3 Keys To Maximizing Your Intern’s Effectiveness
By AJ Agrawal
Let’s talk about internships and ways to boost the productivity of an intern. Today, there are greater numbers of intern applications because most companies want to cut costs by hiring eager, capable students who are vying for work experience and cost less to hire than professionals.
In short, internships make for a great way to recruit potential hires and headhunt to fill your talent pipeline. Let’s think about this issue from the viewpoint of an intern. They’re excited, motivated, and enthusiastic after passing interviews and want to make a notable difference. The enthusiasm and eagerness of students makes opening up internship spaces an incredible value recruiting tool for your company in the long-term.
But let’s dig a little deeper and ask ourselves why internships have become so popular. Currently, internships are a pivotal part of the recruiting and hiring process. In comparison, participation in internships wasn’t even on the radar over the past few decades. What explains this latest shift?
Regardless of industry or maturity, all companies share two goals: make money and save on operational costs. Internship programs are proven means of helping an organization reduce salary expenses without sacrificing resources and work flow. Employers don’t really want to spend a lot of time on training only for new recruits to quit in the middle of the process because it’s a waste of time and resources for that company. Imagine hiring someone, training them, and then seeing them put in their two weeks’ notice shortly after. This scenario is all-too common for organizations, and many are seeing the value of testing out the waters with individual hires first through internships to avoid high turnover rates among entry-level positions.
The recent popularity of internships arises out of the need for companies to minimize costs associated with turnover rates. But, what about the interns themselves? How do we make sure they’re not slacking off on the job or messing around? There’s actually quite a few good ideas to keep your new interns on their toes and here are some of the most creative and effective ones.
Include Them in the Company Culture
It’s basic human nature to want to interact with other people and take part in social activities. In far too many organizations, employees work in the same vicinity but have very little interaction because company culture has not been prioritized. One of the best ways to make interns feel like valuable, contributing staff members, is to involve them in company happenings. Even events as basic as a team lunch or happy hour can make a world of difference and encourage interns to proactively take on new projects and initiatives. It’s difficult to expect an intern to offer value if they are never made to feel like they’re a part of the team. A close group that helps guide and motivate your intern will greatly boost their productivity because they know that they are now part of team effort. That sense of community will also leave a good impression on that intern.
Define a Clear Set of Goals and Objectives
Organization is so important when it comes to creating a structured approach towards achieving a specific goal. Suppose there are two people with the same identical abilities, but one person is more organized than the other. Despite the fact that these individuals are virtually identical, the single quality of organization can sometimes even make the difference between success and failure. So, I would definitely stress the importance of organization If I were assigning interns to a variety of different tasks. We cannot understate the importance of organization, timeliness, and clarity.
Envision the Bigger Picture
Most companies strategize by hiring interns before hiring full-time employees. But what are the chances that interns will land a job after completing an internship and how can they tell if they’ve fit into the company culture or if they’ve made an impact during that internship? The good news is that most interns taking part in paid internships usually end up working at the company where they interned.
It is highly possible that an intern can be a prospective employee in the very near future. Guiding your employees about their career is key. You don’t want them to miss the forest for the trees. Instead, being able to get a good sense of the bigger picture of the company represents a great starting point for an intern.
With these tips in mind, I hope you’ll be able to maximize the ability for your interns to contribute more efficiently to your business.
Article originally posted on Business 2 Community.
