much experience under their belts, so look for good attitudes, willingness to learn, commitment, technical experiences, social skills and they should be able to receive constructive criticism well.
Interviews are great for you and the intern. It gives the intern a great start in what to expect as their career unfolds and it grants you the opportunity to assess their professionalism, demeanor and articulacy.
Collect many resumes and look for those who have experience working small jobs, like babysitting and working with community organizations. In these cases you get the best references because the work relationship is usually more intimate.
Where to Find Interns
Do your homework. Actively recruit local high schools, junior colleges, universities and organizations. You can post openings on college websites or develop relationships with counselors in your field of interest. The most organized students sign up early and usually make the best candidates.
Many organizations helping battered women and homeless teens are looking to place individuals, who are in school to obtain their GEDs, as interns. This is a great opportunity to help someone less fortunate learn the tools of the trade and become potential full time employees.
Check with your colleagues. As always, personal references work best.
Exercise Patience – Mold a New Professional
A new relationship can be difficult for an employee, but even tougher on an intern. Practicing patience and understanding is a key ingredient to the success of the intern program. After all, hiring interns will make you hone in on your management skills and in many cases force you to raise the bar.
First, it is essential to spell out expectations early on in the process. If you have a company manual, tweak it for the intern program or create one. Highlight dress code, company ethics, email policies, lunch breaks, office procedures, etc. Look at the program as an opportunity to clone you or help a young professional get her feet wet as their first time in the working world.
Don’t expect too much and set goals that can be measured and are attainable. Build a relationship of trust and be prepared to have the intern shadow you. Monitor performance and give feedback. Stress punctuality and timelessness and test it by setting timelines with assigned tasks.
Communication is crucial. Lay out a specific plan of attack for the needs of your company and spell it out for the intern. Be sure your intern knows specifics and details of the assignment. If his job is to merge mail, pack promotional products or transfer data to Excel, direction should be thought our carefully to enable the intern to present quality work. Be open to answering questions. Work with them to increase their strengths and grow in areas that need work.
Finally, praise them with a job well done. Interns are typically working for credits or minimum wage, so treat them to lunch on occasion. Send them off with a letter of reference to use for their next internship or first job in their field. The result of a successful internship program could be a young professional will have the tools to shine in any industry. Your company can also mold itself into a great place to work in your community.
I completely agree with everything you mention in this article. I think that Interns can, despite their lack of experience, be great resources for ideas and a spark of energy and enthusiasm in any office.
That said, I think in recent years there has been a rash of what I would call “intern abuse”. It seems as though it has become more and more common for internships to be unpaid and at times even uncompensated with college credit.
While I understand that with the state of the economy it might be difficult to for all businesses to rationalize paying an employee with little experience who will require extensive training, but I think compensation goes a long way towards motivation. I say this as an HR person and someone who has had experience as an unpaid intern.
The moral of this comment: Compensate your interns! Whether it’s minimum wage or at the least college credit, you will be rewarded with energy, enthusiasm, and ideas. I promise you that.
That is just sad – not treating interns fairly. Question for anyone here. Is it more common to pay or not pay an intern a salary? Sorry if it is a silly question. Learning here 🙂
In my experience it’s been very difficult hiring interns. This advice is perfect. I hope to find some good ones!
As a businessman, indeed, this article really give me an idea to solve my problem about interns and how to hire them. thanks
Thank you Leah! I’ve been sitting on the fence about hiring interns for so long mostly not knowing where to begin or how to approach it. But you’ve given me some ideas.
Lynette,
You’re so very welcome. I’m so happy that people will use these ideas because they really do work. I learned from a colleague of mine and decided to put the actions to words. Happy hiring!