Internships provide many opportunities to those starting their career journey in their field of work. It’s a way for young professionals or recent post-secondary graduates to get their foot in the door and start working their way towards their dream job. It gives them the right knowledge and real-world experience to prepare for their future career. But the benefits aren’t just for the interns. Internship programs have great benefits to the business hosting the program as well! There is a lot to learn from having an internship program.
These are just 5 reasons why you should consider hiring an intern this summer.
1. You gain a new perspective
The more voices you have within your business, the more perspective you gain. The more perspectives you have, the better. Interns are fresh with knowledge and eager to prove themselves as an asset to your business. Don’t just have them sitting in a room and working on filing paperwork. Engage with them and ask them for their opinions or take-aways from certain parts of the business. You’ll not only be shaping their perspective and broadening their knowledge in the industry, but there is a lot you can take away from what they bring to the table as well.
2. They’re tech-savvy
Young professionals are usually very quick to learn anything to do with basic technology. Use this to your advantage. There’s usually less training involved with computer programs because they can pick up on those things fast. There are also many techniques they have been taught, that they can probably teach you as well to help your day-to-day business function more efficiently.
3. Think of it as a trial period that could lead to more
It’s great to think of an internship like a trial period. Once the summer is over, perhaps they’ll be looking for work and you would like to keep them on and hire them part-time or full-time. The benefit of doing a summer internship is if the intern was great you can keep them on, but if they didn’t exactly perform to your level of standards, you can always let them go after the summer is over. At least they still took away some experience from working with you.
4. You give someone the work experience they need
It’s great to give back and grant young professionals the opportunity to jumpstart their careers – and an internship can do just that. Many young people looking for work can find it difficult to enter their job field because it usually requires them to have a few years of experience first. But how can they gain the experience without being able to enter their job field without experience? It’s a vicious circle that many people go through, unfortunately. However, internships provide people with the experience they need to enter the workforce and it also helps to grow your industry as well.
5. Improve your work environment and put your employees to the test
Adding a new member to the team is a great way to liven up the office and change the atmosphere for a bit for your employees. This also allows you to challenge the knowledge of your employees by having them help with the intern training process. Have the intern collaborate on specific projects with one of your employees and see what they take away from the experience. This will not only keep you updated on where they are in the training process but also where your employee’s knowledge stands.
Before you jump into hiring an intern, there are a few things you need to consider first. If you are thinking about hiring an intern with the intention of having them do the ‘dirty work’, then an internship program may not be right for your business. One important thing to remember about internship programs is that whoever you hire as an intern can become an ambassador for your business. If they had a negative experience working with you, this can impact the reputation of your business. Think deeply about your internship program – what will you have the intern do? What will make the experience helpful or memorable for them? Will you have the time to mentor them? Will you gain a new employee out of this internship? Ask yourself these questions before you create an internship program and carefully think through your internship plan.
If you’re interested in creating an internship program within your business, we can help you get started at FOCUS Employment Services. We have countless resources and professional career counsellors who can help you shape your internship program and spread the word about it. Get started by visiting our website or checking out one of our career centres in Angus or Alliston. The experienced team at FOCUS Employment Services looks forward to meeting with you and getting your internship program started!
