You sit across the table from a candidate for a position you’ve been trying to fill for months. The person before you is friendly, motivated and has some transferable skills from previous employment, but they’ve never worked in your industry. You’d hoped to hire someone who would require little training and hit the ground running. And yet…you are tempted. This person shows promise, and the “right” candidate just hasn’t come along. Do you take a chance? Some would advise “yes,” some would say, “no,” but there’s another answer all together: internship.
What Makes it an Internship?
Simply put, in order for a position to qualify as an internship, as opposed to part-time or volunteer work, there must be a specific learning objective. In practice, it means an element of training is in evidence — a mentorship, shadowing a seasoned employee and/or training classes. A paid intern must be compensated with at least minimum wage and overtime pay when applicable, according to the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Department of Labor has assigned some pretty stringent rules for unpaid internship status, as far as the private sector goes. They list the following six requirements:
- The internship is similar to training given in an educational environment.
- The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
- The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
- The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern. On occasion its operations may actually be impeded.
- The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
- The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
Bottom line: tread carefully when classifying someone as an unpaid intern. It doesn’t amount to simply free labor; you’ve got to be teaching them.
Older versus Younger
College students and recent graduates aren’t the only ones clamoring for internships anymore. Many seasoned workers, looking to change industries, are seeking them out as well. Some are stay-at-home parents now looking to return to the workforce. In 2016, When Wunderlich Kaplan Communications hired eight women over age 40 for six-week internships, Dara Kaplan said, “There is so much knowledge that this segment of women hold. People are forgetting that just because you do not tweet does not mean you don’t know what’s up.” The new interns looked forward to sharing their expertise and getting up to speed on emerging technologies.
Whether paid or unpaid, it’s easier to take a chance on someone as an intern. It sets them up for success, with learning objectives and training in place, and it gives both employer and intern a chance to see if it’s a good fit, without the commitment of full-time employment obligations. When you limit the internship to a set number of months, you can view it as a trial period, as long as there is are solid elements of education and training included, for the benefit of the intern.
So, take a chance on a quick learner or hold out for the “right” candidate? Sometimes, you can have the best of both worlds.
Sources: DOL.gov, NYPost.com