How to Select best Interns for your Company?

If you are an entrepreneur, then you would understand the importance of a great team, and if not, then you can take us on our word. The team determines the future of the company and every entrepreneur would tell you how near impossible it is to run a company singlehandedly. Fortunately, there is no dearth of brilliant candidates in today’s economic scenario no matter what position you are looking to fill and you can find the right person for a job in no time.

However, it becomes a little bit of a paradox when you are handling a small company or a startup . You lack funds, and you cannot hire the right candidate because you cannot afford to pay the salary he or she is demanding. There could also be times when you just cannot afford to hire a candidate but works needs to be done.

A great option in that scenario is hiring interns. Not only that you get to get your work done without paying hefty salaries, but also get to screen potential candidates who could be offered a part-time or full-time jobs after the completion of the internship. While there used to be a time when candidates only applied for an internship in major companies or brand, today, owing to a large number of job seekers, candidates are going for internships or training programs in mid to small-scale companies to get the industry exposure.

If you are an entrepreneur who has just started his business and is striving for funds for the required workforce, then we urge you to get a few interns onboard. Today, internships are paid and there are many unpaid internship programs as well, and job seekers are enrolling for these both with full enthusiasm. Hence, internships are useful not only to the job seekers but companies as well.

However, selecting an intern for the company is not as easy as it may sound. You do not want to enroll just anybody to your company’s internship program; you need someone who can add value. Therefore, proper screening is needed in the intern selection process.

Are you hiring interns? Do you know how to select the best interns for your company? Well, no worries, since we are here with some few tips that will help you zero in on the best applicant for the internship. Take a look at how you do it:

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#1. Assess Their Practical Experience

We know that the person applying for an internship will probably not bring in a lot of corporate experience, but there are plenty of other experiences that can help them work efficiently during their internship. These could be any other internships they might have undertaken or training programs they have completed in the past. Also, they could have had projects in their school or college. All these and others can help you decide whether they are suitable to be an intern or not.

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#2. Test The Candidates

Implementing different methodologies can offer you a clearer picture regarding which candidate is best suited for the job or internship. A resume is only a facet which gives you an idea about the educational qualifications of the candidate. And, who is to say that the applicant has not lied on the C.V.? Testing them with different challenges can help you analyze how they would react in different situations, and tell you how resourceful they actually are. Never rely on the resume while selecting a candidate as you might end up with an average one and lose a great one.

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#3. Determine Their Strengths And Weaknesses

If you have ever had a job in your life, then you would know that these are not only about having the skills and knowledge required to perform the tasks but also about the psychological and mental strength needed to carry on with it. Though there won’t be too much stress or pressure on the intern, you do not want somebody on your team who easily breaks under pressure or isn’t really that good with communication. A thorough assessment of their strengths and weaknesses will give you an idea whether a candidate will add value to the company or do more harm. Strengths like quick learning abilities and good communication are what you are looking for.

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#4. Read Their Body Language

A lot can be told about an individual just by looking at them, so why not utilize this in the intern selection process? From how nervous or confident they are to how resistive to new ideas or pretentious they are, you can figure out several things about the candidates applying for the internship. Just keep your eye out for signs that can give you an insight into them.

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#5. Run A Social Check

Some might say that the resume and one-on-one interviews are enough for an employer to analyze a candidate, these tools only get you the information that he or she is willingly providing you. So, you will never get to the information that a candidate does not want you to know. To get to that, you are going to have to be a little creative and make some extra efforts. The least you can do is run a social check on the individual before you hand over an internship company letter to them. Maybe you will not find anything useful, may you will; what is the harm in trying?

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While these were the steps that would help you in the intern selection process, you should also take into account the qualities a candidate needs.

#1. They Should Be Career Oriented

Whether you are hiring an employee or bringing on an intern, the first thing that you should look for is their zeal to learn and grow in their career. If a candidate is only applying for the internship so he or she will have some experience to show on the resume, then you are better off without them. Such candidates are only going to disrupt the work culture of your office and negatively influence the employees who are working hard. So, pick only those candidates who consider the internship important.

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#2. They Should Be A Team Player

It is important for the person you are thinking about getting on board with your company is a team player. Since he or she is going to be an intern, the individual is not going to be handling anything singlehandedly and will have to coordinate with other members of the team. Therefore, if the individual is not capable or efficient in working as a part of a group, they could do more bad than good. So, ask them about if they have ever taken on a team project and how comfortable they are with having to coordinate with their seniors at every step of the way.

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#3. They Should Be Enthusiastic For The Opportunity

Enthusiasm is one of the key qualities you are looking for in a candidate. Since the intern is going to be working for no or very minute salary as compared to the regular employees of the company, they will not have much to motivate them. So, it is important that they are really willing to work as an intern and work efficiently, despite not getting paid much in return. A candidate who already has low morale during the intern selection process is probably not going to stick for long after being finalized. You want candidates who really want to be interns, looking forward to the experience and exposure you offer them.

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#4. They Should Be Able To Adjust To Your Company’s Culture

Whether a person can fit in your company is not only decided by them being a team player or not but also the culture of the company. Every institution and business organization has its culture, which is determined by how its people behave or interact with each other. It is also based on the policies, expectations, procedures as well as its values, influencing the behavior of the leader and the employees. If the person you are bringing in as the intern for the company does not reflect the same culture or cannot blend in with the same, then it will be more disruptive and constructive.

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#5. They Should Be Able To Admit Mistakes

No matter which intern you hire, they are going to make mistakes; it’s unavoidable and inevitable. But as the owner or the manager of the company, you want someone who understands that making mistakes is a part of learning and readily admits their mistakes. A good way to examine which candidate is ready to admit mistakes is by asking them about their biggest failures or mistakes. Everyone has screw ups in their life; if a candidate can’t admit theirs, then they are probably not the best choice of the program.

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So, this is how you select an intern for your company. Is there anything else that you would like to know? How do you select an intern for your firm? What qualities do you seek in a candidate during the intern selection process? Are internships useful? Are internships always paid? Tell us through your comments in the dedicated section below. We would love to hear from you.

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