Internship is a long-established practice for large companies and corporations. That is because they can afford the freedom to experiment with programs, products and services without risking losing too much. Small business owners and startups, on the other hand, often keep at distance from hiring interns since they see this practice as an unnecessary distraction, as well as a waste of time and resources. However, that is actually an understatement. Internship can offer small firms and startup companies many benefits.
Cutting Down Costs
Interns receive little or no salary at all. That is a great way to reduce your costs and to increase your workforce. Although internship programs are temporary, they will enable your business to stabilize or even grow.
Finding New Talent and Innovation
Through internship you can easily find new employees. Often business owners remain so happy with some of their interns that they decide to hire the person. That is a really smart move since it actually allows you to hire someone who is already trained for the job and is familiar with the company’s policy and practices. Also, interns can bring in fresh and innovative ideas in the company. This is always important no matter the business sphere or the company’s years of experience.
Testing New Talent
Interviewing a job applicant and reading a resume is not always enough to get a good idea on his or her skills and qualifications. That is why many firms prefer to first put the candidate in a trial period as an intern. That allows them to get to know the person, his or her work habits, as well as responsibility and productivity qualities.
Using for Seasonal or Temporary Projects
Those startups or small business owners who plan to work on a seasonal project will probably need some extra workforce. Internship can offer that and it will also enable the company finish the job faster. As you can probably imagine, that will effectively save you some money which you can use for future initiatives, programs or other projects.
Helping the Young
Through internships you can give back to the community by giving students a career base and knowledge. Many young talents are hungry for job opportunities even if they don’t promise a long-term employer relationship. This is due to the fact that students and young graduates are often more interested in expanding their knowledge and practicing their skills.
Energizing the Team
In most of the cases, interns tend to be more productive, energetic and responsible than the actual employees of the company. The reason is that they are searching for approval. In addition, they want to impress their employer and win the chance to be hired. That can be very stimulating and energizing for a firm’s team since it will do its best to keep up with the efforts of the interns.
Small business owners and startups should not overlook internship. This practice is not only suitable for large corporations. In fact, if it can meet their needs, it will, without a doubt, help smaller firms too. Internship programs will save you money, increase your workforce and encourage your employees to try to achieve more.