Is the difference between managing interns and exploiting them simply a matter of whether or not they get paid?
Well, it’s more complicated than that, especially given recent lawsuits over unpaid work by former interns from Harper’s Bazaar, Charlie Rose and the movie Black Swan.
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How is a business to know if it’s giving top treatment to those on the ladder’s lowest rung? Here are just a few signs that your company isn’t getting the most out of its interns, or giving the most back.
1. You’re breaking the law
First, let’s look into the current legality of unpaid internships. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor released what they called a “test for unpaid interns.” It outlines the conditions under which an intern at a for-profit company would not be automatically entitled to payment under the Fair Labor Standards Act. These are the conditions under which an intern can work without getting paid:
- The internship is similar to training given in an educational environment.
- The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern
- The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
- The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern.
- The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
- The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
Some of those conditions leave room for interpretation, but the bottom line is that an unpaid intern’s experience should be focused on his education more so than his benefit to the company.
2. You’re not compensating fairly.
So what should an intern make? (If you immediately thought “coffee,” then maybe you should forget about interns entirely). The labor department says interns at a for-profit business who qualify as employees “typically must be paid at least the minimum wage and overtime compensation for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.”
Whether you’re paying or not, it still makes sense to reward your interns with other incentives. Marc Scoleri, co-founder and CEO of online internship resource creativeinterns.com, recommends stipends (such as a daily sum for lunch), admittance to events or parties, project completion bonuses, gift cards and, easiest of all, positive feedback.
Although you and your intern can agree to any mutually acceptable work hours, Scoleri says it helps to be extra flexible about their class schedules. When the day is done, they still have homework and tests to study for, whereas you get to go home and watch Mad Men.
3. Your interns just want to be interns—anywhere.
The first step is to make sure you’re getting the right intern for your needs. “An interview and discussion about the candidates’ skills, future plans and career interests will help clarify if the candidate will be a good match—and possibly a future employee,” says Scoleri. “Haphazardly hiring interns can be a huge waste of time for both the intern and the company.”
“Don’t just look at the resume,” says August Darnell, who runs an internship program for Crawford Strategy, a marketing and PR firm. “We look for intern candidates who have a balance of related experience and a desire to learn more. A strong resume is important, but the innate desire to learn and the initiative that stems from it are two invaluable characteristics.”
Andrea Lance, internship coordinator for advertising agency RPA, uses Twitter to get more insight into prospective candidates. “Twitter has been an amazing resource. It really helps give insight into who that person is and how knowledgeable and how interested they are in the industry.” Lance adds, “Don’t hire interns who just want to be interns anywhere. Hire interns who want to be an intern at your agency.”
4. The job duties and expectations are fuzzy.
Once you bring an intern aboard, be extra clear about your expectations. “Review with the intern a clearly written description that lists duties, skills, hours, pay, special learning opportunities and the evaluation processes,” says Scoleri.
And don’t hold back. “Fully explain what an internship is like—warts and all,” says Darnell. “Make sure the intern’s duties are fully disclosed in posted descriptions and reinforce the full extent of what the internship entails.”
It also helps to share with your intern not just daily assignments, but the big picture as well. “All too often, I see public relations interns who have excellent skills but very little knowledge of how a business works and how each of the departments are interdependent,” says Nicole Yelland, a brand manager for Livio Radio.
“As soon as they understand why they’re doing something and how it helps the organization, interns are often able to come up with better pitches, ideas or ways to merchandise their work internally.”
5. You’re not providing meaningful work.
“Too often, interns become the gopher and do meaningless work that doesn’t intrigue them,” says career management coach Lisa Chenofsky Singer. She recommends giving interns a variety of assignments with “targeted goals,” as well as “access to an advisory group of professionals in the company.”
Scoleri recommends having interns “participate in projects that can benefit from a fresh perspective—such as coming up with new ideas for programs, business development and promotion.” He says, “The next generation of interns are self-starters with a wealth of knowledge about technology, applications and online resources that can help your company.”
CJ Casciotta, president of social marketing agency Create Culture, leverages this ‘wealth of knowledge’ to stay on the cutting edge of habits and trends. “We always keep a steady stream of talented young interns who can inform us on what’s cool from a cultural standpoint—whether it’s design, copy, video or anything else,” he says. “At the same time, we’re teaching these interns valuable business lessons that can only come from age and experience.”
An easy way to make interns feel valuable is to invite them to company meetings—and not just to arrange the bagels. “Leverage their world view by inviting them to brainstorming, staff and strategy meetings and encourage and recognize their participation,” says Leslie Berger, an executive consultant who also chairs an internship program for the University of Southern California.
Lance says such participation will ultimately pay off for you: “The more included an intern feels, the more proactive an intern will be.”
6. Managers aren’t giving proper feedback.
No matter how experienced your intern is, she will need your support and feedback… and not just once. “Check in with your interns early and often to identify what’s going well and what’s not working,” says Berger.
Not checking in could create more problems than you think. “If an intern’s confused about an assigned project due to a lack of communication, they may not execute it correctly. If an intern is unhappy with a project, they may tell others outside of the company instead of their supervisor, which tarnishes reputations,” warns Darnell.
If you do have critiques, make sure to share them supportively and in private. “Whether it’s their first or twenty-first internship, young workers are often new to criticism and might be embarrassed unless you use some discretion in your improvement tips,” says Yelland.
And don’t be afraid to increase your interns’ responsibilities if they prove worthy, says Ben Wise, co-founder of SpringTern.com, which connects students with long-term work projects. “Students and interns are extremely motivated. As they show you they can do good work, let them take on more responsibility. They’ll be eager for the chance to take on the additional challenge if you let them.”
Finally, if you’re asked to write a review of the intern’s work at the end of her tenure, view this as an important responsibility, not just paperwork. “Being able to grade a student on their performance, commitment and responsibility gives business owners the opportunity to develop, teach and empower,” says Casciotta.
7. You’ve forgotten that they’re only students.
Remember, school life and work life are completely different. “Many recent graduates have never worked in an office or around clients or customers, so you may need to give an orientation to new interns to illustrate appropriate and inappropriate behaviors,” Scoleri says. “Simply explaining the preferred way the intern should greet clients or answer the phone can help avoid confrontations.”
Good etiquette includes not only how interns conduct themselves interpersonally, but how they dress. Share with them the old (perhaps new to them) adage: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. And if interns know nothing else, they know how to want a job.
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