Tips on Finding an Intern

Finding an intern can be a daunting task. The right intern can make a valuable contribution to your office in many ways, from lightening the load of an overworked staff to bringing a fresh perspective to your workforce. Read the following tips on finding an intern.

Considerations when Finding an Intern

There are a number of different considerations that go into finding an intern. First, you must decide what function you want the intern to serve. Ask yourself, do you have real work that they can do to build industry experience, or are you just looking for someone to make copies and run errands? You will also need to consider whether you are in an industry that lends itself to internships, and whether there are colleges and technical schools in your area that will provide you with willing workers. Finally, you need to determine whether you want to pay your intern, offer college credit or both.

Compensation/Benefits

If you have substantial work that an intern can complete, it may be easier for you to find an intern that is willing to work for college credit or industry experience. This is especially true if your business is considered to be an in-demand industry such as the film production industry where many students are looking for internships. On the other hand, if you are looking for someone to primarily do busywork or your business is in a less exciting field, you may need to offer a cash incentive in addition to college credit to find an intern.

Where to Find an Intern

Once you have decided what function you want your intern to serve and the type of compensation you can offer, you will need to actually go about finding the right person. There are a number of different places you can look.

You can speak to career counselors at local four-year universities or at graduate schools that offer MBA or master’s degree programs. Most colleges have career centers that connect students to businesses who want interns. A simple telephone call to a career counselor can get your business name added to lists and databases in college career offices. You may be able to find a steady supply of interns from this source alone.

Don’t forget to consider community colleges and technical schools, depending upon your needs. Many students at career colleges or community colleges are in programs that are more focused on obtaining a specific job rather than a traditional four-year university that offers a liberal arts education. For example, students in an administrative assistant program or a paralegal studies program may make the best interns for some industries, but not others. Some career colleges and community colleges require students obtain internships as a prerequisite to graduation, so you may be able to find a willing workforce.

If the local colleges are not providing you with the right leads, you can also try to post a classified ad. Craigslist may be a better place to search for an intern beyond local classified ads, since many people browsing want ads are seeking a paying job. You may need to offer monetary compensation if you go this route, or at least be wiling to work with the student in order to ensure your internship program will satisfy requirements for them to get credit for their work.

Hiring an Intern

Finding an intern can be a valuable experience for both you and the intern. You may even end up uncovering an employee that is so valuable you want to hire them full time when they graduate. Since you are bringing this person into your company, you will want to make sure you conduct interviews just as you would for hiring any employee to ensure that the relationship will be mutually beneficial for both of you. Pose the same questions you would ask when hiring any perspective employee to your new intern or read tips on how to hire reliable employees before interviewing your intern. After all, if hired, they too will be working for your business.

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