From Overachievers to Weekend Warriors: Meet the 7 Types of Interns You'll Encounter
Spring has sprung. The windows are open. And internship applications are pouring in like the Spring rains. This time of year, enthusiastic interns always seem to be a topic of conversation with my colleagues in Talent Acquisition. Despite their enthusiasm, hiring and managing interns can pose its own unique set of challenges.
As my colleagues and I reflect on our past experiences as interns, we can’t help but chuckle at their eagerness (even though we were once in the same position). In our time spent wading through the rising pile of resumes that flood in, we identified seven distinct types of potential intern candidates. Here’s a few that you can expect to see (and our tips on which ones you should hire):
Busy Ben: He can only meet or have a phone call after 5pm or on a Saturday at 10am. This is a pet peeve of mine. I guarantee he has time for a 30-minute conversation with you during the hours of 8a-5p Monday through Friday. He’s in college. He’s not saving the world (yet), and likely doesn’t have many responsibilities outside of his 12 credit hours. He needs to make it work or it’s time to move on to Eager Edward. While there are always exceptions, I’d be leery of this candidate.
Culture Cullen: He’s a little too into your company’s laidback culture (no, you may not wear a baseball hat backwards in an interview, young sir). This candidate makes me nervous. No matter the office environment, interns shouldn’t become too casual, especially with clients.
Eager Edward: He knows more about you than you know about you. I’m talking Facebook photos from circa 2008 have resurfaced because of him. While this can come off as slightly-creepy, his thorough research could come in handy in a professional setting.
Greedy Gary: He wants $40 an hour. Enough said.
Quiet Quinn: Could you repeat that? I didn’t catch you on that one. Don’t sleep on the quiet ones though. An internship could be exactly what they need to build confidence.
Referral Rachel: Her dad is one of your biggest clients. She’s decent enough on paper, with an okay personality, but you both know she’s getting hired because of her dad and not her GPA. Sometimes you just need to grin and bear it for a few months with this one.
Silly Sally: She has applied for any and every role on your company website in hopes of getting a call without realizing all the applications go to one place. This just makes your job harder by having to morph 18 profiles into one. Be cautious with this candidate. My take is, at maximum, it’s ok for a candidate to apply to two or three jobs at a company. Beyond two or three, the candidate likely doesn’t have a solid grasp on what skills they can offer and/or what they want out of their internship.
In all seriousness, interns can be a crucial part of your company. Once they complete the internship, they’re a walking, talking, social media posting billboard for your organization. How you treat them from the very start of the application process matters.
Be sure to invest fully in your interns - even the ones who probably won’t be offered a fulltime role - because you never know who their friends are and what that connection will lead to.
Treat them equitably and respectfully - don’t pay one intern $30/hr and another $15/hr simply because he/she didn’t know that negotiating for more money was an option.
While selecting interns can be challenging, they can provide a fresh look at your company's day-to-day business and procedures and can share ideas on strategy, plans, policies and more!