Are Internships a Dying Breed?

Internship. We’ve all heard of it, had one, gotten paid to do one, taken a volunteer one just for the experience, or managed a program for them- maybe you have even seen it from all sides. But with companies small and large struggling to stay in business, and highly-experienced candidates willing to take on the most menial of positions, where do the interns fit in this picture anymore?

The first step toward making that determination is to establish what you have to offer an intern, and what in turn, you expect that intern to do for your company. Many people make the mistake of misusing interns; turning them into errand-runners or personal assistants, when that is an entirely different job category. What makes an internship different from any other type of position is the emphasis on give and take. When it comes to typical jobs, an employer generally hires an employee that the company will benefit from (the taking part). Sure the employee will gain some useful experience (hopefully), but there is very little active effort on the part of the company to provide that return (or give) to those workers.

This should not be the design of an internship. Heather Huhman, author of “Lies, Damned Lies and Internships”, proposes that the key aspects of any internship should be education and mentorship. She recommends that “at least 51% of the experience should be spent learning and the remaining time should be spent applying what they learned”. Don’t let this come across as though your business should spend countless hours and indefinite resources coddling its young interns. This is simply a way of laying the groundwork for getting the end results out of your intern that your company will benefit from.

You are probably still asking: why would my company go through even the most minimal of extra efforts for an intern when we could just hire someone who already knows what they are doing? Besides the somewhat obvious: you can pay your interns less (mindful that you should always pay them something), there are two more great reasons not to axe your internship program.

The first is that dedicating a few resources to bringing in quality interns and structuring a solid program allows you to get exactly what you want. Your company grooms the interns, teaching them business skills that allow them to successfully complete projects for you. Remember, internships are about give and take: you give the interns valuable learning experiences that they cannot get in a classroom setting, and in return they give you a high-quality deliverable at the end of the summer. Feel free to structure an internship program around a project that your company has wanted to accomplish for some time, but hasn’t had the resources for, as long as it will impart some relevant knowledge on the participants.

The second reason, stems from the first, but applies over a longer period of time. These interns will one day be full-time job seekers out in the working world, and you undoubtedly need and want talented employees for your business. Teaching them what they need to know to become desirable at an early stage in their working lives ensures that they have time to cultivate those lessons, and come out on the other side as the ideal candidate (or at least closer to one). You may find that one of your interns is a great long-term fit for your company, or you may just contribute one more skilled individual into the workforce, but if enough companies do that everyone is bound to benefit in one way or another.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to your internship program is to give it structure and meaning. Choose real projects, goals, and timelines. Treat your interns as the potential employees they are; don’t waste their time, and they aren’t likely to waste yours. You can achieve tangible results with the help of an intern, and you can make it a life (or at least career) changing experience for them.