We’re in the heart of summer, which means sunny weather, the great outdoors and small businesses thinking about interns. It’s that time of year when college students are looking to get their foot in the door. And small businesses want a summer intern who can make a real impact. It’s a win/win, but hiring an intern isn’t always as easy as it seems.

Being a small business, you know that every employee counts. You’re always trying to draw in the most talented employees you can. And that includes a summer intern. We know that finding the right summer intern can be challenging. But with our tips, your small business can attract the right interns who can make a difference.

4 Tips for Hiring the Best Summer Intern

1. Offer Them Meaningful Work

There’s no doubt that hiring an intern comes with a stigma. Many people picture this job as doing coffee runs or chores around the office. But it’s actually better for the intern and your business if you give them meaningful work. You don’t need to have them jump to meeting with your most important client, but there’s a middle ground.

Interns want to do meaningful work for companies. They want to learn and gain experience they can take with them. There’s no escaping the usual clerical task, but giving interns the same work as your other employees can attract top talent.

2. A Little Something Extra

When it comes to hiring an intern, many small businesses offer the same generic experience. Set your small business apart by offering an extra professional development incentive. Here are some examples to get you started:

• Offer your summer intern a resume writing workshop
• Have them experience your normal employee onboarding
• Give your intern the opportunity to shadow a senior team member for a day

One extra offering like this can be the difference maker for top interns looking to decide between opportunities.

3. Provide Honest Feedback

When you’re thinking about how to hire an intern, honest feedback should always be at the top of the list. Far too often companies accept intern mistakes as part of the cost of doing business. Other employees go back and fine tune their work without saying anything. But taking the time to provide honest feedback to your summer intern goes a long way.

First, it builds a stronger sense of trust, since your intern will feel valued that a senior team member is taking the time to teach them. And it also saves your business time in the long run. As your intern’s quality of work improves, your other employees will spend less time reviewing and more time working on higher priority tasks.

4. Be a Little Flexible

It feels like we’ve all heard stories about companies micromanaging their summer interns. But the truth is, the majority of interns want to learn, help your business succeed, and offer their own ideas. So, until they prove you otherwise, give your summer intern the flexibility to work their own way. As long as the tasks or work gets done before the deadline, there’s no reason to hover over them.

After all, you want your summer intern’s time to be productive. And it will help your reputation if they leave happier than when they first started.

We’ve Got All Your Staffing Needs Covered

Whether you’re thinking about hiring an intern or need more staff to support your business, Labor Systems has got you covered. Our expert team can find the right temporary employees for your small business. Hiring doesn’t have to be a hassle. Contact us today to get started!