Management
"Let the Intern Do It" - Affordable Help for Your Business
Do you have more projects than time? Help might be as close as your nearest college. Many have intern programs, where students complete tasks for businesses as part of their studies.
Here are a few tips for designing an internship program that will work for both you and the student:
Have one or more specific projects in mind. You might want help with a PR campaign, design of a web site, industry research, creation of brochures and other marketing materials, or other tasks. Have duties in mind that will use and develop skills the students are learning.
Make it interesting. Most students already know the alphabet, so don't assume you can put them to work doing filing or other menial tasks. Give the intern something to do that will lead to a feeling of accomplishment, and maybe something to show in a portfolio.
Pay what you can. Although you may not be required to pay the intern, you should offer something. After all, the intern will provide services you would have to pay for elsewhere. (Of course, you probably won't get the quality or quantity of work you would get from an experienced professional, and the pay is secondary to the learning experience, so pay accordingly.)
Be prepared to provide supervision and direction to the intern. They are learning, and you are teaching. Although you aren't going to teach the intern designing your web site about HTML and programming, you will help them understand the user side of web site development. What do your customers need? How do you want to present your business? This is where they learn about the "real world."
When the intern does a great job, give them a reference they can use when approaching future employers. This may be their first professional work experience, and your reference may help in a job search. You may even decide to hire the intern as you expand your business.
If you would like to get assistance from an intern, contact your local college. They may have a central office, or you may need to contact the specific department (such as Marketing) that matches your needs.
Copyright Cathy Stucker. As the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker can help you attract customers and make yourself famous with inexpensive and free marketing ideas. Get free tips, articles and more at http://www.IdeaLady.com/.
Cathy Stucker
Similar articles
1 Secret Lesson In Delegation
When we first began franchising our company we believed that the franchisees should be able to call up the founder anytime they wanted to ask a question. Read more →10 Steps towards Efficient Medical Electronic Billing Claims Submission
Electronic billing is not that easy as you might think. But there is always a good training, practice and ways to efficiently maximize the use of electronic billing submission. Read more →10 Ways To Work Through A Business Slowdown
In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes business will slow down. This might occur due to an upcoming holiday, seasonal variations, or uncontrollable circumstances. Read more →2 Terrible Myths About Meetings
People have found numerous ways to ruin a meeting. Here are two myths that make everyone uncomfortable.1) Endurance implies strength.Back in the days of saber tooth tigers and walking to work, physical toughness was essential for survival. Read more →Aphorism
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
Albert Einstein