Developing and growing your company is at the top of your list, and interns can help you tremendously in this endeavor. We know that your company is your brainchild, your passion, and it supports an entire ecosystem of lives. What if you could develop and share that passion with others while also sharing that workload? Internship programs provide a great space to share your passion with someone eager to learn. Beyond that, it is an excellent opportunity to develop the next generation of your workforce and a hiring pipeline as passionate about what you do as you are.
Internships come in every length of time and level of responsibility, depending on the business’s needs and the internship’s goals. The intern will gain experience in their career field and may gain opportunities for the future while lending their fresh perspective, energy, and enthusiasm to the business owner.
An internship program allows you and your current team to connect with college-age students and ultimately mentor them. Fostering these interpersonal and business relationships will, in turn, strengthen your business culture while fine-tuning skills and processes along the way.
What Are the Top 4 Benefits of Hiring an Intern?
- A Fresh Perspective. A college student who hasn’t yet seen your company internally will have a fresh perspective on your strategies and plans and can bring surprising inspiration and ingenuity with them. They often are also familiar with new tools that you may not have heard of before and are eager to research new options for growth and development.
- Savvy Social Strategy. Let’s face it; each generation has greater tech-savvy than before, and younger people have unique social approaches. Involve your interns in your social strategy and seek their feedback; you will benefit from a more relevant reach and broaden your tech stack.
- Pre-Qualified Hiring Pipeline. Many Fortune-500 companies retain their interns as entry-level hires. Why not follow suit and hire young people as interns, teach them your business and how your company does business, and hire them when they graduate college? It’s an opportunity for you to not only test out this new working relationship but also find qualified, affordable talent as you continue to grow. For the intern, it is an opportunity to define themselves further as they learn and discover whether they enjoy their work. If it doesn’t work out, both parties have further identified their needs and can move forward with a new understanding in future endeavors.
- Helping Hands. An intern can lend an extra set of hands to help you accomplish goals or finish projects. Interns can work with other employees in the office on specific projects, learn new skills, gain knowledge about the industry, and develop those oh-so-vital people skills they will need going forward.
How Do I Develop An Internship Program That Will Be Beneficial To My Interns?
Your company will benefit from an internship program if you ensure that it is a business priority. Some vital building blocks of a successful mentorship program are:
- Structure. Have a plan in place before your intern ever arrives. Guide their professional development along the way, from the first day to the last.
- Guidance. Provide the student with the leadership they need to be successful. If left to themselves, your interns may flounder and lose precious learning opportunities, while you will be wasting your time and money.
- Training. Schedule adequate training before your program begins or host an intern orientation. A confident college intern will become part of the team much more quickly than someone still trying to figure things out for themselves.
- Resources. The more resources (time, materials, tools, and money) you are willing to put toward the internship program, the better it will be. The better your internship program is, the more competitive it will be, and the more competitive the program, the stronger your future applicant pool!
Maistro Mentor can help match your business with an intern who is the right fit for the job and build a solid, successful mentorship program. Maistro is dedicated to building healthy interpersonal business relationships within the Nashville business community and throughout the US. One of our main focuses is to bring business owners and college students together to build vital industry connections that last!