Internship programs are generally attractive to employers because they offer a way to bring in fresh perspectives, create a pipeline for new hires and provide mentorship opportunities for existing employees. Either way, To attract quality candidates, internship programs must be well-planned. For many prospective candidates, this means the programs are engaging, provide real-world experience and deliver a paycheck, even if interns are paid just minimum wage.
Before launching an internship program you need to know that:
- 1. You’re training tomorrow’s Workers,
- 2. You’re assigning them real work.
- 3. You need to know that money counts, too.
- 4. You will be building consensus
- 5. You have to be measuring success.
Point 1. Means that you can use internship programs as a trial run for employers and interns to discern whether they’re a good fit. Point 2. Means considering that one major goal of an internship program is to prepare interns for the rigors of the working world. Point 3. Means that one of the ways of making interns feel valued is paying them. Point 4. Means that to ensure the success of internship programs, HR professionals need to get full buy-in from the rest of their organization. Point 5. means creating straightforward, consistent measurements of your interns success.
In the end, what’s important is that the intern walks away feeling good about your company. Because interns are a really good advertising tool, they can recommend you to their friends. This way you will be benefiting both your interns and your organization!
