It’s hard to believe, but summer is just around the corner! In fact, here in the south, students will begin their summer break next month!

This is a good time to remind you of one of the most important tools I encourage you to utilize during the summer months for your business: Internships.

In fact, if you’ve been struggling to recruit new employees in this historically tight labor market, an intern (or maybe even multiple interns) may be just the solution you’ve been looking for.

After all, an internship is the best job interview. If your intern does a fantastic job, snatch them up!

Why You Should Hire An Intern

Even if you aren’t looking for a full time employee, internships are still a win-win for you as an employer looking for talented help with your long to-do list, and for the intern, who wants to gain valuable experience in an industry or position they want to pursue as a career.

Interns are often in the process of earning their degree or have recently graduated and have little hands-on industry experience. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t have skills! They likely have academic proficiency in a professional area, such as business, marketing, public relations, graphic design, or web development.

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 or campaigns, and benefit from the guidance of a mentor.

An internship is a great way to fill a void in your team’s skill set while also giving the intern a complete project to manage. So for instance, if no one on your team has built a Facebook ad campaign before but you’re interested in trying one, hire a social media marketing intern who can take responsibility for the project, see it through, and make recommendations on best practices so that your team can keep the good work up long after the internship ends.

How to Find an Amazing Intern

If you’re on the hunt for an amazing intern, reach out to local college or university professors in programs related to the industry you work in or type of role you’re looking to hire. Some colleges have accredited internship programs that you can link up with, but even if they don’t, you can ask professors to pass the opportunity along to their students. Colleges and universities often host internship fairs, as well. Reach out to the career services department at the schools in your area to find out when they host these events and how to take part.

Internships.com is an excellent website to post your opening. You can also search on LinkedIn or social media for undergrads actively seeking internship opportunities. Of course, sometimes the best way to find an intern is to put feelers out there among your colleagues and social circle. If someone comes highly recommended, invite them in for an interview.

In an interview, which may be conducted on Zoom these days, ask your prospective intern to show you or tell you about some of the projects they worked on in school or in a volunteer capacity. Encourage your prospect to tell you what they are most passionate about. Ask them what they know how to do, as well as what they would like to learn how to do, and reflect on whether the package they bring to the table can add value to you. Remember, there will be a learning curve for both you and your intern, so offer an internship that gives your intern time to adjust, learn, and excel.

Keep these 6 tips in mind if you want to attract a quality intern:

1. No coffee runs. Make sure to let candidates know that you have real work for them to do. Rather than menial tasks, give them interesting, challenging assignments that will benefit your business while providing the intern with opportunities to learn and grow.
2. Value their input. There is no better way to make an intern feel more appreciated than to welcome their creative input. As they work on projects, ask if they have ideas or see room for improvement. Interns can provide great insight into what you’re doing right – and what you could be doing better – if you give them a voice.
3. Pay your intern. Many internships are unpaid, but I’m going to encourage you to pay your intern something, if you are in a position to do so. This has a couple of benefits. It makes it possible for students who could not afford to spend the time unpaid to gain valuable work experience. Also, most 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. Additionally, 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.
4. Show your gratitude. Remember that although interns are gaining experience with you, they aren’t compensated competitively. Express your gratitude often, and serve as a mentor who genuinely cares about their growth and their future. This is especially important if your goal is to use the internship as a path to full time employment.
5. Coach them to be job market ready. Tell your prospective intern that you will assign them projects that will highlight their achievements with specific performance metrics. Offer to sit down with your intern at the end of each month, and make sure they are masterfully updating their resume as they go. If your intern candidate knows that you’ll be mindful of resume-building when you assign them responsibilities, they will see the direct benefit of joining your team.
6. Be flexible and virtual. While you will likely want to meet with your intern in person every week, they probably don’t need to be with you every day to complete all of their assignments. Allow your interns to complete some of their work remotely, and give them flexibility on how and when they get their work done – so long as they meet their deadlines. This will allow you to attract talented interns who may have other commitments to balance and it is also in line with how many businesses are adapting to a post-pandemic world.

Working with Your Intern

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. Or, you can hire them full time and they can continue to benefit 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. At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I support my clients in growing their businesses with integrity and positivity. I can show you how to “double plus” your income while making your day-to-day work life more satisfying. Does that sound like what you’ve been missing? Contact me today.

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Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlus™” 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 more than 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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