Research

Training, mentoring important for an effective team

Hiring a "free" intern can seem to be an easy fix to a resource constraint at your new business. However, interns need to be hired, trained and mentored properly for both your company and the intern to benefit.

2014-08-11

By Sidnee Peck Director, Center for Entrepreneurship Question: We have grown bigger than my partners and I can manage, but we are not ready to hire a full-time employee. Should we try to find an unpaid or volunteer intern? Answer: Hiring a "free" intern can seem to be an easy fix to a resource constraint at your new business. However, interns need to be hired, trained and mentored properly for both your company and the intern to benefit. First, review the state labor laws so you understand when it is and is not OK to use volunteer interns and what steps you need to take do it right. If you can offer a stipend or project-based pay, then you might reach a larger pool of interested candidates, including those who need to work to pay for school. Next steps:

• Write a job description. This goes for hiring all positions, including temporary interns. You need to outline the specific goals and expectations of the position. If you're stuck, search a site such as careerbuilder.com for similar roles and use that as a starting point.
• Identify the skills necessary to do the job well. You'll be doing yourself and the intern a huge favor by bringing in the right person from the beginning. Communicate what skills you know are most important for the job to be done well and potentially what skills might be developed on the job.
• Submit the posting to your local universities and community colleges. Once you know what types of interns you're looking for (business, engineering, design) and the job description and responsibilities, you can post the opportunity with the right filters, targeting the right groups. You should be able to access job boards and similar tools at your local university through career-center websites like the Sun Devil CareerLink at ASU.
• Take the time to introduce and train on the basics. If you want someone to feel empowered and able to take charge of the goals and tasks you've assigned, then he or she needs to understand what's going on. Take the time on day one to properly train and acclimate. Perhaps schedule a lunch with the people with whom the intern will be working closest. Give him a starter task to get their feet wet and help him start asking the right questions.
• Set performance goals and have regular check-ins. You're hiring an intern because you're swamped, but don't let that get in the way of doing it right. Set up this individual for success by telling him or her what success looks like and then give feedback along the way. One of the most powerful parts of an internship for a student is the feedback given by a knowledgeable supervisor and the resulting opportunities to improve skills.
• If possible, assign a mentor. Mentorship can make a significant impact on a young adult's life as he or she navigates the career decisions faced during and after college. If you have the ability to assign someone to provide professional guidance outside of the role at your company, do it.

First published in The Arizona Republic, August 11, 2014.  

Entrepreneurship Management