Careers

Interns in the workplace can assist staff with a variety of projects. Interns can energize your workplace as you tap into their fresh and young ideas. Interns will ask questions you might not think of because you're so familiar with what you're trying to achieve.

Successful interns also can turn into full-time employees, eliminating some recruitment efforts.

Finally sponsoring an internship program is one of the best ways to give back to the profession. Most of us have been helped by someone along the way, and internships help young professionals contribute at a higher level when they start their careers after graduation. Students benefit greatly from work experiences companies provide them.

To find the right interns, you'll have to promote your opportunities. The American Marketing Association can help you. Lisiting an opportunity on the AMA Job Board is completely FREE.

Prior to advertising an opportunity, though, you have a few details to resolve. They are deciding to pay or not to pay the intern and creating a job description so your internship has structure, which is important for you and the intern.

Step 1 – Plan to pay the intern

If you are going to sponsor an internship program, you should pay the interns at least your state's minimum wage.

Why pay?

First, you'll have more applicants for your internships. As a result, you'll have a larger pool of students to select from. If you want the best students, pay.

Second, interns are worth what you pay them. They bring skills into the workplace and contribute to the operations of your company.

Third, the interns will be more dedicated to the internship if they are paid. Interns who do not get paid usually work the minimum number of hours the internship requires because they will  need to find a part-time paid job before, during and after the internship. With the cost of college these days, few students can afford an unpaid internship.

Fourth, interns usually receive better projects from employers who pay them. If an employer is paying its intern, then the intern will be expected to work and produce. If the employer doesn't have anything invested in the intern, then the employer isn't out anything if the intern just sits all day and does nothing.

Finally, a major concern in connection with internships is the legality of not paying interns. For example, courts have ruled that the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 doesn't excuse a business from using unpaid interns just because they are getting college credit. Some companies, however, use this as a reason for not paying interns.

If an advertising agency is charging back for the intern's work, it will probably have to pay back wages if a complaint is filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. What happens if an intern gets hurt on the job, and he or she is not on the payroll? Can the intern collect higher damages in your state?

Too many unknowns exist when companies don't pay their interns. Companies protect themselves when they pay their interns, and besides, it's the right thing to do.

If interns use their own vehicles for internship-related work, they should receive mileage, too.

As a student once said to me, "If they say an internship is work, don't you get paid for work?"

Step 2 – Write a job description

In connection with the job description, it is very important that you know what you'll have your interns do. The more thought and structure you put into your internship program, the more successful it will be for you and the student.

The first step is to write a job description for each intern position. Put the job description into the form of a flier. The flier can then be e-mailed to college internship coordinators who will use it to promote your opportunity. At the top of the job description, write a heading that promotes your internship.

In the job description start with a brief description of the company and the internship, noting whether it is paid or unpaid. If the internship is paid, tell how much – a $12 an hour internship.

Next, list the job responsibilities of the intern. As you create this list, try to include a project that the intern can take ownership of and one that he or she can start and see through to the finish. Every project should be real. Some companies pride themselves in "making up" a project for interns to work on. Bad idea. Students learn concepts in their classes this way, but they expect real work during their internships.

Also, as you develop the list of tasks you expect the intern to accomplishment, keep in mind that students will judge your internship opportunity against others by what they'll get to do during the internship, how their work can be noted as achievements on their résumé and what they'll leave with for their portfolio. Today's interns want to be part of a team and make a contribution to meaningful projects. Interns recognize internships are the way to develop real-world skills before they graduate from college.

If there are any particular skills that the intern will need, e.g., knowledge of certain computer software, excellent writing skills, make this another section of the job description.

Special requirements that an intern applicant must meet need to be noted in the job description.

• Does the intern have to have a certain grade point average?
• Must the student be a junior or senior, or will you consider a sophomore or a freshman?
• Will intern applicants need to have completed another internship before you will consider them for your internship?
• What majors, e.g., marketing, advertising, public relations, communication studies, are eligible for your internship?
• How many hours will you expect interns to work? Most schools expect interns to work at least 20 or more hours a week.
• How many weeks will you expect interns to work? Most schools like internships that last at least 10-15 weeks.

The final part of the job description should tell the student how to apply for the internship. Should the student send materials via e-mail or a mail service. Such information also should detail what the student should submit, e.g., cover letter, résumé (with three to five references) and three to five writing samples, and to whom the materials should be submitted by what date?

Step 3 – Start promotion the semester before you need an intern

Don't wait until the start of a new semester to list your internship opportunity with AMA or with university career centers and the academic departments you believe are training students who can best contribute to your operations. You need to promote your opportunity at least a semester ahead of when you want to hire an intern.

Typical deadlines for students to apply for internships are Feb. 1-March 1 for summer semester, June 15-July 15 for fall semester, and Oct. 15-Nov. 15 for spring semester.

In addition to listing your internship opportunity with various outlets, other ways to promote your internship are:

• Attend university job fairs to recruit interns as well as full-time employees
• Arrange on-campus interviews through university career centers or contact the internship coordinators of marketing and advertising programs on campuses.

Step 4 – Find a place for the intern to work

To make interns feel like they are a part of the team, have a place for them to work. They need their own desk, computer and phone. Avoid making them play musical chairs with employees who are sick or on vacation. Otherwise, they don't find the environment very welcoming.

Step 5 – Find a senior staffer to serve as the intern's supervisor

For an internship to be successful, interns need an experienced professional to serve as their supervisor. An intern should never be placed with a junior member of the staff.

An on-site intern supervisor needs to do the following:

• Meet regularly or have an open door policy with the intern. It also is recommended that a supervisor and intern be located on the same floor. The greater the distance between the supervisor and intern, the greater the chance the internship will not be as successful as it could be.
• Recognize that the intern is not a professional yet, but needs to be treated as much like a professional as possible. The intern is doing an internship because he or she still has a lot to learn, but the internship is supposed to give the intern an idea of what it's like to be a professional. Such a situation is a balancing act. Encourage the intern to ask questions and to take notes. Internship supervisors are teachers, as well as supervisors.
• Provide the intern with necessary training, e.g., how to use company Intranet. 
• Make the intern aware of workplace policies, e.g., no blogging or twittering about internship (violation of workplace confidentiality).
• Set up clear expectations for each assignment. Strive to provide the intern with as many varied experiences as possible.
• Make sure the tasks the intern are asked to complete during the internship are those in the job description. When interns do not get to work on promised projects, they sometimes question if they have chosen the right career.
• Supply feedback on the intern's work. Offer praise when the intern does good work. When the intern's work does not meet expectations, the intern with the help of the supervisor needs to determine how to make the work acceptable.
• Try not to be critical of what the intern has learned in class. Telling students to forget everything they have learn is quite unsettling for them and causes them to doubt their abilities.
• Plan to do a face-to-face midterm evaluation and final evaluation of the intern during the work experience. The midterm evaluation is very important for the intern because if there are any problems, the intern has the last half of the internship to improve his or her performance and leave the internship with higher marks. More than likely you'll also be asked to do a written midterm and written final evaluation of the intern for his or her academic internship coordinator.
• Allow the intern to attend departmental staff meetings and to observe you in meetings outside the department and in professional social settings. Realize that you have  influence with the intern and leave lasting impressions on the intern. You are a role model.
• Introduce them to high-ranking officials in the company. Today's interns want such exposure.
• Invite them to take advantage of company's extracurricular activities, e.g., sports teams.
• Serve as a mentor by sharing the pros and cons of the field. Take them to professional organization meetings and pay for their meals.

When you provide college students with worthwhile and positive internship experiences, you're doing very important work. You're helping a young person take a very important step toward becoming a professional.