Summer internships are becoming increasingly popular, and many businesses across industries are now requiring potential candidates to have some form of internship experience. In fact, about 81.7% of early-career Gen Z professionals have participated in experiential learning.
For small businesses, hiring a summer intern can bring fresh energy, help teams manage heavy workloads, and develop future talent for your organization. Here’s what you need to know about finding, hiring, and retaining great summer interns.
Why should my small business hire summer interns?
Interns can bring a lot of short- and long-term value to your business. They often contribute new ideas, outlook, academic expertise, innovative thinking, and up-to-date skills that can help spark improvements to current business processes. They can also help teams handle heavy workloads, clear backlogs, and develop special projects. Bringing new faces, perspectives, and energy can also positively impact the workplace environment and renew motivation amongst your existing team.
Interns who’ve had a great experience with your company often become brand ambassadors whose positive stories can strengthen your brand’s reputation with both potential employees and clients. Productive, promising interns can also easily transition into full-time roles, reducing future recruitment costs and creating a strong talent pipeline.
How do I hire summer interns?
There are several important factors to know before launching a summer internship program, helping ensure that both you and your intern start with a clear, shared understanding.
Step 1: Understand internship laws
One of the first steps is researching and understanding your state’s requirements and how internships are regulated. In addition to federal regulations, every state has its own set of guidelines that determine how and when interns are paid, and these may vary further locally. In the event that multiple jurisdictions may apply, companies must follow whatever law is more favorable to their candidates.
Knowing the laws in advance helps dictate whether an intern should be paid or earn college credit, and how this affects minimum wage requirements, compensation, company policy, and access to benefits. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most profitable employers are required to pay employees for their work. However, interns and students don’t always meet the legal definition of an employee under the FLSA and may not be paid, depending on the situation.
Step 2: Budget your resources and set a timeline
Once you’ve clarified the legal side, start by clearly outlining the intern’s overall scope of work, program guidelines, and timelines (typically three months or the duration of a summer semester). Ideally, interns should become familiar with every aspect of the business, even if their primary focus is in one area. Review your budget to make sure your internship structure meets FLSA requirements and that your business can support the program.
Step 3: Build your program structure
When putting together your summer internship program, focus on creating a clear structure that supports both your business and the intern’s growth.
Begin by assigning someone to oversee the program. You don’t necessarily need to hire an outside coordinator—just make sure whoever you assign has time to guide interns and manage the process. An existing full-time team member who knows your operations well could be the perfect fit.
Next, establish a mentorship system. Rather than pairing an intern with a senior leader, consider matching them with an entry- or mid-level employee who recently walked in their shoes. This gives the intern a relatable guide who can help them learn the company culture, feel comfortable asking questions, and build social and professional connections.
Finally, plan regular check-ins to track progress, address issues, and give feedback.
“Ensure your interns are getting real feedback—the good, the bad, and the ugly,” said Mike Thompson, CEO of Learner Mobile. “You don’t want an intern milling about for even one day—that’s a waste of their time and yours.”
[Read more: How to Write an Effective Job Description]
Step 4: Define the roles (and set goals) for your internship program
Defining internship roles with a purpose entails giving every intern meaningful work and clear objectives.
“Interns thrive with structure,” Sam Wright, Head of Operations and Partnerships at Huntr, said. “So before recruiting, map out clear goals, a timeline, and a point of contact for regular check-ins.”
Think about these issues: Will the intern work full-time or part-time? Is it paid, or is academic credit involved? If you decide on a for-credit internship, contact the school in advance to ensure it aligns with their requirements.
Once these decisions are made, assign roles and responsibilities. Choose projects that support your business goals and match the intern’s objectives. Clarify what they will handle day to day, which team members they’ll work with, and how their work fits into a broader initiative. These details help interns step into their role with confidence and contribute in meaningful ways.
Step 5: Create the internship application and determine your selection process
In your internship description, be clear about your offerings and expectations. Remember, an intern’s experience is probably limited, so as Raquel Braun, Co-founder of strategic consulting firm Mulier Fortis, put it, “Aim to bring on interns who are curious and coachable. Skills can be taught; drive and genuine interest are innate.”
Think about the application format as well. For students with little work history, you might ask for a sample project, an essay, or references rather than a traditional resume and cover letter.
Finally, decide whether you’ll interview by phone or in person, and whether it will be one-on-one or in a team meet-and-greet format. The types of questions you might ask during the interview include:
- What are you hoping to learn during this internship?
- How did you become interested in this industry?
- Where do you see your career heading?
- Can you walk me through a recent class assignment or project and what you learned from it?
Step 6: Create the intern recruitment plan
A focused recruitment plan helps you reach students who want practical experience and are eager to contribute. Start by building relationships with local colleges and universities. Connect with career centers and participate in campus events or virtual fairs where students explore summer opportunities. Consider expanding your reach to social media, which is a great way to connect with young candidates.
Promote your posting via college career center job boards, your website, and employee networks. Make it stand out by explaining the professional value of the internship, your company’s mission, the skills interns will develop, and details such as the timeline, part-time vs. full-time status, and compensation.
[Read more: How to Partner With a University as a Small Business]
Ensure your interns are getting real feedback—the good, the bad, and the ugly. You don’t want an intern milling about for even one day—that’s a waste of their time and yours.Mike Thompson, CEO of Learner Mobile
Best practices for your summer internship program
For success in your summer internship program, the following best practices will ensure both your intern and your business make the most out of the program.
Onboard effectively and set clear expectations from day one
As you prepare your summer internship program, a strategically structured onboarding plan will help interns feel confident and ready to make an impact on day one.
“Well-structured programs incorporate specific goals, a time frame, an onboarding process to welcome interns into the team, and an identified mentor or supervisor,” explained Mike Szczesny, Owner and Vice President of EDCO Awards & Specialties.
Effective onboarding plans also include clearly defined expectations for performance, conduct, and success. Review the minimum work requirements, what the intern will get from the program, and set learning goals and desired outcomes from the program. Your interns will perform better when they’re aware of the expectations of their work and how they’ll contribute to the overall business.
Design meaningful projects and tasks that benefit the business
When assigning work to your intern, give them tasks that contribute to the business and allow them to build skills and experience.
“I highly recommend giving the interns a project they can have full ownership of, coupled with a scope that has an achievable conclusion,” suggested Cristina Cadima, Human Resources Manager at Hubstaff.
A few high-impact projects for interns could include researching topics worth presenting to the team, taking on creative or trend-driven strategy tasks for digital marketing, finding new ways to utilize artificial intelligence, auditing systems and customer experience, or running a self-designed project based on their strengths.
Once your intern has started, make sure to provide ongoing feedback, encourage them to share their ideas, incorporate learning opportunities throughout the program, and celebrate their progress. These elements will all contribute to a positive and productive internship experience.
Manage and develop interns day-to-day
Meet with your intern regularly to see how they’re developing and learning, while also making sure you are responding to any issues they’re facing. With frequent check-ins, constructive feedback, and ongoing communication, you can ensure your intern is making progress, staying on track, and feeling supported.
Internships are meant to be learning opportunities, so give interns projects that allow them to build new skills and gain relevant experience. They’ll become more engaged with their work and leave with valuable skills for when they’re ready to enter the workforce full-time.
To become a great mentor to your intern, offer advice, resources, and opportunities to learn both on and off the job. Reading industry-specific articles, shadowing different team members, networking, and attending in-person or virtual conferences can all be great ways to expand their internship experience.
Close out the internship well
Just as the onboarding plan should be strategically structured, create a strong exit process to ease the transition at the end of the internship program. Hold a formal review to offer in-depth feedback on your intern’s performance and help them identify next steps in their career. A formal or casual internship evaluation can also let the intern give feedback on their experience, including what went well and what could be improved.
As your intern prepares to depart, help them showcase their work in a portfolio, make a plan for what’s next, and celebrate their achievements and progress with a proper farewell. If appropriate, and depending on their performance, make a point to keep in touch with past interns, provide them with a letter of recommendation, connect on LinkedIn, and consider them for future job openings.
Many internships are now seen as long job interviews, and if an intern excels in your program, they could be a great addition for when a position opens up—and there will be less onboarding needed as they’ll already be familiar with your systems and processes.
[Read more: A Guide to Hiring Top Talent for Your Small Business]
Refine your program regularly
As more interns complete your program, you can take their input on their experience to continually refine your program and make it as beneficial as possible. Using their feedback from the exit process, in addition to any data insights you gather, can help the internship program thrive. Before the next internship program cycle begins, make sure to update any onboarding materials, mentorship processes, or job descriptions that have changed since the last intern.
Continuing to refine your program and adapting to the feedback interns provide will ensure your program stays effective and is ready for each new intern you hire.
Some source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.
Leanne Haas contributed to this article.
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