Smart May Move

May is the month of flowers, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. But don’t let the month race by without looking ahead to the summer vacation season and the need for additional staff.

Bring in the Interns

Small businesses have begun to tap the intern talent pool that big corporations have dipped into for years. Besides providing help in a pinch, interns can be an excellent source of future full-time employees. If you don’t already have a pipeline to prospective interns, check with career-services offices at local colleges and universities.

First, make a commitment to pay your intern something. You don’t have to pay as much as you do to a full-time employee, but provide enough so the intern can use the job as a replacement for normal part-time employment.

Second, don’t make the common mistake of hiring an intern simply to handle “grunt work” tasks as they come to mind. Indiana University’s Career Development Center www.indiana.edu/~career notes that a well-developed internship program benefits both you and your intern by managing expectations and removing the guesswork from the process. Before interviewing or making hiring decisions, IU advises, take these five steps to establish a clear and thoughtful internship program:

1. Create a job description that describes your organization and outlines duties of the internship.
2. Determine the position details, including the length and timing of the internship, number of working hours, applicant selection criteria and compensation.
3. Select a direct supervisor for each intern.
4. Develop specific projects and assignments. And let interns work as a member of the team, so they can learn how different departments and employees interact within your business.
5. Appoint an internship coordinator as needed for recruitment and management positions.

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