A Talent Pool For Your Short-Term Business Needs
The pandemic has created a shortage of job candidates, particularly for entry-level positions. Many workers who would ordinarily fill these roles have been forced to stay home to care for out-of-school children and sick family members. Others have opted to take advantage of stimulus enhanced Unemployment Insurance benefits to minimize their health risks.
Is there an alternative pool of job seekers? Perhaps.
How about college students? Colleges have remained open and have tried to provide their students with the best college experience possible during this pandemic, which includes connecting them to job opportunities.
While it’s no doubt preferred, not all students seek work for financial needs. There are many students who are looking to gain skills and experiences that will prepare them for post-graduate job opportunities. If your organization doesn’t yet have an internship process, this may be an ideal time to consider implementing one.
Here are some tips for setting up an internship program at your organization:
1: Identify your organization’s needs: IT, sales, marketing, HR, finance, accounting, engineering, or other area(s).
2: Establish a relationship with local colleges and universities (including the community college), along with corresponding departments, in order to promote your opportunities and attract interested students. In Frederick County, you can contact the Career Centers at the following local colleges and universities:
3: Create timelines for your needs. For example, early fall is the beginning of the holiday season for retailers. In preparation for the season, perhaps it makes sense to have a business or marketing intern during the summer to assist with the logistics of rolling out campaigns and materials for the upcoming fall and winter holidays. Late winter-early spring would be the ideal recruitment period for identifying candidates.
Also, keep in mind that a typical college semester is roughly 16-18 weeks; perhaps you can also integrate interns during the spring or fall semesters as well, depending on your organization’s needs.
4: Provide meaningful work experience. Students want to learn how the work environment functions, as well as be challenged. Remember – they’re in an intense learning period of their life. They may surprise you and surpass your expectations.
Their participation and contribution should also benefit the organization. There are small projects that don’t often get the priority they deserve from everyday staff; however, they may be suitable for an internship. If a department is not fully staffed, perhaps an intern can be integrated to fill a role and provide support on a temporary basis. Or you can rotate a new intern into a role every 3-4 months to perform specific functions appropriate for a college student.
5: If possible, formalize the internship process to include interviews, offer letters, onboarding, a mid-point and a final performance review, and an exit interview. Providing a mentor can also be integrated to provide support and guidance for the intern. Keep in mind the intern is learning about how businesses function; teach them the structure and formalities for running a business properly.
If you believe your organization or industry may not benefit from having interns, perhaps an apprenticeship may be the right solution. The State of Maryland has an Apprenticeship Program with staff from the MD Department of Labor who can provide guidance for implementing an apprenticeship.
Understandably, when a job opening needs to be filled immediately, there isn’t always time to implement such a process. However, with a bit of forethought, interns can become a valuable talent pool for short-term needs or for creating a pipeline of potential future employees.