Why You Should Be Using Unpaid Interns To Grow Your Business

I became a big believer in internships my senior year in high school.

At the time, our school had a program that placed seniors into the work environment so they could get a better feel for what exactly they wanted to pursue in college.

The staff member behind the program was a visionary. Gary Larese was his name. Gary - wherever you are, my hat is off to you. (And don't take that lightly, Gary - it's -5 degrees out right now and my head is very cold.)

I interned at WWLP, a television station in Western Massachusetts. And by the time my internship was completed, I had grown a large pair of...well, you know.

I went into the station manager and told him that he was going to hire me and I was going to stay local and go to college full time while working for him.

He told me I was out of my mind.

We don't hire college students. Never have, never will," he said.

I told him it was perfect. He wouldn't be hiring a college student. He'd be hiring an aggressive young man who would just happen to start taking college classes a few months after being hired.

And so began my nine year stint in journalism.

I worked my way through college - and thanks to the unpaid internship I had done early on, everything else fell into place. I am where I now in part because of what began as an unpaid internship.

Unpaid and for-credit internships often get a bad name - as do many of the companies that offer them. Somehow society has become so entitled (don't even get me started on politics in the comments section here) that there are many people who believe there's something WRONG with opportunities that people voluntarily accept to better themselves.

And so here's why you NEED to start taking on interns - RIGHT NOW.

GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

Isn't one of the benefits of success the ability to pay it forward and give back to others? I believe we are doing ourselves, our businesses and our community a disservice if we aren't willing to share our experiences and our skills with others. Giving away knowledge doesn't devalue you or your brand. Quite the opposite, actually. It strengthens you as a leader.

TECHNICAL TRAINING FOR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES

I don't know about you, but I've found the job pool to be....lacking. Why wouldn't we want to be able to train someone who doesn't have a preconceived notion about how a job should be done? The worst that comes out of this is that you've given someone skills that they can take with them in life. The best that comes out of it is that you've groomed a star employee. If they work their butts off in their internship, you know the kind of team member they will be. If they are constantly late or calling out and just doing things to pass the time or to get their credits...well, that answers that.

AN INJECTION OF FRESH IDEAS

College interns will inject fresh blood and fresh ideas into your work environment. They'll bring a deeper and more fluid understanding of technology, social media and communication. They'll challenge what you think you know and they'll make you take another look at your strategy. And if you create a culture of innovation in your work environment, they'll be less likely to hold back on outrageous ideas because they don't have to worry about you cutting their pay or killing their job.

Remember - the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Maybe it's time you mixed up your corporate culture a little.

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POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, New England's #1 Marketing Agency. We're a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology. You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.