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You've been out of college a given number of years (don't worry, we won't tell) and, with achieving your degree, believed the days of musing over intern opportunities were long behind you. Think again. Far and wide, interns are being utilized in a wide range of office settings for a variety of purposes. From gaining a foundation in reception work, to tackling career-related tasks, interns are eager participants that have a lot to offer if hired, trained, and utilized with care.
Keep these following tips in mind next time your business could use an intern-fueled boost:
Interns 101:
Most interns are either college students or recent graduates. They hold some extent of knowledge about their major, and are eager to gain experience at little or no cost to you.
Most internship programs offer course credit in exchange for help; others may offer stipends, a reduced hourly rate, or be completely unpaid. Any of these options is appropriate.
Expect interns to work anywhere from ten to forty hours a week (full time interns are most likely to be recent graduates, or those taking their summer break from school).
How to find and hire interns:
Posting an ad online (Craigslist is highly popular) and notifying local universities is an excellent way to get the word out about the intern position your business is offering.
As with any job listing, requesting a resume, letter of intent, writing sample, or any other supplement you deem necessary is appropriate.
It may be beneficial to specify that the position is only open to interns with Junior or Senior level standing. This filters out younger applicants who are likely to lack the experience required.
How to train and manage interns:
Train interns just as you would an employee. Do not to skimp on training just because interns are temporary.
Just as much as a business seeks benefits from using interns, interns seek benefits from working at your business. Most are eager to learn about their field, so be available and willing to answer questions that may reach beyond their job description.
Remember that interns are very new to their chosen field and may need additional instruction, increased structure, and may even require a bit of micro-managing. Be prepared to devote time to providing this.
What to watch out for:
Be careful of the intern that only sees their time with your business as a means to gaining school credit. Interns should be just as serious about interning as they would be about a job. They should want to learn.
Provide constructive criticism early on, so that your intern(s) can learn what is expected to provide a valuable service to your organization.
Although interns are great for “low level” assignments (which frees up your other employees to complete more strenuous tasks), also give them enough challenging material, so that they are able to learn and not just “do”.
When the internship is over:
Most internships tend to last the duration of a school quarter (approximately three months), but many extend up to around six months. Avoid over-extending an internship, especially if it is unpaid.
At the end of an internship that has been completed for course credit, you will typically review the quality of the intern's time spent at work, which is a means to confirm to the school that the student took the internship seriously and truly earned his, or her, course credit.
Many businesses use intern positions as a trial period, the end of which may result in offering employment to an intern who has performed successfully. If not, you may say goodbye to those who you do not think are a good fit for your business.
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