Get the Intern to Do It!
In about 15 years, (or 10, if they are Doogie Howser types), I will have two kids getting ready to go off to college. With issues of rising tuition and student debt so prevalent in the media, it has given me some pause to think about what college gives a person, and what types of prospects students will have upon graduation.
And that got me thinking of internships, because I never even tried to get one. I always worked part-time jobs during the school year, and full time during the summers I stayed in good-old Ann Arbor.
I heard about a young woman who has just written a book—called “All Work, No Pay”—about how she had 15 internships in college. WHAT? So, in addition to book royalties, I am imagining that this kid had some pretty memorable experiences and now has the opportunity to network with a HELL of a lot more people than the average 22-year-old.
And that brings me to today’s question: Do you use interns?
And my next question: Why the heck NOT?
There might be a lot of good reasons to start an internship program at your company—no matter the size. You would foster a great relationship with a local school, and expose a new generation of talent to what you offer and what a great place your company is to work.
EVERY owner I talk to laments how hard it is to find good sales talent these days. So what if you MADE the talent? What if you got a hold of the talent before unreasonably high expectations and that dreaded sense of entitlement we THINK is present in the millenials rears its ugly head, and you actually fostered a relationship with the new generation and taught them what you want them to know?
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.
