PACKED WITH TIPS AND TOOLS TO BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS
INTERNS: TO HAVE OR NOT TO HAVE?
3 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING
That is the question. Having an intern can be beneficial to both your business and to the young person you hire. Or it can end up being a hassle and leave everyone dissatisfied with the experience. Read on to learn the ins and outs of internships and how to do it right.
· HOW IT HELPS STUDENTS According to Sherry Leigh Lacey, the director at Huntingdon College’s Center for Career and Vocation, internships are not only valuable for students, they’re vital. “Internships are a crucial part of professional growth in college, allowing students the opportunity to truly discern their vocation,” she said. “The new skills and abilities discovered during an internship are major benefits to college students; however, one of the most advantageous aspects is definitely the connections that are made.
· HOW IT CAN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS Lacey also believes that internships can be good for businesses. “Ideally, an employer will have as much to gain from a successful internship experience as the student,” she said. “Teaching your business from the ground up to an intern can help an employer or owner rediscover a passion for their own business, and build on their own teaching and leadership skills.” And while she discouraged viewing interns as cheap or free labor she did stress this: “Start-up companies and businesses on a tight budget can certainly benefit by hiring an intern for specific projects related to the student’s major or field of interest.”
· BANG FOR YOUR BUCK? In many cases, as Lacey pointed out, hiring an intern and paying them (see Paid or Not?) pays off big for both parties. Most interns are ready to work hard and understand they may be asked to do “grunt” work in addition to other work in return for valuable experience and networking. In some cases, though, the cons outweigh the pros for the business owner, especially if you have to spend a lot of time training your interns or micro-managing an unmotivated one. So even if you’re only paying them minimum wage, an intern may actually hurtyour bottom line. It depends on your business model and the quality of each individual intern. The exception is if your business always needs new employees. If so, running a well-defined internship program can serve as a pipeline for future longterm employees who understand and know your business. “The access to talented future college graduates to fill open positions within their company – interns who have already had training and now have a working knowledge of their business – is the biggest advantage in my opinion for the employer or business owner,” Lacey said. Your personal motivation also comes into play. Some businesses know that having an internship program doesn’t really do much for them. Instead, it’s part of a commitment to give back.
HOW TO DO IT RIGHT
Sherry Leigh Lacey, the director at Huntingdon College’s Center for Career and Vocation, offered this wisdom:
EXPERT ADVICE:
DO THIS:
• Make it a valuable experience on both ends, and be hands on.
• Hire an individual you could see yourself hiring fulltime.
• Make sure to have professional development opportunities available to your intern.
NOT THIS:
• Don’t be too flexible. Allow flexibility and be understanding, but not so flexible that they think that is how the “real world” is.
• Don’t use an intern for “free” or “cheap” labor. It must be a professional development experience.
• Don’t be inaccessible to college faculty advisors who are requesting student evaluations.
WORKING PROOF -
Zoo Deputy Director Marcia Woodard explained how interns at The Montgomery Zoo & Mann Wildlife Learning Museum benefit operations and what she believes interns gain in return.
PAID OR NOT? KNOW THE LAW
If you’re thinking adding an unpaid intern to your business is a great way to take advantage of free labor, think again. In the last few years, several interns who were paid little to nothing while working for large companies filed lawsuits for back wages and won. The new normal when it comes to internships is that in most cases, for-profit companies have to pay their interns if they want to comply with labor laws, and minimum wage is the lowest you should pay.
The Department of Labor uses the below points to determine whether or not an internship can be unpaid and be legal. If an internship meets all six criteria, it can be unpaid.
• The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training that would be given in an educational environment;
• The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
• The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
• The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
• The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
• The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
NOTE: Nonprofits and government sectors are automatically exempt from the rules governing internships and pay.
