Top Tips for Hiring and Managing Interns

There are many different, interesting ways of sourcing your interns. If they are not coming to you through your website, you could try various other methods such as the use of social media, competitions, or attending student careers fairs. When evaluating an application, there are many important elements to an applicant that should be taken into account other than just grades. A favorable applicant should be someone who is clearly enthusiastic and passionate about the business, and is willing to put in the hard work - grades can’t give you all of that. Instead of doing a basic interview consider trying something more creative and less traditional. For instance, you could ask them to solve a problem specific to the field of work to test out their skills. If someone is applying to do programming, give them a program that contains a bug and ask them to locate and remove it [1]. You can then assess the applicant’s abilities and judge whether they would be the best fit for the position. Chances are you’ll end up hiring much more capable interns who can think creatively and will produce high-quality pieces of work.

2. Get the Basics Right

To make a good first impression on the intern make sure to be organized and prepared for their arrival. Some things to be aware of are:

• Who will look after/mentor them during their time at the business
• Have a rough schedule of what the intern will be doing while they are at the organization, even just for the first week
• Where they will be seated and if they have access to IT
• Introduce them to people when they first arrive, and inform them of basic things such as health and safety, and where things are located

3. Consider Paying Them a Salary

Pay is not always the most important factor for students when applying for an internship. Instead, many people are focused more on gaining experience to apply for jobs in the future. However, legislation may prevent unpaid interns from activities other than shadowing other employees. [2] A study shows that only 36% of those who worked in an unpaid internship were offered a full-time job at the end of it. On the other hand, 60% of those who were working in paid internships were offered a job. [3] Paying interns may therefore give a lot more flexibility and opportunity for the intern to showcase and utilize their skills. Employers will get a much better feel for how the intern performs in a paid internship, as they will have the opportunity to make a real contribution. Unlike an unpaid internship, they can then see if it would be beneficial to hire the intern full-time.

4. Provide Them With Real Work

Sticking your intern in a photocopy room for the summer won’t give a very good representation of their abilities, or portray you as a future employer of choice! Instead, treat your interns as if they are regular employees. Internships are a great opportunity to benefit not only from an extra pair of hands, but may let you tackle some work or a project you might not otherwise be able to do. It also helps you accurately assess what they would be like as an employee, and how they would perform in the organization. Giving proper tasks will likely motivate the intern, as they will feel as though they are valued and that their contribution matters. [4]

5. Try to Give and Ask for Feedback

Giving the intern detailed feedback on their work allows them to identify the areas where they need to improve. This will help them to develop their skills and grow into a good potential candidate for a job at the organization. Not only does this give them opportunity to improve on their weaker skills, but they will feel valued and motivated when their hard work is recognized. Equally important is asking the intern for feedback on their experience working with you. This helps the organization to improve the quality and effectiveness of the internships that they offer.