Internships: A Two-Way Street

By Allison Berman
December 1, 2009

Several months ago, I came up with a brilliant plan to increase productivity without adding a lot of overhead: I hired an intern.

People usually associate internships with college kids. But internships can be incredibly advantageous - regardless of your age or educational status, especially in this economy - when redefining yourself isn't matter of changing majors. Internships are a means to acquire real-world experience to which people normally wouldn't have access.

I contacted the University of Rochester, my alma mater, and filled out an online job description. I received (and promptly tossed) several generic "Dear Sir/Madam" letters until I came across Chris's carefully tailored cover letter specifically addressing why he wanted the job I posted. Though his resume detailed a financial background, his GPA and experience were impressive regardless of his focus.

We discussed what he and I were each looking to get out of the internship. He believed doing public relations, marketing and Web design for me would make him more marketable, considering he no longer intended to work in finance.

I thought it would be cool to teach someone. And though I needed help with my "dirty work," I wasn't looking for a "get coffee and run to the post office" intern. (I unfortunately had a couple of those internships.)

Chris was extremely well-spoken, and I felt confident he would be a good representative for my company. I hired him immediately, and we figured out a plan to accomplish both of our goals.

Search engines (such as Google) rank sites highly that are rich in content. I had content galore - my columns - but no time to upload them. One of Chris' main projects was learning to read the code my Web designer, Bill, wrote and uploading my columns to www.withlovealib.com

When I hired Chris, I knew he would be conscientious and I knew he would save me time, completing projects I barely had time to start. I didn't foresee how working together would create more work for me.

For example, I asked Chris to research media contacts (to take work off my plate). However, once the list was complete, I "had to" start pitching. I didn't have the time, but I found it. It turns out, having an intern doesn't mean I have less work. I have more.

But having Chris enables me to see beyond the urgency of today's projects and columns, and find time to do what's necessary to reach tomorrow's goals.

Chris's "summer" internship is still going strong. And when he needed to focus more on academics, he found and trained my second intern, Emily (who graduated last year and is looking for experience beyond her entry-level day job).

The arrangement couldn't be better. Chris and Emily help me accomplish my goals for tomorrow, and I help them accomplish theirs. My only complaint is if I do my job well, and give them the experience they need, my reward will be finding new interns. When mine move on, it's to greener, more permanent positions.

Allison Berman, an artist and mother of two, handpaints custom home accessories for interior designers and private customers. She works out of her home studio in Warwick, NY. See her collection at www.withlovealib.com. She can be reached at ali@withlovealib.com. Her column appears Tuesdays.