More students hired after internships

Employers who believe interns are only good for making photocopies and trips to Starbucks are sorely mistaken.\nAnd that misconception is costing them.\nCosting them future employees, fresh perspectives, short-term help ... The potential benefits are endless, said Ami Hollis, recruiting coordinator for Kent State University's Career Services Center.\n"They get to evaluate a potential new hire that they didn't have to advertise for," she said.\nAccording to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies converted more than 38 percent of their student interns into full-time employees during the 2002-2003 academic year.\nAnd for the third straight year, employers rated their internship programs as the most effective recruiting method for hiring new graduates, according to NACE's 2004 Job Outlook survey.\n"Experiential education assignments are outstanding ways for students and employers to try each other out," NACE's Executive Director Marilyn Mackes, said in a statement.\nThe benefits for college students are clear.\nThey can acquire practical work experience, on-the-job training and assurance that the field they chose is right for them.\n"They're benefiting all the way around," Hollis said.\nBut all of that depends on the quality of a company's internship program.\nJust saying you hire interns isn't enough. It takes a commitment from top managers to give students real work, not just busy work.\n"Some have a mentoring program. That's what we prefer," Hollis said. "They'll teach the student intern the ropes. Let them work in different departments."\nErin Lewis, who handles recruiting for Akron-based FirstMerit, said the bank's internship program is extremely structured.\nStudents must attend classes, learn about customer service and business writing etiquette. Each intern also gets to work one-on-one with a mentor, such as a department head.\nThe goal is to hire every intern, said Lewis, who was an intern herself four years ago.\n"It's going to benefit us," said Lewis, an officer and talent acquisition coordinator for FirstMerit. "It doesn't benefit us to have someone come in and run errands."\nRosalind Thompson of Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., echoed that sentiment.\nSummer interns are asked to do work that has a real impact on the Hudson-based company. Last summer, for instance, students came up with a plan to market Jo-Ann Stores' products to high-school prom-goers. Some of their concepts were used later in the year.\n"Our hiring managers kind of bid for the interns because they all want them," said Thompson, executive vice president of human resources.\nBeing an intern at Jo-Ann Stores isn't designed to be easy.\nOver 10 weeks, students must do two presentations to top executives about their work, plan a few social events, do community service, keep a journal and meet with an intern coordinator once a week.\nAt the end of the summer, the students know everything they need to know to succeed at Jo-Ann Stores. In fact, about 40 percent of them land a job.\n"It's a win-win," Thompson said.\nWell-trained interns can make the best employees because they come in familiar with the corporate culture, Lewis added.\n"They're not going to bring over any bad habits from another company," she said.\nEmployers looking to add an internship program should look to local universities and start off small.\nFirstMerit is doing that now. This is the first year for its newly "consolidated" program and four students were hired with help from Kent State. The goal is to have 10 interns eventually, Lewis said.\nBefore any students are hired, though, companies need to work up a list of job duties and set academic standards for their acceptance. Interns, for instance, might be required to have a minimum grade-point average or attend an Ohio school.\nStructure is critical, and that starts from the top down.\nManagers must understand the benefits of hiring and training interns, Thompson said, and then truly accept them as part of the company team.\n"It's not just good to have them come in and shadow people," she said. "They don't learn anything"