Entry by Pat Patterson
From the 2010 September INTERNnetwork:
Now that you have established a need for interns in your organization, you need to make sure you have students that are interested in your internship opportunities. And although having too many interested candidates may not be a bad thing, it is important that the candidates you attract are qualified for your positions and are the right fit for your organization.
Conveying a clear, concise message about your organization and its mission is vital in attracting the type of talent you would like to fill your internships. Here are some tips on how to sell your company to interns, specifically at career fairs:
- Have a section of your website dedicated to your internship opportunities, including detailed descriptions, which you can direct interns to visit (the link can be included on any literature students are provided before the career fair),
- attend those career fairs that are directly applicable to your organization’s industry,
- have literature prepared in handout form, which details an overview of your organization and its specific mission,
- have clear, detailed descriptions of each of your internships available, including a brief overview of your organization, a list of duties/responsibilities, and a list of desired qualifications for the positions,
- create and showcase videos of previous interns at work, photos of previous interns working, and/or samples of work interns have produced,
- outfit your booth/table in a manner that accentuates your organization’s brand or identity,
- have a sign at your booth/table indicating that you are looking for interns and inform college career offices beforehand that you plan on recruiting interns (such information can be included on any literature students are provided before the career fair),
- have promotional giveaways at your booth/table, such as pens, notepads, etc., which include your organization’s name/logo,
- make sure that your organization’s recruiter has worked with previous interns or is at least knowledgeable about your internship program, and
- if possible, it doesn’t hurt to have paid internship opportunities.
Before a career fair, you may also want to check with the college’s career service office to post your internship opportunities on their job database system. If you use the school’s system, you may be able to set up interviews in advance of the career fair. You may also choose to interview qualified candidates who you meet at the fair during or after the event. This approach may save you time and money in the long run.
Also, if you choose to accept resumes from students at a career fair, when you accept resumes, you should jot down notes about the candidates you meet. When you filter through the resumes at a later time, the notes will help you remember who you met and put faces to the candidates’ applications. In addition, just as you like students to follow up with you, it is a good idea to follow up with students as well, perhaps encouraging those strong candidates you met to apply for upcoming opportunities – this may generate positive word about your organization – and as we all know, word can spread quickly on a college campus.
