9 Ways to Get The Most Out of Your Intern

Around the start of a new season, college students are a-flutter trying to secure a semester-long internship that will help enhance their education and make them ready for the real world. It's an opportunity to get them out of the classroom and apply their skills to fields that could one day help them bring home the bread. But businesses are infamous for making interns get the coffee and do the copying. While these are (of course) important tasks, here's how you can make the internship experience better for everyone.

1. Appreciate the work they do for little or no pay.

Free work seems like a fairy-tale. While some internships are paid, others can be free when granted college credit as compensation. So don't think that you have to only give grunt work to your interns. They're smart and educated and are up to the challenge.

2. Be inspired by their eagerness.

There's nothing like the honeymoon phase. Interns that are just starting out in a new industry are likely to have a lot of questions. Be patient and proud when showing off your knowledge of the business. Find joy in passing on your hard-earned experience to those eager to learn.

3. Access the young market.

Most interns are likely to be a part of the younger demographic. Every business can benefit from having young workers. They can offer valuable insights on how to reach that demographic, and get your business out their to their friends and peers.

4. Listen to their suggestions.

Even though they are green, interns may have a lot of suggestions for how to improve communication, boost social media presence, or get better office snacks, for example. Listen to them. They'll feel more valuable in the workplace and be inspired to work even harder.

5. Give them special projects.

Most business plans don't account for interns, so their work is sometimes labeled as "unnecessary." Not true at all. Interns can be responsible for small projects that you've always wanted to start but could never find the resources to complete.

6. Let them help you get organized.

Besides filing, copying, data entry, and all that jazz, interns can be a huge help in the digital world. Have them spice up your website, social media platforms, and online data management systems.

7. Streamline your training process.

A lot of the time, employees find it tedious to train interns and think that it takes away from their own work. So break it down to the essentials. Get your intern right into the game, and use a trial by experience training technique. It'll save you time and get straight to the point.

8. Invite them in on meetings and calls.

Barring any company-confidential information, let the intern be involved and take notes on calls and meetings. This will be an easy way to train them up quickly on how the company conducts day-to-day business.

9. See potential for eventual employment.

Don't think of an internship as something that's fleeting. There is always potential that your intern will show a vested interest in returning to the company once completing his or her studies. And with all of that training as an intern, it will make the employment process that much easier.

Interns can be great resources for any small business if you know how to maximize the experience.

PayPath
Follow Us on

Southwest Companion Pass

There’s all this talk about solo travel. And for good reason — no wasting precious time waiting for others to get their act together, take the plans out of the group chat and actually buy the tickets. Going solo, you can be spontaneous. You can plan your trips according to your precise tastes. You can hop on any flight and fly awayyyyyy.

Keep readingShow less

Jobs don't have to be miserable!

Photo by Madrona Rose on Unsplash

Though the wave of tech layoffs and the threat of a recession has overshadowed yesteryear's news of the great recession, everywhere you look, employees are asking for more — and getting it. Though this time of uncertainty could have given employers back the power, it's still in the hands of the workforce.

From Gen-Z's boundary setting and penchant for quiet quitting when they're being under-recognized, to labor unions and even the WGA writer's strike, we're in an era where workers can make demands about how they work — and where they work. And for many people, they want to work from home.

Keep readingShow less

Oh, how far we’ve come! Recently, it was revealed that — finally! — women CEOs at Fortune 500 companies outnumber male CEOs named John. A dubious milestone, but it's something to celebrate.

Though women have come pretty far in society, the progress we've made is far from enough. From the pay gap to daily microaggressions, it’s still obvious that women are treated as lesser than in society. This is especially clear when you look at how few female-founded businesses there are.

Keep readingShow less