Last week was spring break for many colleges around the United States, and students have returned to school with summer on their minds. The most industrious ones are busy searching and applying for pre-professional opportunities to fill the months between their spring and fall semesters.

This means that NOW is the time to find yourself an outstanding intern to join your team this summer. It may feel early, but if you want a great intern, you need to act quickly because there is high demand for the best young talent.

Internships are a win-win for you as an employer looking for smart help with your cumbersome priority 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 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 have 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 an Instagram 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 or best practices so the team can keep up the good work long after the internship ends.

How do you find a phenomenal intern?

You can reach out to local college or university professors in programs related to your industry 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.

You can post your internship on your own website and social media channels, and you can search on LinkedIn for undergrads actively seeking a summer learning opportunity. 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, bring them in for an interview.

In an interview, which you may conduct remotely on Zoom or in person, 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 run a successful internship program:

1. No coffee runs. Make sure to let candidates know you have real work for them to do. Rather than menial tasks, give them interesting, challenging assignments to sink their teeth into. Never take advantage of your intern.
2. Value their input. There is no 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. Show them there’s light at the end of the tunnel. To attract great intern candidates, tell them 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 and make introductions to anyone you do know who may be hiring in their field.
4. Show your gratitude. Offer your intern a weekly or monthly stipend to compensate them for their work. Doing so makes it possible for students who could not afford to spend the time unpaid to gain valuable work experience. Remember that although interns are gaining experience with you, they aren’t compensated as an experienced professional would be. Express your gratitude often, and serve as a mentor who genuinely cares about their growth and their future.
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. While you will likely want to meet with your intern in-person every week, they probably don’t need to be with you 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.

Running a team is one of the many issues we tackle with our Celeste Giordano Coaching clients. If you are looking for support to help run your businesses more effectively, but also have better work/life balance, contact me today.

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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