"I PREFER working with young collegians, for the sheer focus, dedication, enthusiasm and eagerness they exude. They are the ideal candidates to mould, because they are ever keen to hone the theoretical skills they gain in their education process and complement it with practical exposure", says Ms. Jane Reed, HR expert with a prominent organisation. Companies no longer follow the rule that well-qualified candidates must be experienced. Smart talent including young college students are welcome. College students, today feel that academic excellence is not of much avail in today's cut-throat job markets. In an endeavour to couple textbook information with on-the-field knowledge, students have begun taking up internship programmes with companies in accordance with their courses. Apprehensive about slipping grades and diffusion of attention to course material, they however, prefer to work during the summer months so they can focus on the internship and pave the way for their career during their holiday.
In order to extend their accommodative approach to hiring interns, companies are drafting and developing special student intern programmes. This has far-fetching results both for the interns, and the company. Hiring interns helps reduce employee costs, while increasing the company's productivity. Also, you can spot potential talent in the interns and absorb them as permanent employees later. Internship programmes offer great advantages, if recognised and utilised appropriately.
Criteria: First things first; you need to set your priorities and criteria for selecting prospective interns. Decide upon the jobs that would be open for internship, the minimum qualification and qualities you would associate with the perfect intern, the pay structure if any and the employees who will be donning the role of mentors and heads.
Search: Once your criteria list is in place, spotting the right intern is next on the to-do list. A battle well begun is a battle half won. Look for opportunities to hire potential talent. Perhaps, you could erect a stall at a college fest, advertise on college bulletin boards or connect with college campus recruitment/placement cells. An open frame of mind and looking at the right places can prove your search worthwhile for there is no dearth of young talent!
Hiring & selection: The recruitment phase forms the crux of the whole process of adopting an internship programme and getting interns to work for you. Adopt a simple approach towards hiring interns. Remember they are not thorough professionals but young students en route to achieving that end. You obviously cannot enquire about experience or have a clear understanding of what to expect of them. Traverse that extra mile to explain the history of your company and maybe, state your expectations. Ideally, give them an overview of the major processes they would be working on. For example, if you are an advertising agency. You could discuss a few advertisements and ask the candidates to analyse some of them and portray them in the light of their own understanding. This will create the background for their work later on.
Rapport: The recruitment process helps you zero in on the right intern. Once you have finalised the intern, focus on building a professional camaraderie and understanding, with the candidate. Remember, interns are raw talents and require guidance and grooming. They may not possess even a skeletal idea of how a workplace functions and employees interact. Therefore, take the initiative to brief them on their behaviour, interactions with other staff and authorities. Besides this, introduce to their immediate colleagues and help them establish a pleasant atmosphere and rapport. This will not only make them feel relaxed and less tensed, but reassure them and dispel worries, concentrate on the job at hand and display their talent, in the right manner, at the right place and time.
Processes: A professional understanding and rapport leads your intern to take up the work allocated without inhibitions. Since your intern is a fresher, a brief on how to approach the work is well warranted. You could appoint a senior to monitor the work processes of a group of interns. He can take the responsibility of teaching the interns. All along, remember to present only an outline framework of the processes they would take up. Give them the autonomy and freedom to utilise their creativity and talent. Too much interference can make an intern diffident. Thus, mentor their progress without being dictatorial!
The best part about summer interns is that you work with dynamic youngsters, at a cost less than industry standards. You get substantial efficient output with careful monitoring and encouragement. Interns can fill in vacant positions. Your organisation can accrue the benefits of hiring interns, provided you possess the interest and ability to groom these powerhouses of talent. Right attitude and approach can fetch you the very best, from the immensely huge pool of talent available in classrooms.
