As all students may not understand the value of internship experience, not all employers may be aware of the benefits of hiring an intern or even how and where to find one. To help all employers with their internship apprehension and intern search, I provided a list of frequently asked questions with answers to such concerns in our February INTERNnetwork e-newsletter. The article is reprinted below. To subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, click the link at the bottom of the page: https://www.workandlearnindiana.com/newsletters.asp. Please feel free to add any comments or questions.
1. How will my company benefit from hiring an intern?
An internship is a unique opportunity for your company. It allows you to bring fresh ideas and talent, the latest technologies, and energetic students into your company. This increases exposure to the most innovative concepts circulating in your specific market. In addition, internships are becoming a primary recruiting tool for companies across the country. A recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers revealed that 82.5% of employers surveyed have an internship or co-op program. Furthermore, over 50% of interns accept full-time employment with the company for whom they interned.
A successful internship program will allow you to attract and recruit talented individuals. Internships save money, time, and effort often incurred in relocation, recruiting and constantly training individuals. An internship is an unparalleled win-win situation for the employer and student.
Diana Nyirenda, Senior Associate with Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, believes that interns play an important role within her company, noting, “We are a commercial real estate company and we rely heavily on our internal database that tracks properties, tenants, deals, listings, and contacts. Our interns help maintain this database with current information, especially tenants occupying commercial properties. Not only does this improve our research capabilities for our clients, but it informs our brokers of who is occupying space that they may be selling or leasing. Additionally, it provides information for opportunities of tenant representation business.”
2. What are the advantages of using Indiana INTERNnet for my intern search?
Indiana INTERNnet is a free statewide system with students from 436 high schools and 84 colleges and universities throughout Indiana (the numbers continue to grow). With such a large number of students with diverse interests seeking internships through our database, your organization will gain greater exposure and gain a larger pool of qualified candidates to ensure you will acquire the best talent for your needs.
Indiana INTERNnet makes it easier to search for students. When seeking a specific type of student, employers can search for matches by utilizing any combination or all of the following fields: geographic preference, minimum GPA, job category, industry, and University. Employers may also post an unlimited number of internships.
Aside from acting as a search mechanism, Indiana INTERNnet has information and educational resources to assist your organization in creating and measuring the success of your internship program.
It is important to keep in mind that Indiana INTERNnet serves students who are specifically searching for internships. Diana Nyirenda can attest to the quality of students in the database, asserting that, “Indiana INTERNnet is a tool for recruiting students who are actively seeking internships. Importantly, they want a meaningful internship that could translate into a future job opportunity.”
3. How do I begin my Indiana INTERNnet account?
On the home page (www.workandlearnindiana.com), click on the “new user” tab of the login box on the right side of your screen. You will be required to select a participation category, and should select “employer.” In order to ensure your company is not already registered, the system will request that you enter your organization name in a text box. If the system finds your organization is already registered with Indiana INTERNnet, it will prompt you to contact the webmaster to add you to your organization’s account. If the system does not find your organization registered with Indiana INTERNnet, it will prompt you to move forward with your registration. Upon reading and accepting the terms and conditions, you will be asked to complete a short registration form. Upon submitting this form, you will receive your username and computer-generated password in your Email inbox within one business day.
Beginning your account is easy, as Nyirenda observes, “To begin my account, I simply registered my company and personal contact information, and posted the internship description. It took just a few minutes, and now I have the exposure online that I was looking for.”
4. I have an account and lost my password. How may I retrieve it?
On the home page (www.workandlearnindiana.com) you may click on the “Lost Password” link in the login box. You may also contact the webmaster to receive your password by calling 1-866-646-3434 or via email internnet@indianachamber.com.
5. What types of internships can I post?
Indiana INTERNnet allows any high-quality internship position. The nature of high-quality is determined by the duties outlined in the employer’s internship description, and the employer’s commitment to enhancing the student’s learning experience. If you are unsure of the quality of your positions, Indiana INTERNnet will assist you in evaluating the tasks and duties.
In addition, employers can post all types of high-quality internships: paid or unpaid; credit or not-for-credit; traditional, short-term, or project based. However employers cannot post full-time or part-time positions. If you are trying to fill full-time or part-time positions, Indiana INTERNnet recommends you consider offering an internship as a “pre-recruiting” tool for full-time and replacement for part-time positions.
6. Do I need to provide compensation to interns?
Payment is not required, but is strongly recommended and preferred. You may also gain a greater pool of interested candidates by providing some form of compensation. Your internship team should refer to the Department of Labor’s six-prong test to determine if the internship warrants compensation.
7. How does the system work?
Indiana INTERNnet is a high-tech and high-touch system for Indiana employers seeking interns. The high-tech portion allows employers to enter company descriptions, multiple users, internship description and requirements for the internship. When an employer’s needs match the student’s interests, the employer can view the resume and the student can view the internship description. Additionally, Indiana INTERNnet offers high-touch services that enable you to receive personal consultation and the same services offered within the high-tech services.
Each employer seeking an intern can search for matches by utilizing any combination or all of the following fields: geographic preference, minimum GPA, job category, industry, and University. The employer creates and executes a search, then views the result. The employer can then save the search for future use, save specific records found in the search for future use (specific interns in which they are interested), and/or contact the intern via email. The same matching system is used for the high-touch methodology.
When a match is made online, the employer can save the match for future use or can immediately contact a student via email. If a position is accepted, the employer should close out the internship by indicating a filled position in the employer workspace.
