With fewer professional job opportunities in popular fields, lots of job seekers and employers are now turning to “the internship.” Unfortunately, over the years, the internship has gone from apprenticeship to just plain “free help.”
As a small business owner, how do you make sure if you use interns, it will benefit your company as well as the intern? How do you make sure there is meaningful work to be done for your company and that it will give the intern experience they can use later at a full time job?.
On The Small Business Radio Show this week, I talked with Robert J. Khoury, who is the Co-founder and CEO of Agile Rainmakers, a high-impact advisory firm based in Chicago’s Gold Coast. His twenty-plus-year career in the financial industry has seen him in many roles: an equity derivatives trader, portfolio manager, corporate strategist, recruiter, hedge fund executive, and private equity investor.
Rob has developed and managed a comprehensive internship program for college students that has resulted in a significant impact on dozens of students and his clients. He is the co-author of successful books, “Intern Management” and “How to Intern Successfully”.
Here is what we discussed during the interview:
- What are some of the principles that can make an internship exceptional and successful?
- Should all interns be paid, and if so, how much should they be paid?
- How can companies improve their intern interviewing process to get the right candidates?
- How can managers best prepare for their interns before they arrive?
- How can employers ensure that their interns are fulfilled, and what steps should managers take to prepare for the end of each internship?
- Why is it so important to weave dignity into the internship?
Considering hiring interns? Listen to the entire interview with Rob on The Small Business Radio Show.
Image: Agilerainmakers