In 2017, April was named National Internship Awareness Month by the Canadian-based Career Edge Organization as a way to acknowledge the benefits internships offer to employers and recognize the great qualified professionals that emerge from these programs.
Though there are many internships that are unpaid, the knowledge and real-world experience a young professional can receive from a well-structured program can be priceless. Also, businesses can benefit from bringing in fresh minds with new ideas. Global Internships named five reasons how internship programs help organizations:
- Increases brand visibility
- Discovers new talent for your company
- Creates a positive impact on the work environment
- Introduces new perspectives and concepts
- Fosters leadership abilities in the current staff
Do you have interns working for you? Indeed shared a few ways you can make it easy to recognize their efforts this month:
- Buy them lunch. If they work remotely, send them a gift card. If you’re in person, consider taking them out to lunch.
- Throw them a party. Bring in food and let your employees take a break to mingle and get to know each other better. It doesn’t have to be big, and it can even be a lunch party.
- Offer them career advancement guidance. Be a mentor and review their resume, check in with them on their goals, or have an interview etiquette workshop.
- Enjoy something outside of the office. Take them out to a fun offsite activity and spend time together as a team.
- Write a thank you card, because sometimes it’s the little things.
Thinking about starting an internship or mentorship program this summer? Cuyahoga Community College, College Now Greater Cleveland, and Cleveland State University are a few places to start your talent search.
Another Day for Interns: It’s never too late to celebrate your interns, even if you can’t squeeze in a celebration this April. National Intern Day, founded by early-career recruitment company WayUp, is recognized on July 28, 2022.
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