Discovering a New Pool of Talent

Tips to Building a Successful College Internship Program

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.  

For further information on developing an internship program visit the following Web sites, some of which may be commercial sites that require a fee.

To learn more about how WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA can meet the growing needs of your business, visit us at workforcecentralflorida.com/employers or ask your WCF Business Development Manager for information on WCF Employer Services, such as the Lending Library and how WCF’s Employed Worker Training Program can assist you with your training needs.

Source: AllBusiness.com, Reference for Business, Stetson University, ere.net