Get'em early: internships connect students to profession, potential employers.

• Author: Ekanayake, Crystal A.
• Position: HUMANRESOURCES

Recruiting and selecting the best and brightest continues to be a top challenge for businesses.

But internship programs can ease the pain by identifying, and recruiting, accounting students well in advance of graduation.

While the vision of unleashing college students in your business may not paint a pretty picture, if properly planned and staffed, an internship program can benefit students with valuable work experience, as well as your business by helping to meet critical staffing needs and build better relationships with local universities and colleges.

Though instituting and administering an internship program can represent a sizable investment of time and money, the dividends it pays--both in the timely completion of short-term projects and in identifying future staff--can be priceless.

WHY AN INTERN?

While a business' reason for wanting to hire an intern can vary from helping students start their careers to freeing staff time to work on projects that never seem to get done, it is important to have a clear vision. Consider the following:

* Are you planning to hire new employees? Hiring an intern may provide you with the opportunity to evaluate an individual's performance without making a permanent hiring decision.

* Do you have a list of projects that you would like to get done, but you or your staff never find the time to complete these projects?

* Do you want some assistance in a particular area?

BE SELECTIVE

The value your business gets from an intern is proportional to the care and thought you put into the selection process, so avoid the misconception that the individual is "just an intern."

A business still must devote time and energy to finding qualified candidates, just as it would when hiring any position. Internships may last for a few months or for a year or more, depending upon the nature of the work and student availability, so a lack of investment here could result in a less-than-rewarding experience for your business and intern.

Consider what type of intern your business is most interested in because they could be potential new hires after graduation. Determine the desired attributes and skills your intern should have in advance of the interview.

And as with any position, develop a job description, which will help clarify the position's required qualifications and responsibilities.

MAKE THE WORK FIT

Another key to internship success is to properly match the work to the intern's knowledge and skill level. Students take...