Internships revolve around hiring students to work in professional settings to help them shape their future careers. Providing them with the relevant experiences is important, but managers tend to exploit them as nothing more than cheap labour. That shouldn’t be the case.
Good managers realize that investing in their interns can benefit the company just as much. But how do they go about doing so? If you are looking to hire and manage interns, read on to see how you can provide them with fulfilling and productive jobs!
1. Recruit Them Like You Would Any Other Employee
It is important to take the hiring process seriously. Interview and judge applicants just as you would any for any other position in your company. When you show applicants that your company takes hiring seriously, they in turn are likely to take the job seriously as well.
2. Provide Them With Meaningful Work
Don’t just hand them busy work to do. Interns want to feel that the work they are providing has an impact on their development. When you give them meaningful work, they are more likely to contribute in a way that exceeds their personal limits and contributes to your company.
If you have legal interns, let them attend trials and write briefs that can be used. If you have marketing interns, assign them to creating actionable campaigns and plans within a budget. Provide them with real experience and they will reward you too.
3. Be A Mentor To Them [restrict]
Although it can be difficult for newcomers to adjust to your company’s climate in such a short-term, you should be taking the time to guide them through their tasks. Have weekly meetings to discuss their progress and help them set attainable goals.
Schedule regular check-ins to see if they require help or guidance. The internship is a two-way process. They may be working for you, but you should be providing them necessary mentorship to help them develop and meet their personal goals too.
4. Pay Them
It sounds simple enough, but most companies and business owners prefer to offer unpaid internships to paid ones. The benefit of paying your interns means that they in turn are motivated to provide you with quality work. It makes your internship program more competitive and desirable to prospective recruits.
Furthermore, paid internships gives you better leverage at being selective with your interns during the recruiting processes. It is better to not have an intern than to hire ones that are unproductive and demotivated.
5. Provide A Proper Exit Strategy
When creating internship positions, you should have the beginning, middle and end processes all outlined in a clear manner. Prior to the end of their internships, meet with them and ask them to provide feedback on their experience with the company. Find out how the program has helped them develop, and what suggestions they have for future interns.
Conclusion
Internships are not just about easy labour. Done right, they are a valuable resource for insight and growth for both the intern and company. Done incorrectly however, it only makes for stressful management on your part. Take the time to create an internship program that is fulfilling and productive to guide the younger generations to a brighter future!
Actionable Takeaway: Take the time to nurture and develop young talents that come your way. Just because their internship period is limited, doesn’t mean that they won’t be returning. If you provide a worthwhile experience in exchange for their hard work, your interns may just turn into dependable staff in the near future!
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