Interns can be extremely beneficial to business. If you are a new business or perhaps a nonprofit, interns can be a great source of labor you can utilize. Hiring an intern has many hurdles to overcome before you can put them to work. Follow these tips to ensure you have a smooth internship experience.

 

Interview Them

 

The interview process does not have to be extensive. If the internship is a few months long, be careful not to waste too much time interviewing. That being said, it is important to get to know the people you will be hiring for a short time. Paid or unpaid, interview potential interns to see if your company offers what they are looking for and vice versa. Give something for the potential intern to look over. Send them a link to your website or project you have completed. This will give the potential hire a feel for what your organization does and what it looks for in regards to work. This pre-interview process will save you time explaining your business and more time finding out if they are a right for your business.

 

Expand Your Outreach

 

Hiring an intern can be very competitive. All companies want free or cheap labor to work for them. It is important to keep your options open when looking for an intern. Spread your message throughout the area. Attend job fairs and local events to get the word to people that you are looking for interns. Prepare detailed job descriptions for your intern position. Post your information on social media sites to reach an audience cheaply

 

Consider Them An Employee

 

Interns want to feel important! Yes, Interns are not your employee, but that does not mean you shouldn’t treat them like one. Communicate what is expected of your interns. Assign tasks to them and see that they get done. Some micromanaging may need to happen because of how new they are to your business and perhaps lack of professional job experience. Hold your interns to the same professional standard that you hold your regular employees. Give them a title besides “The Intern.” If they are working with customers or colleagues, give them business cards to distribute. This will help them feel more comfortable with the entire process. Interns may like the process so much they want to continue working for you!

 

Ensure that you have a good internship program. The program will speak for itself, and soon students will be flocking to you for their next internship.