How to Use Interns to Grow Your Business
Do you ever feel like your to-do list is piling up with tasks that you don’t have time for? Using interns is a hidden gem that can help with this in the online influencer world. This podcast will show you the many ways interns can grow your business without wasting more time and energy than it is worth.
From my past experiences, I have developed an efficient system for recruiting, hiring, training, and managing a group of interns that will be replicable every semester. By using interns, I was able to outsource my $10 tasks in order to put all my energy into the $100 and $1000 that will help to achieve my goals.
This episode will aid you to do the same as I share my 3 secret tips on how interns can help grow your business.
EPISODE 002: How To Use Interns To Grow Your Blog
THE BASICS OF USING INTERNS
An intern is a student or trainee who works in a field to gain real-world experience. The goal of using interns is to free up your time to focus on the bigger picture assignments that will help achieve your business objectives.
It is perfectly legal to have interns, unpaid, or paid. Any business, no matter how big or small, can offer internships as long as they are providing valuable experience with relevance to the student’s education. Interns provide you with a way to get tasks done as they also gain needed experience in the field. It is a win-win as you are both providing value for each other.
It is very important to ask yourself, “What am I looking for in an intern?” What prior experience would they need? What personality traits should they embody? You want someone who will perform the way you need them to.
Lastly, what tasks should you assign for interns? Think of the work that takes up too much of your time and jobs that will be good learning opportunities. A good way to decide this is by creating a list of your daily tasks and seeing where you need to spend your time vs. where you seem to waste your time.
PROVEN STRATEGY FOR FINDING QUALIFIED INTERNS
Having a successful intern program requires you to hire qualified and motivated people. Developing a job description that lays out skills needed, what the job entails, and how they would fit into the mission is a great strategy in finding qualified candidates.
Although you will be competing with big firms for interns, what sets you apart is the level of experience that many would not receive in a large corporation. People want an experience that they can use in the future, not just fetching coffee.
“Do you think a big firm is going to let a student work on their website? Or manage a social media account? Will the student have the opportunity to work on SEO? Probably not.”
It is also smart to promote the remoteness and flexibility of your internship. Especially now with the pandemic, people are mainly looking for remote internships where they can have the opportunity to complete the tasks on their own schedule. Many of these interns are college students with classes and jobs on top of your assignments. Giving them the flexibility to do this job whenever and wherever is a huge bonus that many look for.
You may be wondering, how can I promote my internship opportunity? Start by reaching out to local universities and schools in their career placement office. Sharing on social media is another great way to get your internship out there, but you need to be careful to not hire family or friends as it can cause sticky situations.
Next is the interview process. I find it helpful to create a checklist for every interview, making it easier to compare each applicant. This will help you see who is the best fit for the position. Look for how they answer questions and the root of their motivations.
MY EFFORTLESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
My last tip involves the management of interns. You do not want to be stuck managing the interns as they are supposed to help free up time, not stall time.
The key to managing interns is planning everything BEFORE you start recruiting. One thing to plan out is meaningful work to provide interns with. Find a balance between giving them ongoing tasks and one-off tasks.
Your training method is one that has to be strategically planned out in order for your intern to be successful.
“You need to give them all the tools and information they need to successfully complete the project. If you aren’t thorough, it is impossible for your intern to be successful.”
Remember that every business and internship are different and your first attempt at this WILL have some bumps along the way. Learning these problems early and tackling them head-on will drive you toward a successful program.
If you are ready to get started with interns, grab a copy below of my free guide on how to effectively use interns. I also have developed a one of a kind internship course called The Intern Strategy linked below. Use my tools provided to effectively operate your next intern process!
WHAT’S NEXT?
Make sure you grab your FREE guide >> How to Start using Interns to Skyrocket Your Productivity
You can connect with Christina on Instagram.
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