It’s that time of the year again. As the days get longer and summer rolls around, there’s a new question buzzing in the minds of business owners and hiring managers everywhere: Should we bring on an intern? Before you decide to join the ranks of the companies taking on interns this summer, let’s dive into what an intern could bring to your team, weigh it against your current business goals, and explore whether hiring an intern aligns with your company objectives for the season.
Interns are emerging professionals who join a company temporarily in order to acquire entry-level experience in a specific career field. Most often, these individuals are college students or fresh graduates; however, older individuals can also work as interns, especially if they are in the middle of changing careers. The main purpose of an internship program is to allow an individual to learn about the day-to-day functions of a company without the long-term commitment of an actual job.
3 Reasons to Hire an Intern at Your Company
From an employer’s viewpoint, hiring interns can seem like a no-brainer. Here are five reasons you might want to consider it:
1) It’s Inexpensive
Let’s be real; there’s a clear financial advantage to hiring an intern. It’s a cost-effective business decision. You’ll never find an intern receiving the same salary and benefits package as a full-time employee, even one at the entry-level. So, if you’re seeking fresh talent to join the team, you’ve got the choice between hiring a fresh graduate at a full-time employee salary or an intern at nearly half the cost.
2) Train Potential Full-time Hires
Obviously, internships are temporary contracts, but business owners everywhere are starting to rethink their approach to these programs. But, if you’re looking to boost your employee retention rates, you may want to think of internships as trial periods that allow you to see if an individual is the right match for your company. Through internships, you get the chance to train potential future employees, familiarize them with your business, and thoroughly evaluate their capabilities before you make the final hiring decision.
3) Reduce Workload
This one is a little tricky. Bringing interns on board allows your employees to delegate routine tasks, enabling them to concentrate on achieving larger, more impactful goals. That’s why interns are such a valuable source of support for the entire workforce. However, in a good internship program, an intern’s role in the company should not be restricted to just menial tasks. They should integrated into projects that enhance their learning and professional growth. Don’t underestimate their abilities. Interns can bring fresh, new perspectives to day-to-day tasks as well as challenging projects. They are typically up-to-date with the latest technologies, trends, and academic theories, which can be invaluable for companies looking to stay current or disrupt traditional ways of thinking. A good internship experience can be highly influential for a young employee, but a bad one can potentially ruin their perception of the company as well as the career field. It’s a give-and-take relationship.
3 Reasons to NOT to Hire an Intern at Your Company
Of course, every choice has its trade-offs. Here are a few reasons you might NOT want to hire an intern at your company.
1) Time Investment
At first glance, setting up an internship program can seem to be incredibly simple, but if you want the program to benefit both the interns as well as the company, it is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process.
Ideally, you would want mentorship to be a core component of the program. However, if your current staff is already stretched thin, they might not have the capacity to dedicate their dedicated time and effort to your interns. When setting up the program, identify the employees who will be able to serve most meaningfully as mentors and supervisors. If the internship program is structured so that interns are restricted to simply completing menial tasks because their supervisor is too busy to train or mentor them, they may become disengaged and demotivated.
If you want your interns to be a source of value to your company, you’ll need to put effort into providing them with a meaningful learning experience. All that’s to say is don’t hire an intern just because you think it’ll be easy.
2) You Want to Save Money
Interns should be viewed as developing professionals, not just cheap labor. A good internship program efficiently compensates an individual for their time and effort. You don’t have to dish out handsome amounts of cash. Research indicates that people are open to working for lesser pay as long as the learning opportunities are valuable. So, make sure that it’s worth it.
3) You Don’t Have Clear Goals for the Program
If your sole reason for bringing an intern on board is to lighten your employees’ workload, think again. To provide interns with a meaningful learning experience, consider the objectives you’d like them to achieve by the end of the internship before you announce the program. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with demotivated employees that add no value to your company.
What’s the Best Way to Hire an Intern?
Have we scared you off from the prospect of hiring an intern? We hope not. While it is a serious commitment, hiring an intern doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Define the objectives you want the program to achieve. Are you in need of additional help, or is the program part of a longer-term hiring strategy? Are you just looking for a candidate who can get the job done, or are you hoping to identify individuals who can become future employees? Think about what you’re hoping to achieve and communicate that expectation to the candidates clearly.
It doesn’t matter if the program is for six weeks or twelve; you want interns to leave with glowing reviews for the company, and that won’t be possible unless you view the program as a mutually beneficial effort. With Oliv, it’s even easier. Every candidate goes through a comprehensive screening process so you don’t have to go through applications that are irrelevant. You can filter, track, and manage applications easily. Post the details of the internship position on our website (Psst! You can post your first job for free) and gain access to dedicated hiring support from our team. Don’t take our word for it; try out the service and see for yourself!