Seven benefits of hiring interns and new grads
So you’ve realised that your team has a gap and you need to get a new employee in to fill that hole. When thinking about hiring someone new, your mind might instantly go to hiring more senior and advanced talent. Don’t get us wrong, senior talent are fabulous, however you’re missing out on a LOT if you don’t consider hiring new graduates, or even getting some interns in the door. Plus, it’s a fair bit cheaper in the long run if you hire one of them.
Just a note with interns, we don’t advise hiring unpaid interns. They should be paid something for their time and effort, particularly if they are working for you multiple days a week – they’ve got bills and rent to pay too.
With that all said and done, check out the seven benefits of hiring new grads and interns at your company.
They have enthusiasm, energy and a willingness to to learn
Young professionals and new people in general bring new energy and enthusiasm to the workplace and it’s contagious – soon your whole team will be walking with a pep in their step. New grads and interns are also incredibly keen to learn, try new things and drink everything in – so while you’ll get a lot of questions (some that may even make you rethink why you do something in a certain way), this willingness means that you can train them variety of areas to take some of the burden away from your team.
They bring a new perspective and fresh new ideas to the business
When you have the same people coming up with all the ideas, you’re likely to get a lot of the same stuff. Bring in an intern or fresh grad and you’re going to get a ton of new ideas – whether it’s for some new social content or creative for a client’s campaign. Plus, they’ll likely have different backgrounds and different perspectives to your current team – all which influence the way they think, how they work and what ideas they come up with, so if you want impact, a grad or an intern is the way to go.
They’re digital savvy and pick up new technologies quickly
Practically born with a phone in their hands, this generation of new grads and interns are the ultimate tech savants. Need to teach them the ins and outs of a CRM, how email marketing automation works or how to build a website? They’ll get the gist of it in no time at all. They may be even able to teach your team a thing or two – especially when it comes to the ol’ TikTok and other social media trends.
via GIPHY
You can pass on some of the more administrative work on to them
Administrative work can take up a senior staff member’s time – time that is often better spent on other things. While we’re not advising you to give a grad or intern only admin work, you can pass some of these tasks on. They get to learn about the more operational aspects of the job and workplace, and your senior staff have more time to work on the big picture stuff that they should be focusing on.
If you get a stand out intern, you could have a new hire once they graduate
If you’re lucky enough to land a stellar intern and you’re keen to keep them around, make your intentions clear early. Have an open conversation with them about their career post-internship or post-graduation. Outline a clear career pathway, talk about opportunities to learn and progress and be accommodating if they still need to work around uni classes. Congratulations, you’ve found yourself a new hire with little effort and no recruitment costs 🙌.
It’s a great opportunity for your senior staff to grow and develop
If some of your more senior staff members have never managed or mentored a junior employee before, having interns and grads around is a great learning and development opportunity for them as well. Get these juniors to report to them so senior staff can develop their management and leadership skills. It’s also a great chance for them to see if management is something that they’re keen on doing and gives you an idea of how they can also progress in the business.
They’re easy to find
Students and grads are everywhere and they’re all eager for experience and to get their foot in the door, especially when some entry level jobs ask for multiple years of experience (do not get us started on that!). The recruitment process will be a lot quicker and easier if you mark roles specifically for interns and grads. Trust us, you’ll be inundated with applications.
A lot easier to find than this guy – via GIPHY
If you’re now sold on the benefits of hiring interns and grads into your business, we can help! We chat with grads pretty regularly, so just reach out to hello@creativenatives.com.au and we’ll help you find the perfect grad for your business.