More than making coffee: How Internships are Beneficial for Employers and Students

Summer is in full-swing, so you know what that means - interns! As the school year wraps-up, students looking for some hands-on experience (and a little college credit) put on their shiniest shoes and head out to local businesses across the country.

This summer, The Squad has an intern of our very own! Brayden Ward has joined our team for the summer to learn all things digital marketing and help out in the SEO, keyword research, and social media worlds among other things.

(You may have noticed Brayden's last name: Ward. You may also notice our COO's last name: Billy Ward. We aren't crying nepotism, but we'll just leave this here.)

There are real world benefits to hiring interns, beyond simply helping you get more work done (though we'll be the first to say that that is a huge benefit as we've grown).

New faces bring a new perspective to the office environment. Inquisitive minds lend themselves to seeing the world through a broader lens. That enhanced perspective gives us an opportunity to see our mission statement and culture in a renewed way. There is a freshness in the office when you see people experience what may be their first work experience.

How interns can be a real benefit for your business

We can easily get stuck in our day to day routines, but training a new person opens our eyes to how things might be improved upon. What better way to evaluate training methodology than applying it to a real situation?

Of course, there is also the cost factor associated with bringing interns on board. Interns are very cost effective compared to traditional job placements. Plus, the trade of work for college credit is an equitable deal for both parties. That new addition can be tasked to focus on labor intensive projects that don’t require a more seasoned team member. That frees up your team to do more of what you hired them for in the first place.

Interns can be brand ambassadors

Your intern is most likely going to be the most junior in the office in terms of age. Through socials channels, networking, and good old fashioned conversations, your intern can champion your brand to a whole new generation of consumers who may never have know about you or your business. All from a first-person perspective.

The opportunities for the Intern

In addition to the benefits for the company, it is also a unique opportunity for the individual intern. As a student you are able to learn valuable material, however, working as an intern in an office and putting that knowledge into action brings work to life.

Real-world application and experience is often missing when students finish college, and it takes students longer to adapt to the functions of an office setting. Serving as an intern allows the student to develop office experience. That office experience may include communicating with clients or getting input in meetings with team members who are more experienced.

While in the office, the intern is learning responsibility and being held accountable to tasks assigned to them. The intern benefits partnering in a mentorship with an experienced team member. Everyday when going into the office interns are able to learn the skills that the experienced employee has previously developed. Those skill sets include problem solving, communication, organization, and participation.

Finding your future career

An internship can be beneficial when it counts as credit hours towards your school. More than that, though, as you are working towards a degree you are able to test the waters. Often times asking yourself during your internship - "Is this right for me?" - you are able to step into an internship and determine if it is something you want to do pursue as a career.

Additionally, almost 70 percent of interns end up being hired by the company. Interns are able to create relationships with clients, co-workers, which then creates more opportunities in the business world for them.

Internships are a win-win for both the business and for the student. We have loved having Brayden on our team this summer and thankfully there's still a few more months to go! And who knows - maybe he'll make a permanent appearance on our team!

Think you have some talent to bring to The Squad? Check out our careers page. We are in the market to fill a few different positions in the near future, including Content Manager, Web Developer, and Administrator.