Bringing interns onto your team can be a highly rewarding experience. Not only do you get the support of an extra person, but you also get to contribute to the professional development of someone new to the industry. With that said, hiring an intern isn't as simple as putting out an email blast and picking the best one. You need to understand the legal parameters around internships, as well as how your interns will fit into your current business culture.
We started our internship program 11 years ago because we were getting inquiries from people interested in interning with an event planning company. It seemed mutually beneficial to mentor and teach interns while getting assistance from them in my business. Now, we have four interns a year—one per season—and it’s become an extremely valuable part of my company.
However, you don’t need to wait for internship inquiries to come in — you can kickstart the process yourself. Here’s how.
Understanding Legalities
Different states and localities have different laws surrounding internships, so you need to be sure you are adhering to them. There are paid and unpaid internships, as well as those for academic credits. Get familiar with the local regulations to ensure your internship program is legitimate. Our interns are unpaid but are provided with an educational learning opportunity and are not asked to do anything that would be considered an abuse of labor or avoidance of payment. These practices are in compliance with internship laws in my state of Texas.
Finding Candidates
Seeking out potential candidates for an internship is half the battle. We find most of them through a listing on internships.com or direct inquiries. You can also consider reaching out to local universities and colleges, which can help to connect you with potential applicants. Consider what responsibilities you want to fill and plan your approach accordingly; for example, if you want someone to manage social media or create blog content, contact the marketing or English departments.
Interviewing Applicants
Although a potential intern won't be bringing as much experience to the table like a typical employee, you still need to use the interview process as a way to qualify the candidates and determine who is the best fit for your company. Ask about their event experience, personality traits, organizational habits, communication skills, strengths and weaknesses, and so on. You should also include relevant questions based on the position requirements.
Training Interns
The level of training required greatly depends on your expectations for an intern's responsibilities. For the most part, we only give out simple tasks that do not require much instruction beyond minimal explanation, so we don't have a whole lot of formal training. Specific tasks that require more effort, primarily onsite for events, will be carefully watched—even micro-managed to some extent—to ensure tasks are completed correctly. Employees, on the other hand, are given much more thorough training with more responsibility bestowed upon them and more direction given for growth and retention at the company.
It's worth noting that internships are a great way to build a lasting team too. In fact, all of the paid event planners and assistants at my company started out as interns and grew into their positions. Besides working for me, I've helped many of my interns find jobs within our industry, and they've become my colleagues. So, at the end of the day, having an effective internship program is your way of contributing to the future success of the industry at large.
Meredith Commender CSEP, is the owner of Significant Events of Texas, an award-winning event planning company in Dallas. A long-time educator, Meredith is a sought after speaker, sharing business, design and trend insight throughout North America.