Should I Hire My Intern on Full Time?

An internship is a mutually beneficial experience for both the company and the intern.  As a small business owner, you get an eager individual ready to help out and learn. They receive great experience for their resume. The terms of internships vary greatly—they may be seasonal (during the school year or summer), temporary (3 to 6 months), very part time or nearly full time, and paid or unpaid. The bigger question is after an intern completes the internship, should you hire them on as a regular, full time employee?

The first thing to consider is before you hire an intern, choose someone who you can envision one day being an employee. While interns don’t always continue their career at that company, the best case scenario is that their position lines up perfectly with their career goals and they turn out to be a rock star that you would love to have as an employee. The worst that could happen is they fulfill a need for a short period of time and you go your separate ways. But it is much easier to fill an open full time position by promoting an intern that by hiring a totally new candidate. Even if they have to finish school before they can start, it could be well worth the wait for the right person for the job.

Another thing to remember is offer paid internships if at all possible. There are plenty of talented young people out there who just can’t afford to spend time in an unpaid internship, so you don’t want to miss out on potential talent by only offering college credit—although that is a good benefit. The most important thing is to provide them with a value equal to the time and responsibilities you are giving them. You also don’t want to be too flexible with the time frame. Give a firm start date, end date, number of hours per week, and when they can expect to be offered a full time position or not. You can offer a small bonus for completing their commitment to the company.

The bottom line? If an intern doesn’t offer the level of skills and personality you were hoping for, kindly send them on their way at the completion of the internship. But if you think they have the potential to grow with the company, consider offering the next open position to them.

© 2013 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Be Flexible with Lunch

Some positions have scheduled breaks for whatever reason, so you have no choice about when you take your lunch or where. But if you’re fortunate enough to work in an environment where you can choose when you take your lunch break, be flexible with it. Here’s why.

Say you work 9am to 5:30pm and you prefer to take your lunch every day at 12:30. There’s nothing wrong with that—most people benefit from a routine. However, if you are working on an important task at 12:15 and you think it might take you a half hour or forty five minutes to finish it, consider completing the work and then taking your lunch at 12:45 or 1:00. Don’t always stop what you’re doing to take your lunch break at exactly the same time. You should put your responsibilities before your appetite and be willing to have your lunch a little later than usual to get something important done. This shows flexibility and commitment. Always stopping the middle of something to take a break sends the message that the work is inconvenient to you and should be done in your timeframe, not the company’s. That doesn’t mean you have to wait two hours to eat because a frustrating task is taking longer than you expected. In that case, a break may help your concentration. But every now and then, switch it up when it will be efficient for your workload.

Another way to be flexible with lunch is not always eating at your desk by yourself. Say yes to an invitation to grab sandwiches with a coworker (or better yet, a supervisor), sit next to someone in the lunch room, or offer to buy someone else lunch every now and then. Participate in company-wide picnics and free social lunches. It will show everyone you are a team player and value the company of those you work with. Make it happen!

© 2013 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

The Person You Talk to for No Reason

Have you ever heard the expression “You are only as successful as the person you talk to for no reason”? That profound statement has some truth to it. For a small business, sometimes the least obvious interactions can provide a huge partnership, deal, or sale. You never know where the next big opportunity is going to come from. So what does this expression mean and how you can keep it in mind for future interactions?

Start with the people you interact with regularly for short periods of time: the barista at Starbucks who makes your latte, the server at your favorite restaurant, the cashier at the grocery store, etc. Of course, most of the time, you will end up with only what you expected-- your purchase--but if you keep an open mind and give them the attention and respect they deserve, you might find yourself talking business with them or at least building a positive reputation as a professional. Then there are those people you know but not well: church members, sports team coaches, school officials, parents of your child’s friends. These people may be even more receptive to hearing about how your business is going and any opportunities for them to get involved if they come up. The newest employee, someone who works outside of your department, or a contractor that comes in on a short term basis are all people you may talk to for “no reason”, but they can have valuable insights and opinions for you that you should consider.

Your success is up to you, but people can have an impact on it. What some people do affects what you do, so look at their success and appreciate it. Do not take their service to you and their interactions with you for granted. Even if no business comes from these encounters, at the very least, you will be setting an example to aspire to or brighten their day. Read that phrase at the beginning again and make it happen!


© 2013 eMarketing 4 Business LLC