Internship programs are excellent opportunities for young talent fresh on the market and are also beneficial to older, more experienced workers, as well as the brands who host the programs. If you're a brand that has never considered implementing an internship program before, then you'll want to buckle in and take some notes.
5 Benefits to Running Internship Programs
Most people believe that internships benefit the intern the most; however, that couldn't be farther from the truth. We've outlined a few of the most important reasons why your brand should consider running an internship program below:
1. Increase Brand Visibility
Whether you're offering an in-house or remote internship program, advertising this opportunity on major job boards and networking websites such as LinkedIn can help you increase your brand visibility. With the sheer number of individuals seeking some sort of work, entry-level and internship programs tend to stand out the most because they are opportunities to get your foot in the door.
This is important to keep in mind since entry-level positions aren't nearly as available as they once were. In fact, recent research found that entry-level job postings are down by approximately 68% due to the pandemic. With such steep competition out there, more people than ever before are paying closer attention to brands that are posting entry-level/intern work.
2. Discover New Talent for Your Company
This is probably one of the most well-known benefits of running an internship program, but it's also one of the top reasons to consider one. Not only do internship programs bring in extra help, but they also allow you to get a proper sense of a candidate's work ethics and abilities. Traditional interviews simply do not supply that.
Internships grant you time to get to know the candidate, gauge their skill levels, and determine how well they would fit into your office culture. If all goes well, your intern could become a permanent team member. In 2018, research showed that approximately 59% of interns were offered a position after completing their internship contract, and nearly 77% accepted the offer.
3. Positive Impact on Your Office Environment
Internship programs can do wonders when it comes to altering your office environment. Not only are you bringing in an extra set of hands, but these hands can also help increase overall office productivity and boost morale.
Interns start their internships with enthusiasm and an eagerness to please. This enthusiasm tends to rub off on your older employees and can help boost morale at work. When this happens, your employees are motivated to get their work done with a smile on their face and a sense of pride in accomplishing tasks. With the office morale up, productivity will increase as well.
4. Introduce New Perspectives to the Workplace
When you introduce new talent to your office, you are also bringing in whole new perspectives. Whether these are interns fresh out of college or adult interns looking to advance in their current industry, they often bring in new, fresh perspectives that can help increase productivity, initiate new protocols, and so much more.
For instance, if you are bringing in an entry-level intern fresh from their graduate program, they may be able to introduce you and your team to the latest in technology and trends, as well as consumer expectations. New perspectives also help boost your office morale and improve overall productivity.
5. Foster Leadership Abilities in Your Current Staff
Finally, another reason to consider implementing an internship program would be to help foster your more senior staff's leadership abilities. When you bring in new interns, you give your seasoned employees a chance to take the new hires under their wings and mentor them, which helps highlight who has leadership capabilities and who doesn't. This information could become vital for you later on, especially if you are considering moving someone up into a leadership position.
Using Your Internship Programs to Find Experienced Workers
While many internship programs are geared towards bringing in new entry-level workers, they can also be used to attract experienced individuals from within the industry. These internships are often considered "adult internships" or "returnships," and they are just as beneficial, if not more, than a standard internship.
Adult internships provide the opportunity for skilled professionals to gain a fresh new start to careers that may have evolved significantly since they left. It's also a chance for companies to bring in skilled professionals to help breathe new life into positions that may have been neglected for some time. Bringing in skilled hands can also help move stagnant projects along as adult interns' experiences in dealing with similar roadblocks can get dormant projects back on track.
Sure, adult internships provide many benefits to those seeking them; however, how can they benefit brands looking to run internships during the summer of 2021 and beyond?
How Do Adult Internships Benefit Your Brand?
Many brands consider adult internships to bring on mature individuals with plenty of experience in the industry. This usually allows brands to gain employees who already know what they are doing and require less mentoring as opposed to fresh graduates.
However, that's not the only reason for bringing in experienced adult interns. Need some convincing? Here are a few additional reasons worth considering:
Adult Interns Understand the System
One area of concern for most adult interns is remuneration. The difference between adult interns and young 20-somethings straight out of college is that adults understand the office/work hierarchy. Many young interns understand that they are expected to work for less due to their inexperience; however, they still tend to push the envelope to see what more they can get when negotiating an offer.
On the other hand, adult interns know that brands often look for interns as a way to bring in temporary help or offer up a potential position once the candidate proves their worth. They also know that their skillsets are of more value than those of a younger applicant. So, while adults may negotiate for more benefits such as higher intern pay, it's only because they have the experience to back it up.
Older Interns Understand the Office Setting
Another perk to hiring adult interns is that they usually already have experience working in a professional setting. This means that you spend less time talking them through the ins and outs of what's expected of them, how the managerial hierarchy goes, etc.
This also means you won't have to worry nearly as much about office politics or that your older staff may take advantage of the new help. Now, that's not to say that all young interns are left to do the dirty work nobody else wants to do; however, they often get the low end of the totem pole until they can prove themselves and their abilities.
With less mentoring needed, you can put your intern right to work and be assured they can get the job done on time, with little to no conflict with your existing staff and their duties.
They Have Established Relationships with People in the Industry
Now, if you are considering hiring adult interns to convert them to full-time employees, then you'll want to consider the benefits they bring. One such benefit is the network of professionals that your interns could be bringing with them.
Adult interns who have been working in an industry for some time have likely accumulated quite a network of professionals. These relationships with key people could be of value to your brand later on down the line.
For instance, when working on a specific project that requires some outside input, your adult intern could suggest someone of value worth collaborating with. If they've established a genuine connection (not just a casual LinkedIn connection) with the individual, you could ask them to reach out on your brand's behalf to see if they would be willing to contribute their knowledge and skills.
The network of industry experts that you can tap into with adult interns may not be available with young interns. Also, if you require expertise, then this is the ideal route for you.
Build Your Ideal Internship Program with Global Internships by Intrax
You don't have to be Google or Apple to create great intern opportunities. There are hundreds of amazing internship programs available to people of all ages – you just have to know where to look.
Global Internships by Intrax is a team spread across the globe, dedicated to helping companies of all sizes and interns of all ages to find wonderful opportunities with brands that have so much to offer. We also help brands find the perfect interns as well!
Ready to begin your internship journey? Then contact us today for more information.
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