Many colleges and universities offer a distributive education program in which students work for businesses part-time or volunteer as interns while they learn about a given field. By developing an internship program within your company, you can take advantage of free or below market rate help for your business. However, cost savings is not the only reason why student internships are great. In addition, they offer you the opportunity to vet out potential future employees, as well as network with and "give back" to the local community.

That said, without a clear game plan, the student intern experience could be a nightmare for both you and the student. School policy regarding for-credit internships vary, and it’s important that you communicate directly with the career services offices at specific universities and colleges from which you wish to recruit. The following tips will help ensure your student internships are rewarding and profitable for all involved. Generally, it’s a good idea to:

• Create a job description. Job descriptions should be active. An internship program is different than a job-shadowing program, in which students merely observe your business’ environment. The job description should be clear and specific in order to ensure that students understand what will be required of them. If the internship involves work on one specific task or project, be sure to include details of the project.

• Identify the qualifications the students must possess. Say you’re looking for a graphic design intern. Do you want a student majoring in the field, or merely someone interested in learning about design? Do you have a minimum grade point average (GPA) you require? How long would you like the intern to commit to your company?

• Develop a training plan. Once you’ve selected your intern(s), what would you like to have them do? If you intend to have an intern come in five hours a week, you should make sure that their time–and yours––is spent wisely. Develop specific, and progressive assignments. For example, if one week, you have a graphic design intern scan in images, have them color correct and resize them the following week. Set out a series of goals you’d like your intern to achieve by the end of their semester or yearlong internship. Employers who formulate well-designed training plans can count on an excellent return for these efforts.

• Decide who will supervise and who will mentor. A supervisor should have direct responsibility for training and evaluating the student on the job. A mentor, who may or may not be the student's supervisor, can provide guidance to the intern in other ways, such as assisting with the student's professional development needs.

• Establish a salary. If your internship is unpaid, will you offer a transportation or meal stipend? If it is paid, do you intend to pay an hourly wage, or one lump sum?

• How much will it cost your business? Many colleges offer credit-only internships, which require that students intern for a certain number of hours per week in exchange for college credit. Other colleges offer college credit and require that you pay the student, while still others arrange paid employment without college credit.

Interns typically expect to learn skills or useful information relevant to their chosen field of study. Prior to contacting a school regarding interns, make sure that you have a clear idea of how an intern will benefit from working with you. If you're looking for someone to do clerical work with little or no opportunity for learning on the job, it's generally best to hire administrative help instead.

Questions about this article? Visit the 247advisor.com forum for free, expert advice.

© Copyright 247advisor.com

Top of Page