Guest Article by Patrick Ross
Using internships for a start-up company is an economical choice. Owners get to save significant amounts that would have otherwise gone towards paying experienced employees’ salaries. Many different routine tasks could also be passed to a capable intern who is willing to learn and put in the needed hours. Using interns for any type of business can be a valuable experience for students or recent college graduates as well. Some may encounter difficulty finding employment in their chosen fields due to a lack of experience. An internship can provide the platform for better employment prospects.
An eCommerce business normally have a good deal of routine website tasks such as writing product descriptions, taking photos of products for sale and packing up orders to be shipped to customers. These tasks can be delegated to interns so that the company’s owner can focus on other things such as promotion and advertising. In cases of businesses that sell virtual products to be downloaded, interns can write press releases and blog posts about the latest ones for sale. In either type of eCommerce business, knowledgeable interns can also create updates for the company’s social networking pages.
Many tech companies find that interns can bring a good deal of knowledge and skill to the table when it comes to social media. One popular set of tasks for an intern is to research and analyze a popular social networking site in terms of how it might benefit the company. A team of interns can also create a slide show presentation about their ideas for the company’s social profile. Many interns can also contribute ideas about how to create a profile that will attract customer attention quickly.
Web analysis is an additional useful area for an intern with preliminary knowledge of site building and promotion. This kind of knowledgeable intern can analyze the existing company website for high quality product pictures, ease of use, and availability of company information. Many business owners find that this intern task brings a fresh perspective and web design ideas they had not previously considered.
Interns in a web or graphic design firm can be helpful for basic tasks such as adjusting the sizes and resolutions of images for web optimization. Those who know the basic use of platforms such as WordPress can also make simple updates such as adding calls to action or social media connection buttons. Another option is to have an intern create possible advertising banners for the company website and then present them to the owner.
The work that interns complete for a business can be quite helpful for their new careers. In addition to practical experience in chosen fields, an internship can also provide training ground for working in teams and providing good customer service. Interns usually get good ideas of how to meet deadlines and finish projects to certain quality standards. One of the most common success stories is one of an intern who is offered a paid position after the agreed internship ends. Even when business owners do not have an open job position to offer to a qualified intern, they can still be valuable references for a job hunt.
When properly engaged and managed, interns can provide value to different types of technology oriented businesses. They can be responsible for tasks that would take time away from owners’ other pressing concerns. This kind of internship can also provide practical learning experiences beyond a standard college classroom.
Patrick is blogging about interns and internships for inspiring interns, a UK based internships agency.