Finding The Right Intern
Today I am continuing the intern theme from Monday. There are many factors to consider before hiring an intern. The first step is to understand the intern’s perspective. This will vary somewhat depending on the education level of the intern. Workforce Management magazine summed the reasons (free membership required) found by a 2004 survey performed by Wetfeet, Inc., an online recruiting firm. Knowing what motivates the prospective intern will be important when targeting a particular type of student. The survey found that students overall are looking to strengthen their resume or explore a new company/industry. However, there were some variations across student types.
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32% of MBA interns want a full time job offer after the internship as opposed to only 12% of undergrads
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47% of undergrads listed money as important versus 30% of MBA grads
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43% of MBA interns want to trial an employer compared to only 20% of undergrads
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43% of MBA interns and 42% of undergrads said they want to do challenging and interesting work on their internship
Once you have determined the type of intern that will best suit your needs, consider the following tips from small business consultant, Rick Vycital . He has coordinated multiple internships through Boise State while working at the Idaho SBDC.
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Treat the intern just like a potential employee. Use a detailed job description to match skills and interests with the desired intern position or project.
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Clearly state upfront what the required time will be and whether or not the intern will be paid. This aspect of the internship can be setup through the school to minimize host company paperwork.
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Create a system of accountability for the intern’s credit or wage received.
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The host company should work from the perspective that the intern will be temporary, so be careful with secret data as a non-compete will not apply.
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The host company needs to be very specific in monitoring the intern’s time and deadlines as the intern will most likely leave. This aspect can also be coordinated with the school as the intern may be getting school credit for their time. Also for this reason, the internship’s time should be well planned.
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Ideally, notice of the position is placed months in advance. The best way to find a candidate is by posting an announcement on the respective college or department’s bulletin board. Also contact faculty within that department for student recommendations. For example, if Firm A has a marketing project, they should post their announcement in the College of Business and contact the marketing department. Some schools have faculty assigned to act as internship liaisons for their respective fields.
Bottom line, an internship program can benefit both participating parties, if both are completely vested in its success. For more information or assistance, contact the college or university (our partners) near you, campus career center, or Idaho SBDC consultant .
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