The most bittersweet and frustrating part of being a small business owner begins when finding enough business is no longer a hurdle – it’s finding enough time to get it all done that becomes the challenge.
I’ve been there – I’ve worked 16+ hour days and pulled all-nighters. Yeah, the pay was great, but I was so exhausted, I could hardly enjoy anything.
When I got to the point where I was spending all of my time, including nights and weekends, working and not spending quality time with my family, that’s when I realized, I needed some help.
The problem was that although my business income was increasing, it hadn’t increased so much that I could afford to hire an employee. By the time I paid someone, the profits that I had made would’ve become non-existent.
I needed a secret weapon – I needed to delegate some of those tasks that didn’t exactly require a personal touch from me. I needed someone who would appreciate the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and knowledge in lieu of pay. I decided to offer an unpaid internship opportunity to college students in my area.
Many students are required to complete up to 100+ hours as an intern. The goal is to for them to get first hand experience in their major field of study.
While these internships could be paid, payment is not a requirement. The requirement is that the student gain experience and create mutually beneficial networking relationships with professionals in their industry. Their pay comes in the form of a satisfactory grade rather than cash.
But please notice that the keywords are “mutually beneficial” – that means that if you choose to work with an intern, that you will not limit them to getting your coffee, your lunch, and/or licking envelopes all day – instead, you’ll actually spend some time training them to do what you do and then delegate related tasks to them and monitor their progress.
After giving it some thought, I located a school and contacted their career services department. I provided a detailed description of the internship. I made sure I included a GPA (grade point average) requirement to ensure that I’d get to work with one of their brightest students. I ended up working with two very intelligent students. The only downside was that at the end of the term they graduated!
After having such a great experience working with students, I wondered why more small business owners weren’t making use of this awesome free resource.
Pros and Cons
Of course there are pros and cons to working with an intern successfully. I’ll provide a few to help you decide if offering an unpaid internship is right for you.
Pros of working with an intern:
- You free up your time so that you can enjoy more time with family or doing some of those fun things you’ve been missing out on – like sleep! For me, this was the absolute #1 perk of working with an intern.
- You save money, of course.
- You get to work with someone who values your expertise and is happy to learn what you have to share with them.
Cons of working with an intern:
- You must spend some time training them. When you’re already busy, it may be difficult to set aside the time. It can take several days up to several weeks to train an intern appropriately.
- Interns are usually seniors, this means that at the end of the semester, or the year, they will graduate, leaving you to either decide to hire them full-time and pay them what they’re worth, or select a new intern.
- If you have to select a new intern, you will have to spend time training them all over again.
- Not all interns operate at the same level of integrity you’d like, so choose carefully.
How to Work Successfully with an Intern
Working with an intern is obviously a serious commitment not to be taken lightly. You will be required to provide feedback about the student’s performance and possibly assign a letter grade, also. You want to be fair and make sure you give the student enough opportunities to practice their skills. This can be a challenge if like me, you like to be in control of everything and have difficulty delegating.
Keep it Simple – Give Clear Deadlines
I had to take it slow. When I met with the students, I kept things simple and only focused on one task for them to complete at a time. When I felt that they’d grasped the concept, I then gave them a few assignments to complete on their own. I gave clear deadlines and allotted enough time for completion.
Develop an Appropriate Working Relationship
I made sure the students felt comfortable asking me questions or letting me know if they needed clarifications. You also can’t expect them to just know what you want or understand everything – it’s okay if you have explain things more than one time.
Just like any other employee or colleague, you also can’t expect to just bark orders at people and expect them to comply. Just because the intern is still a student doesn’t mean you should treat them as less than a professional. They are professionals in training and should be treated with the same respect – they are not free labor to be exploited.
Offer your Help and Wisdom
The partnership you establish with an intern has to be just as beneficial to them as it is to you. In exchange for their valuable service, you should offer your help as much as possible and share your knowledge and wisdom with them.
By the end of the semester, the students I worked with had learned the basics of freelancing and blogging. They gained a new awareness of how to use blogging and social media to gain leverage in the field of mass media. They also knew that they could continue to contact me with questions or if they needed help. I still hear from my former interns to this day.
So if you’re in need of a secret weapon for your small business, I suggest getting in touch with the career services department at a local college or university.
If you need to refer to an example of what a detailed internship description looks like and steps to take before contacting the school, visit this post for details: The #1 Least Expensive Way to Outsource…
For more tips, check out these posts:
- How to Effectively Use Interns in Your Social Media Marketing Efforts
- How to Find an Intern
- Should You Let an Intern Manage Your Social Media Marketing?
Photo credit: Eduard Titov
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About Kiesha Easley
Kiesha is the owner of We Blog Better a blog that offers blogging, business, social media tips and more. She is also Freelance Writer, Editor and a college Mass Media Instructor.
{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Kiesha,
Wow, I have so much to say about this. I’ve actually had a brief conversation about this with a mutual colleague of ours. This is certainly a great idea and I agree. (The next portion is South Carolina specific…sorry, we’re both from here)!
I actually offered the University of South Carolina via the department heads an internship with a portion paid and the balance of hours to be applied to the appropriate credit for their department. I believe I proposed to the Business school (marketing dept.) and the School of Journalism. The goal was to have this student take the WordPress editorial stuff off of my shoulders and learn more about online marketing and SEO in the process. For an intern, (or anyone) you will have a natural tendency to gravitate to something that you enjoy online. You may realize you love writing and content…you may realize that you like the SEO or even imaging (or video) and / or program. The possibilities are endless. Great subject,
Bryan
Bryan P. Hollis recently posted..Search Engine Optimization, Online Marketing, and Web Servers?
Hi Bryan!
You’re so right the possibilities really are endless. Some people may not see the value in an unpaid internship – I actually had one person scream at me: “Pay your interns!” obviously they had a bad experience. But there’s much to be gained from an unpaid internship, especially in the field of SEO, internet marketing and freelancing. I hope it works out for you at USC, if not, I know of other schools that could benefit.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..#1 Secret Weapon for Small Business Owners (and Bloggers)
Hey Kiesha,
We will see….I may just take you up on that. It will go on their job board(s) in the Fall.
Bryan
Kiesha,
I recently bit the bullet and hired a technical virtual assistant because I needed someone to help with getting things done at my website. I wasted so much time learning how to work a new function, that I was losing focus on my marketing. I contemplated hiring a college intern, but I just didn’t have the time to get them up to speed. In addition, I didn’t want to retrain a new intern once the old one graduates. So, I opted to hire someone for no more than five hours a month, and I’m not obligated to use them each month if I don’t have anything. However, I could see myself hiring maybe an intern to do research for magazine articles or big blog posts. Either route is a win-win for all parties involved. Great article.
Janet Thomson recently posted..Interview with Twitter Party Master Karl Staib of Party Biz Connect
Hi Janet!
I totally understand – it is indeed, the training part that was the most difficult hump for me. But once it was over, everything fell into place nicely. Although, I’ll be honest – I do dread the idea of training a new intern now that both of mine have graduated.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Guest Bloggers Don’t Grow On Trees
This is an interesting concept I would have never considered. I could definitely see the benefits of such an arrangement.
You also get the fact that if you build a good relationship with the intern, you have also gained an affiliate in many ways. They are sure to mention their work with you or past projects as they head off into their careers.
Definitely something ot think about as I head forward!
Jon Stone recently posted..Frugal Fridays #4 – The Power of Bartering
Hi Jon,
You’ve really honed in on the most important part here – building a good relationship. Honestly, this should go for everything, but for some reason, it’s the least important for some people. Building a good relationship really makes all the difference in whether or not the internship experience will be a good one or a sour one.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..What to Do When You Get Tired of Fighting with Your Email Template?
Kiesha, it is amazing how much we take for granted. I always assumed that hiring interns was restricted to large businesses. In fact, except for the money issue, I’ve considered training someone to handle my HelpDesk – once it becomes busy enough.
I didn’t think of it in terms of internship. I used to train subordinates to do my old J.O.B., so I think in MLM terms: duplication. Of course, the difference is that interns move on, employees stay put.
Thanks for sharing the specifics of actually getting interns.
Cheers,
Mitch
Mitchell Allen recently posted..Home of the One Million Product Challenge
Hi Mitchell,
It’s definitely the “training” and “moving on” parts that are most difficult, but if you can overcome those two things, the sky really is the limit to what you can accomplish. The key is to take it one step at a time. Just having them help me with one major task saved me time that I didn’t usually have, so I was happy!
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Guest Bloggers Don’t Grow On Trees
I am a strong proponent of offering internships – in fact I am currently looking for one or more interns myself. There are many tasks we do regularly that can easily be taught online to other bloggers or even those brand new to blogging or social networking who wish to become bloggers. I can teach them and guide them in a project that benefits many and then they can apply what they have learned to their own blogs and businesses.
The best way to learn new skills is to have a mentor teach you a process and document it, then do enough of the process to really learn it so it is clear to you what exactly you’re doing and why. Once you do that you will have a skill that you will retain for use later because you got enough experience and you have it documented to refresh your memory the next time you need it.
Once you get one skill down then I teach another and another – putting you on the fast path to being successful at blogging. And all along you have regular access to get any questions you have answered – often in real time.
That is exactly how I came to be the IBM technician trained on more equipment than anyone else I ever worked with there – because I volunteered to be trained on each newly announced system or peripheral and since I was the only person on shift I got more first hand experience than anyone else. It is the experience that makes all the difference – not the training which doesn’t help much if you never actually use it because you won’t clearly understand it or remember it.
Once you actually DO SOMETHING live that has specific goals you DO understand and retain it – and the very best way to become expert at anything is to teach it because if you can not clearly explain every nuance and detail to someone else you do not actually know the answers yourself yet!
By taking an unpaid internship and accomplishing a specific goal for a live project and then using what you have learned to benefit your OWN business, blog, or project you become highly proficient at that skill – and then you can offer that as a service on your own site AND someone like me can start sending paid work to you.
You never really know someone until you work with them because many know but can not do and others can do but if their calling is as broad as my own they have difficulty delivering on time so they need to work with those who can. Keep in mind that the recommendations you should weight the heaviest when considering hiring anyone are those that come from someone who has hired them and worked with them directly – and not from those who have not.
This is why we MUST write recommendations for those we have worked with directly and we must be willing to work with influencers in a position to recommend us without pay – because THOSE recommendations are what will enable you to generate a steady income over time.
This does NOT happen right away so you need to get started part time and build your portfolio and update your LinkedIn profile with your projects – and get recommendations from those who have worked with you directly.
Gail Gardner recently posted..How Individuals, Bloggers, and Small Business MUST ACT to Create a Better World for ALL.
Hi Gail,
Thanks for chiming in on this. Everything you’ve listed here is exactly why I think unpaid internships (when done appropriately) are totally fair, even though there are people who don’t agree. It’s the experience and the networking that makes a giant difference in a student’s future career.
Kiesha recently posted..Why Blogs Are Excellent for Marketing and Advertising Your Business
Gail,
You were the colleague I mentioned to Kiesha in an earlier comment…didn’t want to speak for you, but you mentioned it!
Bryan
Hi Kiesha, Bryan,
Internships are far more than fair – they are THE way to get valuable training and experience instead of going into debt getting a college degree that often does not equip you with ANY practical skills you can immediately use to make a living.
The primary benefit of attending an elite college and joining fraternities and sororities is the relationships that can be used to become successful in business. The working classes have never had that benefit.
Are there people who take advantage of interns or apprentices? Yes. But just as many take advantage of any kind of employee. Training takes time and is an infinitely fair trade for skills that can generate an income for you. When people are highly ethical they will treat their interns and apprentices fairly and start paying them and sending them clients as soon as they are ready.
Interns do need to remember, though, that they may THINK they are ready before they really are (think about Yoda and Luke Skywalker) – so choose wisely who you will work with whether you are the potential intern or the potential mentor / trainer. If you both respect each other internships are ideal for both!
GrowMap recently posted..Video Mobile Apps: Evan White of Viddy Interview – Future of Publishing
You’ve done a great job training future bloggers keziah! I may consider having an intern with me when the money and the job starts coming in. Right now, I’m still on my own figuring ways to uplift my leverage. And I’ll be glad training a intern with me.
Thanks, Eman!
At least now you know what your options are and you can prepare accordingly. You’ll get there for sure!
Kiesha recently posted..Look under Your Blog’s Hood Every 5,000 Miles
Unpaid Internship is a very smart move and pretty exciting too! I really loved your blog and I must confess that hiring an intern does help a lot in reducing the work load, given the condition you make him work on uncomplicated projects. Moreover, I would like to add that benefits of hiring an intern depends on the nature of your business too. If you are into a profession that requires client handling skills in combination with professional knowledge then, you can never count on an intern to do it for you! On the other hand, we all are aware of the simple business rule that is “Time Equal’s Money”, which is why you have to think twice before devoting your working hours towards training a fresher. Hard efforts that you employ in training an intern, goes in vain the moment he leaves your firm for any better opportunity.
Hi Maneet,
You’re definitely right to point out that it all depends on the nature of your business. For some businesses – especially when people are expecting a personal touch from a specific person, it just wouldn’t be appropriate. It’s definitely something business owners should think over carefully before committing to training an intern.
Kiesha recently posted..Look under Your Blog’s Hood Every 5,000 Miles
This is a money tip. One thing I love about unpaid internships is that it filters out employees who are just after the money and have no real interest in your company. Typically, I find that people who as employees go for unpaid internships will have a deeper loyalty for the company down the road and it just creates a win-win situation for all that are involved.
Hi Leonel,
Yes, what I’ve found is that the interns (unpaid) are really interested in learning what you have to teach them. They want to absorb your knowledge and experience because it’s about creating a successful career/future – not about the money.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Comment on I’m Hosting a Webinar! Blogging & Social Media for Beginners by Kiesha Easley
What?! I’ll say it right here: I can love what a company does in the world. I can have affection or even admiration for a business owner and her achievements. Even in middle-age, I am happy to apprentice for free to learn some skills. But there is no kind of “interest” and “loyalty” that would lead me to “go for unpaid internships” if I could get paid to do similar work elsewhere!
I don’t blame individual business owners for the fact that internships have replaced what used to be called “entry-level JOBS.” But I’ll fight to my last breath the revisionism that makes that unfortunate phenomenon a positive that separates “true” committed people from those “greedy” people who would prefer to get paid rather than take out student loans, depend on government grants, or live on the parents’ couch while helping a BUSINESS OWNER gain profits.
Hi Barbara,
While the title may sound like the business owner is reaping all of the benefits, the type of internships that I’m suggesting are not the kind that take people for granted. You said it yourself, you would apprentice for free to learn some skills – especially when those skills could lead to a stronger resume. This is not about making students works for free, it’s about providing a training ground where they can get hands-on experience and actually get a chance to polish their skills and prepare them for the real workforce.
This is about creating a mutually beneficial arrangement that at the end of the day is not just about profits, but about letting students gain skills that can use to stand out in the work force. People pay to go to college to gain knowledge and skills – it’s a reason for that, because knowledge and skills equals power. The type of internships I’m talking about are the kind that should empower students. After all, not all colleges are actually teaching students how to freelance or how to blog and optimize their content for search engines? These are skills that are worth obtaining, even if they have to apprentice for free to get them.
I’m by no means, condoning that any business or blogger take advantage of anyone. Obviously, this type of arrangement isn’t for everyone, but there are many students who could benefit from it.
Great post.
Truly its a secret weapon unknown to many.
Derek recently posted..Comment Luv For Blogger Blogs
Hi Derek,
I’ve always wondered why more people haven’t been doing this – I see now that it’s because they just didn’t know about it.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Comment on I’m Hosting a Webinar! Blogging & Social Media for Beginners by Kiesha Easley
It is very difficult to have an intern… sometimes I feel that I can better do that work for him.
Swamykant recently posted..Find Best Apps & Hot Deals for Your Smartphone with Appsfire
Hi Swamykant,
Some things aren’t for everybody. Working with an intern does require you to give up a little control so that they can learn and gain experience – however, everybody isn’t comfortable doing that – and that’s okay.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Is it Possible to Achieve Top 100k Ranking in 10 Weeks?
The problem with using an unpaid intern to do work in your business is that it’s illegal. If the intern does any real work for you, labor laws require them to be paid at least minimum wage.
That said, hiring an intern – and paying them – can pay off for your business since interns are often eager to learn and hard workers.
Janet Attard recently posted..10 Rules for Succeeding in Your Own Business
Hi Janet,
I have good news for you – it’s not illegal to offer unpaid internships as long as you are not misusing their service. That means, interns should not be required to fetch coffee or lunch or participate in other menial tasks. As long as your internship is providing hands-on training and experience, it is, indeed, legal.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Steal These Kindergarten Email Marketing Tips
This article is great! I’ve been managing my client’s social profiles but falling behind on my own. This is definitely something I need to consider doing to help me get caught up and get things in order. Someone recommended Odesk to me but right now that isn’t in my budget either since I just started my virtual assistant business. So I’m going to make a list of the tasks I need to be completed and contact some local schools for an intern!
Hi Shannon!
I’m so glad you’ve found this post helpful and are ready to take action. There are so many benefits for both you and a potential intern. It may take extra effort on your part in the beginning, but if you focus on training and allowing them to gain new knowledge and experiences, you’ll be able to free up some time in the long. I wish all the best to you and your virtual assistant business!
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Broadcast yourself to the international audience with Google+ Hangouts
I remember my sister doing internship at a local firm. It was actually her first one, and the first thing she said when she returned at night was – That Boss Sucks! Hahah! Bosses need to take care on new interns
Raaj Trambadia recently posted..What Affiliate Products To Promote And Definitely Earn?
Hi Raaj,
Thanks for stopping by the share your thoughts. I completely agree with you – internships should never take advantage of students. Business owners should always keep the students education and training in mind. They deserve to be treated fairly.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Get More Retweets More Followers and More Exposure: EasyRetweet 30,000 Credit Giveaway!
You make some really good points here Kiesha. An intern is a great way to help build your business while keeping your budget in check. I went to our local JC (junior college) and signed up as an employer with a specific internship. I made sure it was a mutual benefit with respect to the student actually getting credit for learning and working with me. They also received a letter of recommendation from me at the end of their internship which I made for only a 3 month period.
I enjoy working with students as they gain knowledge and experience but they also have helped me with the small social media tasks that give me more time in my day to work on projects.
Thank you for sharing your ideas and suggestions and I look forward to sharing this with others!
Lynn Brown recently posted..Leverage Your Business With The Top Social Network Sites
Hi Lynn!
Thank you for sharing your experience here. Sounds like you offered a very beneficial internship to students who needed the training and experience. There’s value in a positive recommendation that cannot be measured – who knows what opportunities it may create or doors in may open in the students future. Thanks again!
I remember being an intern for a small business owner and under their advertisement, they said “Free Coffee” and that caught my attention.
The key is that it was helpful for me and we both stood to gain from it. Though it did get a little frustrating because I wasn’t paid but then the experience was much more important and it was beneficial for me. I still call it my best internship!
Hajra recently posted..Rising Above Hate
Hi Hajra,
Thanks for dropping by! You mention a very important point – that the experience was the important thing despite the fact that you didn’t get paid. The experience definitely needs to outweigh that fact and I encourage small business owners to add as much value to the experience as possible. It should be a win/win situation where both parties benefit equally.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Get More Retweets More Followers and More Exposure: EasyRetweet 30,000 Credit Giveaway!
I would agree. Sometimes it will get frustrating when one is not paid and the employer should take care about that if they don’t want to lose out on the interns. They need to keep it interesting for both of them!
Hajra recently posted..Save Your Blog From Zombification
Kiesha-
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. I had never thought about this before, especially since I am still an amateur and just starting out. However, it has given me something to think about for the future.
Thanks again,
Tom
Tom Jamieson recently posted..A Closer Look at Dispensational Theology
Hi Tom!
It’s always good to know what you’re options are ahead of time. That way you can plan and strategize later on. Thanks for dropping by and chiming in!
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Get More Retweets More Followers and More Exposure: EasyRetweet 30,000 Credit Giveaway!
Just getting back here… unfortunately, the way most businesses use – or want to use interns – to get work done at no cost is not legal. It has nothting to do with whether or not your send the intern to get coffee or do menial tasks. What it has to do with the is the fair labor laws and whether or not the business derives benefit from the intern’s w0rk. Here’s what the US Department of Labor has to say about interns: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm USA Today recently ran an article on the subject, too, as have other sources (we have one on our site too). Here’s the link to the USA Today article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/story/2012-03-07/summer-internships-paid-unpaid/53404886/1
Janet Attard recently posted..8 Ideas for Getting Things Done the Right Way
Hi Janet,
Absolutely agree with what these articles are saying – the internship should comply and should be beneficial to the student’s education. If an internship is organized carefully with this in mind, it can benefit both the student and the business owner. Did I say something in this article that said otherwise?
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Get More Retweets More Followers and More Exposure: EasyRetweet 30,000 Credit Giveaway!
I’m not disagreeing with you about interns being a real benefit to a small business. We’ve hired interns ourselves and they were great. Excellent workers, motivated, and were great sounding boards for getting a younger viewpoint on issues.
The point at issue, though, is the concept of using unpaid interns to do income-producing work. I’m not an attorney, but as I understand the laws, if the intern is doing work you’d have to pay to have done by a regular employee or freelancer in the US, you are legally required to pay the intern at least minimum wage.
In addition to the links I posted last night (sorry for the typos last night- it was late), here’s another one to look at – this one is from Inc magazine.
http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/04/what-unpaid-interns-could-cost-you.html
Janet Attard recently posted..8 Ideas for Getting Things Done the Right Way
I am with Janet. Using interns as a strategy for not having to hire people violates the spirit of the law, which is intended to protect both the interns and the unemployed people who don’t get hired to do the same work.
In the past, internships were used to test out potential future employees, assess the graduates of schools to determine if the business should recruit there, and (what a concept!) give a hand up to the next generation.
Barbara Saunders recently posted..Stephen King’s On Writing — Oh, the Horror!
I’m a small business owner here in India and i’ve been appointing interns since last two year in my company. Sometimes it becomes very challenging to deal with them as they are just college pass outs and know very little about the corporate culture but some of them you will find really outstanding. sometimes they give a direction to your thought.
Tauseef recently posted..Top 10 web hosting companies Rating based on independent user reviews
Hi Tauseef,
I guess it depends on your selection process. Generally, if you find students who are interested in learning about your area of expertise, you tend to get more engaged interns. It definitely is great when you find that really insightful student who brings a new perspective to your business – perhaps they are worthy of a promotion in the end and perhaps would be worth hiring.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..5 Ways to Increase Your Following on Twitter
Kiesha,
Great post. Very thoughtful and elaborates on some key things to consider. I have the advantage of having a “senior” in my family, and she has been a great help. So true, to keep it simple, not because of intelligence level, but realizing that the intern’s experience is not the same as ours. In my case, I have the advantage of knowing the personality, so I understand HOW to communicate it more effectively.
Thanks,
Deborah
Deborah Anderson recently posted..Deborah Talks Technology on Denver Talk Radio
Hi Deborah!
Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts. Yes, I believe in breaking things down into simple chunks. Once they’ve mastered one chunk, we can move to the next. Really, you have to pay attention to people, if you’re perceptive you can tell when you’re overloading them. It let’s them know that you care about them, when back off a bit and make sure they understand what you’re asking them to do.
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Is it Possible to Achieve Top 100k Ranking in 10 Weeks?
I’ve been in need of hiring someone for a while because there just isn’t enough time in the day, but I haven’t even had time to sit down and make it happen.
I have spoken to several people, but most don’t have the interest to go with the skills, so we usually end up starting new joint projects, which puts even more work on my plate.
I do use outsourcing, but only for the repetitive tasks. All that to say I really need to get someone on board that I can trust (yes I have trust issues lol) to do things properly and the way I would want.
Jamie Northrup recently posted..Top 10 WordPress Themes from June 2012
Hi Jamie!
It’s not unusual to have trust issues. I have a few myself, so the point is to work as closely as you are comfortable. Share your expertise about the things you feel comfortable with and take it one step at a time. It’s always difficult to get started and put things in motion, but take your time. You’ll get there. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, here!
Kiesha Easley recently posted..Is it Possible to Achieve Top 100k Ranking in 10 Weeks?
hi Kiesha,
this is a must read, very informative.. specially when i am thinking of turning my blogs into an blogging business. Cleared many of my doubts.
thanks.
Ashish
Ashish recently posted..Download iOS 6 Theme for iOS 5
I completely agree! The only problem is when people lack the confidence to teach. However, these are all amazing facts and pointers. It will really help me considering how I am planning to hire interns.
Katie
Kiesha,
I have often wished I had someone to do some of the work for me such as research, updating social media sites, and such. I hadn’t thought about an intern. Not sure if my site would be as valuable as the information you share. However, it may be something to look into. Than for the info. Sally
Hello Kiesha,
This gave me a great idea. I’m just getting started and putting long hours myself. I need the help but I can’t afford to pay anyone just yet. Great post!
cramos recently posted..Scam Alerts
Hey Kiesha!
This is a great article! Interns can be a great asset to any company, however many businesses that are involved with trades such as electrical, plumbing, hvac or even hair stylists have a plethora of apprentices.
So depending on your industry, apprentices may be the better option since they have most likely been to school for that particular trade which in turn would offer you more value than just a basic intern. Also, there are many government grants available for some of the apprenticeships. An apprentice is there to learn the skills because in the future that will be their career.
Adelaide – EcoChoice recently posted..Current Promotion
I do agree with this idea. I’ve learned that companies in the Philippines also practice hiring unpaid interns with the exchange of learning. However, when the total number of intern hours has been served they have to look and train for new interns. It’s a mutual benefit I should say but a burden on the other side.
pay direct loans recently posted..What Can You Get from a Debt Management Expert?
all business must have some form of sacrifice, working with an intern is not a bad idea as long as the business it growing/you can only try to adjust and make things right as time goes on.nice post you’ve got.
This is a great post. I agree that internships do work both ways, benefiting the employer and the intern. And that interns should not be limited to just making coffee or even merely cleaning (!!) the office. I have seen this happen in some offices I had worked with before and I really felt bad that this was how some employers/businesses would deal with them. Giving a treat to an intern every now and then would be nice, too
Just to show we appreciate the work they are doing.
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I had never heard of this concept in our business, but after reading your post, I think it could turn out in a positive way. We have a state university about a half mile from our office, so there could be a good source of talent. As long as they didn’t expect re-numeration, or some other type of pay, I would be happy to write a report on what they did. Thanks for sharing this and for giving me another idea.
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Hi Gustav,
What we need is for students to recognize that training and experience are valuable – and unlike college courses they pay for businesses and individuals make them available in exchange for some productive work.
I am amazed that more students are not seeking out internships while they are studying and also that so few people who want to learn in-demand skills are not willing to put in the time without pay. Social media skills can be learned in a day or two and then earn the person cash money – but finding any interested is a real chore.
Perhaps if they read my post How to Land the Fastest Growing, Highest Demand Careers and Jobs and watched the video in it they would get more interested. Whether someone wants a job or to freelance they need to understand that what counts is RESULTS.
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