Can your HR Intern be a good Resource?

It is believed, and rightly so, that the at the time of hiring, relevant internship and experience is more important than the grades and GPAs. When professionals across the world are convinced that professionals with valid internships are important, there must be a reason for it. However, promising professionals with good grades are often taken in by companies, preferably as interns.

 The market for the best and the brightest is the most competitive.

In the past, interns were seen as burdens. And why not? They were like infants, who would need constant supervision and instructions. But times have changed and in the present job market, the value of an intern is understood. They are resources that are easier to tap into, more economical to pay and after being trained at lesser expenses, available to be hired with good training and better understanding of the company policies, deliverable and the market it belongs to. Owing to all this, and more, Human Resource organisations now agree that hiring interns holds many benefits. Here are some factors that make it beneficial to have and run an internship program:

• Help you find future employees- By running an internship program, you are approaching and hiring prospective employees before they hit the actual job market, which, as said before, is extremely competitive.

• Potential talent for the company- The organisations get to test the talent pool and have their pick from it to hire as full time employees.
• Low cost labour-  As internship programs are paid or unpaid, it can be seen as a training period where you do not have to pay full salaries to employees. The company gets employees, at lower cost, who are easier to train.
• Increasing employee productivity- Many a times, employees are burdened with tasks that can be done even by an untrained professional, wasting their time on menial tasks. In such situations, interns can be a boon. They need to learn even the smallest of tasks and those can be taken over by them, thus, increasing the productivity of the senior, experienced staff.

• Market updates- Coursework at college teaches students about the latest trends in the market that experts observe way before the market itself realises. For this reason, interns are the best bet for any organisation seeking to improve its processes and becoming update as far as the market practices are concerned.
• Numerous advantages to small businesses- Small businesses are mostly short of funds and must save, wherever possible. Hiring interns through a well-designed internship program could come up as a blessing as they can save on manpower and also get the skills that the professionals from the new generation possess.

• Benefitting the community- Hiring interns through well-planned programs, raises the quality and calibre of the local workforce. It also increases competition among future professionals, motivating them to increase their knowledge base and enhance their skill set. In the process, students gain valuable industry experience, make connections, learn about their interests and abilities and end up strengthening their resume.

When such a great source of manpower is available, it would be a huge mistake to not take advantage of it. Also, sometimes it’s better to follow in the footsteps of the industry, leaders or not. It is high time that companies, big and small, invest time and resources in planning and establishing good, altogether beneficial, internship programs for students as well as recent pass-outs. This is where the human resource manager comes in- designing the course, planning it, implementing it, hiring interns and making sure that the company as well as the interns benefit from it.

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