College internships allow students to explore possible
careers, obtain real-world work experience and apply theories
learned in the classroom, all while networking with professionals
in their area of interest. But, a college internship is not
just beneficial to the student – there are many benefits to the
employer as well.
Interns allow a company to gain a source of professional
manpower, typically at lower salaries than permanent employees, and
to free up staff from more basic parts of their job, so they can
focus on more profitable assignments. Typically students are
highly motivated, provide fresh ideas and often bring
state-of-the-art technical knowledge to your company.
Consider how an internship program can help your recruitment
process. Hiring interns not only allows you to increase your
pool of potential employees, but it also lets you evaluate a
potential employee before committing to hire. In addition,
having an internship program helps build a positive relationship
between your business and schools while broadening company
visibility to students and faculty.
WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF) offers these solutions to
build a college internship program:
Prepare a job description. Determine your
company’s needs and wants and develop a job description based on
these needs.
Determine resources available. Confirm what
resources are available for your intern to utilize on the
job. Provide the intern with desk space, a computer, Internet
access and a phone, just as you would a permanent employee.
Recruit at local colleges and
universities. Contact the career services department of
your local colleges and universities to determine the best way to
recruit students. Many colleges will display or distribute
lists of internships or host an internship job fair.
Interview candidates. Screen potential interns
just as you would other candidates. Consider allowing a permanent
employee who is normally not involved in the hiring process, the
opportunity to interview interns to gain hiring and leadership
skills. Don’t forget to discuss what days and times the intern
is available to fit your schedule and needs.
Make an offer as you would a permanent
worker. Alert the prospective intern if the position will
be paid or unpaid or if there are any other benefits such as event
tickets, computer use, etc.
Assign an intern mentor to answer any questions, orient and
manage the intern’s progress. Consider asking an employee
to lead the program who does not currently manage staff, so he or
she can gain management experience.
Hold an orientation. For some students, this may
be their first experience in a professional job. To help them
with this transition hold a short orientation for interns on their
first day. Give them a tour of the office, encourage them to
meet with department employees to obtain an understanding of their
roles, explain office policies, provide direction on phone, copier
and fax use and supply office templates, phone and e-mail
lists.
Provide a range of work. To truly benefit from
your intern and for him or her to see value in your program,
provide meaningful, challenging work. Give interns experience
tackling work that an entry level position in your company would
complete. Explain to interns how the task they are completing
fits into the overall success of the company. Discourage
employees from asking interns to make copies, fetch coffee,
etc.
Invite interns to company meetings and
events. Inviting interns to your company’s meetings and
events makes them part of the team and allows them to network with
executive staff.
Provide guidance. Provide assistance to interns as
the semester progresses. Consider meeting with the student
monthly to discuss projects completed, strengths, weaknesses and
what projects must be completed for him or her to receive a
well-rounded experience. Before the intern completes the
program, conduct an exit interview or ask them to complete a
survey, so you can monitor the program’s success or make necessary
changes.
Keep in touch. Your past interns may lead you to
future interns and may provide excitement about your company at
their college. Continue to provide guidance, introduce them to
contacts that may provide other opportunities and serve as a
reference as they search for employment.
