How Internships Can Help Small Businesses Hire

Internships are a great way to bring in fresh, talented workers and keep your talent pipeline full. These programs provide an opportunity for students or recent graduates to gain hands-on experience in their chosen field, while also providing small businesses with a pool of potential future employees.

One of the main benefits of internships for small businesses is that they provide a way to identify and evaluate potential employees before committing to hiring them full-time. Interns can work with a small business for a limited period of time, allowing the business to assess their skills, work ethic, and compatibility with the company culture. This can help to reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person and can also help to identify top-performing interns who may be a good fit for future full-time positions.

Internships can also help small businesses to build a pipeline of future employees. Offering internships to students or recent graduates creates a pool of talented and motivated individuals who may be interested in working for the company in the future. This can help to reduce the time and cost associated with recruiting new employees, and it can also help to ensure a steady supply of new talent.

As reported by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 70.4% of interns receive a job offer, and 79.6% accept it…that means 56% of interns go on to become full-time employees. Crucially, the one-year retention rate is 71.4% for interns that are hired with internal experience and 59% with external internship experience. Undoubtedly, interns provide fantastic bang for your buck!

Another benefit of internships for small businesses is that they can help to improve the overall productivity and efficiency of the company. Interns can provide fresh perspectives, new ideas, and additional support to the existing team, which can help to improve the overall performance of the company. As a bonus, internships can take the pressure off of full-time employees, easing the workload and allowing them to focus on more important tasks.

Now is the time to get your internship program off the ground, as many college students will already be looking. Try your employees first and see if any of their children, relatives, or neighbors are looking for an internship. Bear in mind that you do have to pay interns as the FLSA only allows unpaid interns in specific situations. Plus, a paid internship is much more likely to attract qualified candidates.