This is a guest post from Megan Crowley, an associate consultant at FlashPoint. With a background in industrial/organizational psychology, Megan contributes a unique perspective based on some of the newest research and techniques in her field. Megan also interned with FlashPoint.
I’m a little biased because I enjoyed my intern experience with FlashPoint, but the savviest recruiters know the benefits interns bring to your company. In case you’re not familiar with FlashPoint, we provide customized talent management consulting in three practice areas: organizational performance, talent development, and compensation. Bottom line: we help you leverage your talent. FlashPoint partners with mid-size to large organizations to help leverage talent and develop leaders in order to accomplish strategic business objectives. We consider interns a vital part of the talent management strategy!
So, if you don’t have interns, here are some benefits:
- Complete project work that may be on the backburner
- Increase productivity
- Reduce recruiting costs
- Bring fresh, innovative perspectives to your organization
If you do have interns, here’s why you should hire them:
- They know your organization – the expectations, company background, and organizational culture.
- They just experienced a long, realistic job preview and you were able to see their work outcomes.
- They’re motivated (enough to get an internship) and are willing to work hard.
- They’re used to learning quickly and being flexible.
As employers, we should view our interns as a potential full-time employee, not just some college kid making copies or filling coffee. Give interns opportunities that will challenge and stretch them; set expectations up front and tell them what kinds of projects they may work on. At the end of the internship, they will have more knowledge and a better experience, and you may just have a prime candidate for hiring.
Have you ever hired an intern full time? How can HR maximize the intern experience and leverage this talent?
