How an internship program can boost your work environment

As a human resources specialist I’ve always been involved in creating internship programs. I know from experience that internships can present many advantages for both the employer and the employee.

But in this article, I will try to explain how an all-year-round internship scheme can positively influence the entire work environment in your company, boosting a whole ecosystem of energies and resources.

There’s no argue about it: the primary purpose of any internship program is to find future employees.

The second most prominent outcome is the ability to test-drive the talent. The cost of a bad hire, as estimated by the US Department of Labor, rises to at least 30% of that employee’s first-year estimated salary. But it’s a human resources reality: sometimes a new employee makes a solid impression during the interview, but simply doesn’t work well with your current team or the way the company operates.

Because of this, hiring someone as an intern is the most effective way to evaluate his or her potential as a full-time employee. When you „try out“ candidates over a three months internship, you make fewer mistakes when it comes to full-time hiring.

Beyond these more or less established reasons to hire interns, here’s a new outlook: interns can positively change the dynamics of your full time employees.

Next, I invite you to discover 5 reasons why I think hiring interns on a regular basis is a good thing for the entire team:

#1 Bring fresh perspective

Interns bring more to the table than just an extra set of hands. Especially in today’s competitive market, the stereotype of an intern fetching coffee and picking up the mail is out of the question.

Internship candidates know exactly what they want from a temp job, and that is: hands on experience in real projects. At RomSoft, we want to make the most of this situation, so we encourage interns to bring their own perspective, as well as their specialized strengths and skill sets.

For example, apart from the hands on experience in a real project, new hires are encouraged to participate in brainstorming sessions and ideation activities, alongside their more experienced teammates. Breaking the status quo is a good thing when done with a clear purpose.

#2 Close the skills gap

No school in the world has the power to prepare its graduates exactly for the skills and challenges of your particular project. Sometimes, when you’re just starting a multi-annual project or a sequence of similar projects, you have to consider creating your own talent pool for mining new talent.

While fresh graduates might lack the skills you need, either on the technical front or in the soft skills area, they make up in motivation and enthusiasm. And you have the advantage that you can educate their sense of professionalism, leadership and work ethics from the ground up.

So here’s my realistic view on a win-win situation: we help a student close the gap with real-world work experience in an internship, and at the same time we allow them to keep their options open. In our experience, more than 30% of the people who successfully carry out a three month internship at RomSoft will transition to full-time employment with the company.

#3 Apply the latest in techniques and technology

College students learn cutting-edge strategies, techniques, and technologies in their field. Implementing an internship program gives you direct access to recent developments. As much as your interns will learn from you, you can also learn from them.

For example, graduates who have taken even a “basic” course in AI/machine learning or blockchain in school, will be able to cut the onboarding time by half in a project needing such specific skills. Also it will allow the new hires to bring to the table skills and ideas that current employees just don’t own yet.

#4 Foster leadership skills in current employees

Mentoring and supervising interns by current employees is a good opportunity for the latter to test-drive their leadership skills. This can be great training for an employee who, for example, is preparing to occupy a management position. Supervising interns is often less stressful than supervising already established employees.

Mentoring and guiding others often motivates employees to hold themselves more accountable and become effective leaders. In this way, adding interns to your company can enhance and multiply leadership capabilities.

#5 Improve the overall work climate

With interns on board, employees have a lighter workload, more time for creative or complex projects, and the opportunity to build confidence and leadership by guiding others.

Additionally, interns often bring enthusiasm, motivation, and positive energy. This work ethic and positivity can easily spread onto others, improving the overall culture of your company.

Closing thoughts

In conclusion, a year-round internship program brings benefits for both sides. Not to mention that an internship job entails pretty much the same employment benefits as a permanent position.

To follow in our own words, we’re starting a new internship program here at RomSoft. We have five positions available, and if you want to check out the details and/or jump the opportunity please follow these links:

Or, for extra motivation, you can continue reading about the top 5 reasons you should become a RomSoft intern.