Why Are Internships Good for Business?

by Joanna Easby, PRIME Intern, Arlington Chamber of Commerce

In the past decade, the number of students looking for internships has skyrocketed. To get a job in today’s economy, students need more than just a college degree. Employers want experience, not just time in the classroom.

Everyone knows internships are great for students. The question is, are internships also great for the companies that hire them? The answer is yes. Internships can help out a business in several ways, making the experience mutually beneficial for both the intern and the employer.

Here are three reasons why interns are good for businesses:

1. Improves efficiency in the work place - All companies need an extra set of hands sometimes just to get the work load done. An intern can take on some of the more tedious and lengthy tasks that all businesses have to deal with, like filing and sending emails. Just make sure to mix it in with more interactive tasks so that they get a real sense for what it is like to work there (and so they don’t get bored).
   
   
2. New ideas and skills - Students looking for internships get younger and younger every year. Nowadays, a lot of high schools offer internship opportunities to students as young as 15. With the younger generation looking for work experience, they can also bring new skills and ideas into the work environment. For example, no one understands social media like a teenager or college student. Although 20-somethings are the social media generation, they weren’t the ones with cell phones in elementary school and using Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest by the time they were 14. Understanding social media and how to use it to your advantage is something that the younger generation knows well, and is necessary for businesses to use in order to grow in the future.
   
   
3. Possible new employees - The thing about most internships is that they are either unpaid or offer little money, but many interns work and train like a full-time employee. This gives employers an opportunity that they do not have very often; a chance to scope out a potential new employee for an extended period of time. This way, the employer can see whether they like the way this person acts and performs in the work place and if they could be a potential new employee. This would mean that you wouldn’t have to go through an interviewing process, and your new employee would already be partially or fully trained for the job.

Resources:
Harrison, Kate. "Why Interns Are Your New Best Friends." Forbes. Forbes, 11 Jul 2012. Web. 16 Jul 2013.
Loten, Angus. "Why interns are good for business." NBCNews.com. NBC, 12 Mar 2008. Web. 16 Jul 2013.
"To Hire an Intern or Not?" CareerBuilder: For Employers. CareerBuilder. Web. 16 Jul 2013.

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