Internships are guided work or volunteer experiences where individuals develop their skills with structured work and learning goals. These programs are typically aimed at students, facilitating the transition from study to work through experiences that are aligned with their academic studies.

Organisations are on the hunt for top talent and many are recruiting at universities and colleges, so the competition is fierce. Recruiting from universities and internship programs is such an effective talent strategy because you can integrate new talent more effectively, determine if candidates are a good cultural fit, and onboard them full time after they graduate.

It’s important to keep in mind that when candidates look for internship and employment opportunities, they want to know what employers will provide them.

According to Shaunya Bhayani reporting for Source Con, early-career candidates have many options. Employers must work hard to brand themselves to build brand awareness.

“A study from Glassdoor reveals that 40% of workers are more likely to apply for a job when they are familiar with the company’s brand. The same study found that 60% of employers identify their brand awareness as a significant barrier or challenge in attracting applicants and hiring candidates. Companies with a weak consumer brand will ultimately have a weak talent brand.”

So, with employer branding in mind, how can you successfully recruit top intern talent?

Attend university events

Having a presence at university events is usually a great place to start. If your organisation is running a stall, start building buzz by promoting through your channels a few months in advance. Speak on a topic of interest. Be prepared with branded materials from your organisation, and be able to answer any questions they might have.

Do you have any recent university hires currently in your organisation? Bring them to the event, along with your best brand ambassadors to show students the type of people they could be working with and what they’ve managed to accomplish with your organisation. Demonstrate how a career with you will benefit them.

Connect with the right university clubs and student groups. For example, if you’re wanting to increase your technically-skilled talent pipeline, connect with a computer science group to see if you can introduce your brand and network with prospective candidates.  

Have a strong online presence

University events are great, but according to Sanjeev Agrawal reporting for Harvard Business Review, you need to go where students are: online.

“Students are online all the time. Invest in a visually appealing, content-rich site where students can go to and learn about your company. If you can, [personalise] the site to showcase the right alums, intern experiences, and the basic messages you want to deliver to potential hires. Done right, a good “brand page” can have the same effect as a great conversation at a career fair — it’s the story of your mission, your culture and why they should join you.”

Establish your brand on social media and be authentic. Keep in mind “most online communities don’t like being marketed to, so be authentic, add value to users, and be cautious of blatant self-promotion.”

Include a designated internship or graduate program segment to your careers website with an easy-to-use application portal for interested students to apply.  

Help them connect with your purpose

We’ve shared how young talent are interested in making a meaningful contribution. Showcase your organisation’s values by promoting them on your social media, website, and careers page.

In communicating with potential intern candidates, give their roles context. How is their work going to make a meaningful difference?

Make their internship memorable

Bhayani recommends creating short, mid-length, and long-term goals to keep them engaged throughout the duration of their internship.

“Contrary to popular belief, the days of interns fetching coffee and rolls are gone. From Day 1, interns are put on real teams and work on real-life challenges of the business. Every job includes some mundane tasks, so find ways to sustain the excitement. Inject excitement into the routine.”

What are skills are students interested in learning? Consider getting in touch with local universities and careers centre to gain some insights, and create opportunities for interns to learn these skills.

Create brand ambassadors

Talent attraction doesn’t stop once you get interns in the door. They could potentially become your best brand ambassadors!

“A positive internship experience will build long-term success for a brand by word of mouth. Students innately possess a strong sense of community and mingle with one with another. Students sharing their strong internship experience with each other is one of the most organic, grassroots ways to attract more intern talent.”

For those interns returning to their studies, arm them with recruitment tools to offer perks to their friends and peers. You can even ask your current interns and new hires for referrals.

Design a brand ambassador program and provide rewards for successful referrals.

Offer interns events to socialise

Leveraging events is a great way to engage talent – and this is true for your interns too! Events are a way for your people to connect on a more personal level, and are also a great diversity and inclusion strategy.

“Millennials are socially oriented people. Offer them mentorships and partnerships. Set up social events where they get to meet other interns and employees in the company. Connect them with other individuals that have common goals or interests. This will not only help interns build strong relationships, but foster innovation, efficiency, and problem-solving.”

If your organisation is not large enough for a big event, consider offering casual after-hours activities for fun.

Be mindful of the legalities surrounding internships and unpaid work; the person doing the work should be receiving the main benefit. Your goal should be to create a memorable learning experience and provide the best interns with the motivation to return and join your organisation.

A word of caution. Internship programs are a time commitment: you will need to take time to structure their program thoughtfully, and also get buy-in from your people who will be guiding them through their learning goals. (See Scott Wintrip’s leadership tip #4 for getting buy-in from your people!) If your people have intense workloads, it might not be feasible for them to take on an intern. Also, not all the interns you offer opportunities to will return – or they may not end up being a great fit!

Internships can be game-changing for your talent pipeline. These programs give you first access to new talent entering the workforce before your competitors, each party can determine if they will make a good cultural fit, and interns can learn new skills and bring fresh perspectives to your organisation, and become brand ambassadors and referral sources.

Does your organisation offer internships or graduate training programs? Leave us a comment.

Source

6 ways to grow your intern talent pipeline

Shaunya Bhayani

SourceCon

How companies can attract the best college talent

Sanjeev Agrawal

Harvard Business Review

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