Should You Take on Interns?

As we make our way through the fall semester, students at colleges (and some high schools) across the country are looking toward next summer and the potential for internships. The application process for many internships has already started (and finished, in some cases). You may be wondering if it's worth it to get into the realm of internships, so before you jump in and take on an intern or two, think about why you're doing it and what's involved.

Consider what you'll need to provide. You may have to pay them (and you need to decide if this is a paid or unpaid internship before you advertise it). You need to offer training in your field; after all, this why people take internships for low or no pay rather than getting more traditional jobs. If they're good, you should provide them with positive references when they're applying for jobs later, whether with your company or somewhere else.

All of that seems like a pretty small outlay of resources. So what do YOU get for it?

First, let's be honest: cheap labor. Whether paid or unpaid, interns can be employed doing those tasks that need to be done but don't require a regular employee with a certain education or background. Some administrative work, like copying or simple PowerPoint preparation or anything along those lines, can typically be done by your interns. Since they don't have the skills needed by employees with more responsibility, and since they're really here for the training, you can generally get them for less money. But don't beat them. Not hard, anyway.

Second: you're developing people to work in your field. This is a good thing. If you're ever thinking "wow, they don't teach THIS in school," then having an intern is your chance to teach them whatever you think they're missing in their education. For creative fields, schools often develop skills, but practical experience is required to turn those skills into a profit-making business.

Third: this could be an audition for a potential employee. It sucks to take someone on as an employee only to discover they really weren't what you're looking for. Sure, you can cut them loose, but no one likes to do that, especially if the person isn't bad but is simply wrong for the job. If you can, try giving them some real responsibility (not enough to wreck your firm, of course). An internship gives you a chance to see what they're like in the workplace, and at the same time let's them see if your firm is right for them, in a way that an interview can't.

If you're going to hire interns, there are some things you should consider. The biggest is, you may not have much for them to do. You might consider having them work a shorter schedule than regular employees. Be flexible, too; if there's really nothing for them to do, and no one has time to work with them, let them take off, especially if they have studying to do or a paying gig they need to get to. Also, bear in mind that interns expect to get some training in how the business works. You need to be prepared to make time for that, having then assist different people on a variety of work and not just brushing them aside because they're "too much trouble." Just as they have certain obligations to you, so too do you have obligations to them. Someone in your firm needs to be responsible for them, and you should have a plan in place for what you're going to do with them and how you're going to help develop them.

Interns can be fun, and you can start a long relationship with them at this stage (a professional relationship, not a Monica Lewinsky-style relationship). If you think it's too much trouble, if your company is too small or the work is too fast-paced, then don't take them on. But if you think it can do you and them some good, give it a shot. Done properly, everybody wins.