Hiring Process

Employers interested in hiring an intern should follow these steps to build a quality experience and acquire an intern to meet your needs:

1. Get to know the Professional Development Office — For any assistance or further information, contact our internship coordinator. They can answer any questions you might have and assist you in developing a successful experience for both you and the student.
2. Create Your Position — Take a look at the needs of your organization and the skills an intern could bring to the table. You may choose to hire interns on an as-needed basis or have consistent internship rotation. The COB Internship Office will be more than happy to discuss these options and help determine what might be best for your organization.
3. Announce Your Internship — All COB internships are advertised using Handshake, an online database. To create your account or log on to your existing account, please go to the Handshake employer page. Once your position has been posted, further steps will be taken by the Professional Development Office to make sure students are aware of the opportunity.

Organization and Supervisor Responsibilities

High-quality internships promote student development by bringing theories and classroom-based learning to life in real-world settings. In addition, internships give students the opportunity to explore careers related to their major, gain relevant experience in their field(s) of interest, and develop a better understanding of what is expected in a workplace by performing the tasks of a business professional. If you are overseeing an intern, please review these expectations to ensure both you and the intern have a mutually beneficial internship experience.

• The internship supervisor is not a parent or relative of the intern.
• The internship must directly relate to the student’s major and career goals.
• The internship supervisor must supply the intern with a job description that clearly explains the duties of the role.
• The internship must provide more than a ‘job shadowing’ experience.
• The supervisor must effectively train the intern, provide all necessary resources for the position, and brief the intern on company policies and job responsibilities.
• The internship supervisor must assign students daily/weekly duties to complete at the internship site  and provide opportunities for increased responsibility
• The intern must report directly to the assigned supervisor
• The supervisor and the intern will agree upon the number of hours the intern will work throughout the term to ensure they meet the minimum hours requirement (120 hours).
• The supervisor and intern should set aside time regularly throughout the semester to provide feedback, discuss performance, share concerns, explore opportunities for growth, etc.
• As part of the internship course, the internship supervisor will be asked to complete both a beginning, midterm, and final evaluation of the student’s performance during the internship.
• In addition, the supervisor will develop learning objectives and goals with the student
• Communicate any changes or issues regarding the internship to the UW Oshkosh College of Internship Coordinator.

What Is a Mentor?

A mentor helps someone reach his or her goals through coaching, counseling, and guidance. They provide institutional knowledge to expand the mentee’s skills and information to be able to react to situations from a more informed vantage point. Mentors are available to help mentees feel overall more comfortable, which sometimes lowers the turnover rate.

Strategies For Creating An Internship

• Intern takes on a permanent role in your organization
  For many organizations, the best win/win option is to find a role for the student intern that is necessary for the organization to function. Some examples include the student intern:

   

  • filling the role of buyer and is assigned specific accounts to manage
  • completing tax returns for clients during tax season
• Intern is a student at the organization learning from employees
  The organization might create a rotational program where the student shadows and works on small projects with different professionals in the organization.
• Intern is given a specific project to take from start to finish
  Most organizations have some “back burner” projects that their professionals would love to delve into, but just don’t have the time to take on.

Paid or Unpaid?

The stereotype of interns making copies and running for coffee is a thing of the past.

The majority of interns are making a true impact at their internship site and are taking on meaningful roles and working on projects that in most cases would have been done by permanent, paid employees.

What sets apart a paid and an unpaid internship? The U.S. Department of Labor has outlined six criteria for determining trainee status:

1. Interns cannot displace regular employees
2. Interns are not guaranteed a job at the end of the internship (though you may decide to hire them at the conclusion of the experience)
3. Interns are not entitled to wages during the internship
4. Interns must get hands-on experience with equipment and processes used in your industry
5. Interns must receive training from your organization, even if it somewhat impedes the work
6. Interns’ training must primarily benefit them, not the organization

Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act Fact Sheet

In summary, the Department of Labor is telling us that if you don’t pay your intern, the organization should not be directly benefiting from the intern. Instead, the intern should be seen as a student who is there to learn, not to work.

Top reasons to pay your intern:

1. You will attract a higher quality applicant pool to begin with
2. You will retain the intern longer. The University only requires the intern to be with the organization for one semester or summer (120 hours minimum). If an intern is paid, he/she will likely decide to stay longer as a part-time employee. Some interns stay at their internship site for two years, which is a huge return on investment and cuts down on training time.
3. It is easier to hold the intern accountable for their work, actions and attendance if he or she is being paid. In addition, they will fall under your employment guidelines and liabilities.
4. By paying your intern, you have the opportunity to get the most out of him/her.

This does not mean that students will not work with a company offering an unpaid internship, but it will severely limit the type of work and opportunities you can offer your intern.

We hope that you will strongly consider entering into this opportunity with the UW Oshkosh College of Business. Please contact our internship coordinator with any questions or to start the process. We look forward to working with you and your organization!