|
November 22, 2011
Interns to the Rescue!
 Have dreams of business expansion that don’t match up with your company’s bank account? It might be time to start an internship program.
Business-minded youth get real world job experience, and you get some much-needed help without the cost of hiring a new employee.
“Interns can be one of the most cost-effective, highly skilled workers for your organization," says Delmar Johnson, founder and chief HR advisor at HR Brain for Hire.
She adds that interns give you a chance to observe potential new employees without having to hire them on a long-term basis.
What are the benefits? A “flexible, cost-effective workforce, reduction in recruitment costs while having access to a skilled labor pool,” and a likely increase in productivity levels, says Johnson. In addition, interns in college can likely get course credit for their work.
For job seekers, interning means a chance to gain vital skills and possibly a new job. Plus, an intern can save a company more than $6,000 compared to a full-time hire, according to a recent Fortune 500 survey.
Before seeking interns, Johnson says wise companies make sure they’re ready to expand, take on more risk and have time to recruit, train and support interns. Internships should “give students an opportunity to use their knowledge and skills in an actual work situation.”
For small businesses, Intern Profits says interns can cover duties like social media, market research and administrative office tasks.
MSN Money reminds business not to take advantage of free intern labor. If there’s slim chance of advancement, extra-long work hours or tasks meant for an actual employee, interns might not be a fit. Check out the Fair Labor Standards Act to make sure you’re within the law.
Bonus PINK Link: Learn more about how interns can help a company grow in our online exclusive.
By Caroline Cox
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” Lena Horne
*Supporting images from FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Danilo Rizzuti, Bookworm, and jscreationzs.
|
Comments
Thank you for the mention!
Caroline,
Thanks for the mention about http://InternProfits.com we really appreciate.
We have a ton of more great information on our site for anyone who is interested in hiring an intern, or needs to know what type of projects to assign their intern(s).
Also, we're having a BIG "Black Friday" sale and we've also partnered with American Express to participate in "Small Business Saturday".
Details for both of these sales are on our blog:
http://InternProfits.com/blog
Finally, here's a quick tip for onboarding an intern, and getting them started quickly:
1. Have them sign up for "Google Alerts" for:
- your main keywords
- your main industry keywords
- your company name
- your domain name
2. Have them monitor those and compile a "clipping" service
3. Now all of a sudden:
- your intern QUICKLY gets up to speed on your industry, and your business
- you have a TON of content that you can now share with your friends/followers on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter & Linkedin. You also have blogs you can comment on (and get links back to your site), and new ideas for content for your own blog
There's a million more ideas and projects that we have so make sure you visit our site, and check us out on Twitter & Facebook!
Now, go hire an intern!
Justin Lee
CEO & Co-Founder
http://InternProfits.com
Interns Rock!
I have been mentoring interns for years! Not only do we get much needed support, it's gratifying to provide real world experience to future PR pros. I urge small businesses to foster relationships with local colleges. Our company has been working with our local Cal State University for so long, we are on a preferred list for their students and they literally come to us each semester. A few tips:
1. Give them real work to do.
2. Take the time to give directions, but allow them to fail or succeed. Realize they are doing much of this for the first time.
3. Give constructive feedback.
4. If an intern is not working out, talk to them and if they are not happy doing the work, cut them loose. Could be the best thing you ever did for someone!
Great post, thanks for celebrating interns!
Angela
We Had a great Intern
I interviewed for a summer intern in 2010 and was disgusted. I had no shows and gum chewing and no follow ups. I was discouraged but talked with other small businesses who had better results so I tried again for 2011.
I hired a great intern! We were right on target with her. She only wanted part time and could only work for 4 weeks. We wanted her for 6-8 but her college started early so we made due.
We gave her research work and we met once a week for all day after our initial all day meeting. She was timely, insightful, and a great resource.
Haralee.Com Sleepwear