Hiring an Exceptional Intern, Even in a Nontraditional Office
With summer just around the corner, right now is the ideal time to think about hiring an intern. It’s an excellent way to gain momentum for a set time period of time without breaking the bank.
However, you might be thinking…
- “I would love to have an intern, but that’s not for me. I run a one-woman shop.”
- “My whole team works remotely. As nice as it sounds, it just wouldn’t work.”
- “We’re an all-volunteer nonprofit. We just don’t have anything to offer an intern.”
I’m here to tell you that those situations are perfect for hiring an intern, as are many other nontraditional companies. In fact, you might even reap more benefit from an intern than a typical office would. And the intern will gain experience in the new-economy jobs that will be more and more prevalent as they continue their careers.
Keep in mind, good internships are hard to come by, so students will be eager to serve your company or nonprofit organization with just a little forethought and consideration.
Here are 4 benefits you can offer an intern, no matter what kind of organization you serve, that will surely glean top candidates.
Pick a Defined Project
The best way to ensure your intern gains relevant experience, for their future and their resume, is to define a specific project for them to work on. Picking a project that will allow them to highlight their achievements with defined performance metrics has benefits for you too.
Maybe there’s a project you’ve wanted to do but it has been sitting on the back burner for a while now. Or perhaps there’s an area where you’re out of your comfort zone but the right intern would be right at home, like a graphic design intern who could design all new branding for your company, or a marketing intern who could establish your presence on a couple of social media networks.
At the end of the term, you can make sure they have you set up to continue succeeding with the project, and they’ll leave with real accomplishments they can talk about on job interviews.
Pay Your Intern
Many internships are unpaid, but I’m going to encourage you to pay your intern something, even if it’s a stipend for travel. This has a couple of benefits.
Students are looking for paid internship opportunities, and because they’re harder to come by, you’ll get more applicants overall and end up with a higher quality pool of candidates because you’re offering financial compensation.
By paying your intern, you’re letting them know you value their contribution to your organization, and their work product will be better as a result.
Emphasize the Additional Benefits They’ll Gain
Beyond compensation, an intern is looking to gain valuable experience in an industry or position they want to pursue as a career. The best interns are driven, talented, and capable, but they need an opportunity to apply the skills they learned in school to a professional setting, work collaboratively on projects, and benefit from the guidance of a mentor.
Remind them of those benefits in your posting and in interviews. And if your position is non-traditional, let them know that up front as well. The right candidates will view working remotely or joining a one-woman operation as a positive.
If it’s realistic, let candidates know that successful interns will be considered for employment at the end of the internship. If your intern does a fantastic job, snatch them up! An internship is the best job interview.
If you aren’t in a position to hire your intern, make sure they know that you’ll write them a glowing reference letter, help them polish their resume, and make introductions to anyone you do know who may be hiring in their field.
Give Valuable Feedback
Keep in mind, even the most exceptional intern has a lot to learn. That’s what they’re here for, after all. They may have little hands-on industry experience, that doesn’t mean they don’t have valuable skills to contribute when nurtured by a wise mentor.
Put a system in place to give them feedback regularly throughout the internship, emphasizing their positive contributions and giving constructive criticism when necessary.
Now is the time to get started!
Start your search for a summer intern ASAP, and if you’re looking for a fall semester intern, don’t delay. Talk to friends and colleagues to see if they know anyone who might be a good candidate. Post your job listing on industry job sites and local ones as well. And reach out to local colleges and universities. Many have career offices that link students up with opportunities and some even offer credit students can earn on the job.
Are you always playing catch up with your business?
If you have more on your plate than you can handle, but you aren’t sure how to delegate or grow your team, contact me today. I teach my Celeste Giordano Coaching clients how to grow their businesses sustainably so they can create the Legacy Businesses they aspire to have.
Unlock Your Full Potential! Blueprint Magazine – February 2018
I’m thrilled to share with you our latest edition of The Blueprint Magazine. This month’s theme is “Unlocking Your Full Potential!”
A few articles in this issue dive further into this topic:
- “New Year’s Resolutions: Make Them Simple and Easy to Accomplish” by Becca Tebon on page 7
- “Why Small Businesses Outsource IT Support and Services” by Jason Rush on page 8
- “Why 4D Communication is the Better Way of Selling” by Brigitta Hoeferle on page 15″
- Small Simple Changes Make All the Difference” by Joan Williams on page 19″
- Moving from Comfort with Courage” by Pauline Duncan-Thrasher on page 20
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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