School will be out soon, and many ambitious students will be looking for summer internship opportunities to expand their knowledge, skills, and bank accounts! If you are considering hiring interns, or will need seasonal workers for the summer, now is the time to start planning. Summer interns are a great way to build a pipeline for future talent needs. They can also serve as “ambassadors” to promote knowledge about your company with their peers.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you plan for your summer intern hiring.
Follow the Department of Labor guidelines regarding payment. If you hire paid interns, the same minimum wage and overtime laws apply to them as apply to your fulltime employees. With paid interns you have more flexibility in terms of the type of work you can have them do. If you hire unpaid interns, be sure you understand the California Department of Labor guidelines for determining whether the intern is entitled to wages. The DOL considers the following 6 criteria in determining whether an intern is entitled to wages in exchange for his or her services. An unpaid internship must meet this criteria:
- The internship is similar to training that would be given in an educational environment
- The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern
- The intern works under close supervision of existing staff and does not displace regular employees
- The employer derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and, on occasion, its operations may even be impeded
- The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the end of the internship
- The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship
Create a detailed job description. The intern may have little or no work experience. Be clear about expectations, supervision, etc. Ideally, tie the work to their school curriculum (this is especially important for unpaid interns). Consider what tools and resources – and training – they might need to fulfill expectations and include that in your planning.
Make the internship a positive and learning experience. Consider assigning a mentor or “buddy” as the intern’s “go to” person for questions and concerns. Create opportunities for them to learn about the company (think “selling your brand.”) Also, In addition to providing them with skills and knowledge related to their area of study, help them learn the workplace skills they’ll need when they transition from campus to office – time management, networking, effective communication, email etiquette and other skills and behaviors that will help them succeed. Make it fun!
Remember, every person who interacts with you and your business is a potential advocate or detractor. You know this about customers, but also keep it in mind when you are interacting with job candidates, temporary employees and summer interns. At the end of the summer interns will be going back to their respective campuses and relaying to other students (perhaps some of your future job candidates) the experience they had at your company. Be sure you make it a good one.