Many companies offer internships, a program often administered by a firm’s human resources department. For the company, the intern provides another person to help out, a fresh perspective and youthful energy. The intern gets valuable work experience.

But there are good ways to run an internship and not so good ways. HR specialist Susan Heathfield offers some advice on best practices for internships.

First off, Healthfield says interns should get paid. There is disagreement about this – some feel that getting the work experience is enough pay for an intern. But, Heathfield says, interns deserve to receive some payment for the work they do. There may be an exception if the intern is getting course credit for the internship, or if the internship is a graduation requirement.

In addition, paying interns has other benefits – it enables you to attract the best people, to help diversify your workforce, and to offer an opportunity to students who would not be able to take the internship otherwise.

Companies should pick interns in the same way they hire their employees, through a systematic hiring process. It gives the interns experience at what the process is like, and it helps the company to get the best people.

If you are going offer an internship program, you owe the interns a diverse experience with the business. In other words, you are not hiring interns just to get coffee, staple papers or empty wastebaskets. They should be able to contribute to the operational aspects of the business.

Also, departments that want to use interns should first provide a developmental plan for them. This would include a job description of the internship, including what outcomes are expected. The plan also includes information on how the department will use the intern. Interns also should receive some kind of orientation to the business.

The company also should provide an employee who acts as a guide or mentor to the intern while he or she is at the company. The mentor will follow the intern’s progress, set goals and monitor the contributions the intern is making.

You should also include interns at your company’s events, whether they are social or professional gatherings. Offering internships helps your business because these are people who are known to you. You know they are skilled, good workers, and they know the company culture – they could end up becoming great entry-level employees in the future!

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