How Hiring an Intern Can Help You as a Small Business Owner

As a small business owner, finding good help can be difficult. Qualified candidates are more likely to gravitate toward large corporations than smaller businesses because of their high profile and better pay. One way that you can find quality help is by hiring interns.

The majority of interns are college students who are looking to get credits needed for graduation, or simply to gain experience. But some people who are looking for internships have already completed their education, and would like to either gain experience or try to break into a new field. Either of these groups can be a major asset to your small business. And they are often willing to work for little or no pay, so they are less expensive than hiring a regular employee.

Interns Can Help With Everyday Tasks

Most interns have little or no actual experience in their field, so they're best suited to small tasks at first. That doesn't mean that you should relegate them to the role of gopher, however. It just means that they need to work their way up to the bigger tasks.

Interns can start out doing nuts-and-bolts type work, such as paperwork. Once they've mastered that, they can move on to tasks that are progressively more complicated. The pace will depend on the intern's skill level and your needs. If you move him up too slowly, he could become bored or disgruntled. If you move him up too quickly, he might not be able to keep up.

Interns Can Help With Short-Term Projects

If you have a short-term project that you need extra help on, or if your business is seasonal in nature, hiring interns is a great way to get the help you need at a low cost. They are often willing to work extra hard in order to get a good report or reference in their field of choice. And since there doesn't have to be any type of commitment, you can keep them only as long as you need them.

Interns May Make Good Candidates for Full-Time Employment

Interns are great for short-term projects, but hiring them also gives employers a way to screen potential employees. It's like hiring someone, but getting a risk-free trial period to evaluate them before making a commitment.

If you choose to hire an intern as a full-time employee once his internship is over, word will get around to other potential interns. That could result in a swarm of qualified candidates seeking internships with your business. That could be great news if you are looking to expand your business.

Interns are great for businesses, and small businesses in particular can benefit from hiring them. Whether you need a temporary extra hand around the office, someone to help with a small project, or are looking for a full-fledged employee, hiring an intern could be just the solution you're looking for. It's a cost-effective way to get help for any purpose.