PSA: Hire Interns Year-Round

As you wrap up the year and make your to-do list for January and beyond, I imagine there are a number of tasks that will require a significant amount of your time. Your team is stuffed to the gills with their own lists (that somehow keep growing too) and you’re left wondering if you should hire another team member. The answer is yes. I recommend you make that hire, but you make the available position for an intern. College students nationwide are hungry for an internship. And while we typically think these stints are relevant only for the summer time, I can assure you the hunger is year-round. The reality is that an intern should be a genuinely interested and helpful individual looking to learn and grow, and an intern program should be a straightforward and robust experience to teach and train potential future team members. Whether it’s a two-week project you assign over their winter break or an eight-month “job” where they have day-to-day responsibilities, interns offer a number of benefits to you and your company. Another set of hands. One of the most literal benefits of hiring an intern is their ability to help tackle your to-do list. Think about opportunities for research, evaluation of competitors and vendors, even presentation drafts and more. If you do your homework upfront, you’ll likely find a highly qualified individual that’s willing and able to over-deliver on any task you give them. Another brain. The other functional benefit an intern offers your business is their brainpower. The workforce is made up of team members offering their perspective on every “problem,” based on their experience and qualifications. An intern is no different. Imagine the wave of new ideas and ways to approach a solution this person may bring to the table. And this generation of interns are much more likely to be independent thinkers – what’s more important than hearing from someone that doesn’t agree with everything you say? Economic contribution. By employing someone, you’re offering him a chance to make something with what he’s earned. But more significantly, you’re adding credibility to their resume, often helping them find a permanent role within the workforce when they graduate. (Note: I recognize there is a currently debate surrounding whether or not interns should be paid – this is not meant to be part of that conversation.) Paying it forward. I shared some key learning in my recent article about the importance of giving to others. There is no better opportunity to share what you know than with an intern. The best ones are craving to understand, so they can then be understood. This goodwill will always come back to you. I consider this a Public Service Announcement on behalf of the six interns I’ve had the pleasure to work with over time - here’s to you (you know who you are) and all your current success.

• • •

If you have questions about how to “source” these invaluable team members, please feel free to contact Alexis Barnett Gillette for tips and tricks.