With the warm weather fast approaching, have you considered having some extra hands around your bakery? If your business sees an increase in foot traffic and orders during the summer months, hiring an intern might be the right option for you. It can also cover staff summer vacations, etc. With baking and pastry arts programs including an internship component, students are looking to gain hands on experience.
1. Reviewing business needs and creating a plan
The first step in hiring an intern is determining whether your business needs the extra help, followed by creating a plan to ensure the summer is successful – for your business and your intern.
Before crafting a job description for your new intern opening, consider the following questions:
• Do you have enough work to support an intern?
• How can an intern help you reach your business goals?
• Do you (or a staff member) have the time to mentor an intern?
• Do you have the space and resources to support an intern?
• Can you provide training and relevant work experience to meet the needs of your intern?
Once you’ve determined that your business can support an intern, it’s time to design your internship program. Creating a program is essential in determining what an intern position looks like at your company.
The following questions can help you get started:
• What experience and qualifications do you want in an intern?
• How will the intern fit in with the company’s goals and culture?
• What tasks and or projects will the intern work on?
• What tools and workspaces is necessary for the intern to complete their assignments?
• Who will be responsible for the intern?
2. Finding the right intern for your business
Similar to finding a full-time employee, you’ll need to write a job description with defined objectives and work assignments. Now that you’ve identified your business needs and created a plan, writing your job description shouldn’t take up too much time.
With many baking and pastry arts schools offering internship programs to their students as part of the education experience, they’re often a good place to start. Depending on your business needs, you’ll want to find a program that teaches the knowledge and skills you’re looking for. If there aren’t any schools in your area that offer related programs, consider posting your internship position online – from your website to job boards and social media, there are many ways you can promote your internship position.
3. Evaluating your intern
If you hire a student as your intern, you’ll most likely be required to evaluate them based on their learning objective and any requirements from their program. Taking the time to provide feedback helps interns with their transition to the workplace, highlight their accomplishments, and help identify areas for improvement.
Consider the following when evaluating your intern:
• Discuss the tasks and projects the intern has contributed to
• Let them know how their work is contributing to the organization
• Evaluate their strengths
• Identify areas needing growth and development
4. Compensating your intern
If you’re deciding on whether you should pay your intern or not, it’s important to check with your department of labor before making the decision. Some areas allow unpaid internships, however, labor laws restrict the employer’s use of unpaid interns. If you’re looking to attract top talent to meet your business needs, you might want to consider posting your internship as a paid position.
The advantages of hiring interns
• Get the extra help when it’s needed: If your business can’t add a full-time or part-time team member to its payroll, try hiring an intern – most internships last between four and eight months.
• You might find your next head baker: If your intern fits in with your team and you’re pleased with their work, they might be interested in joining you full-time once their stint is over.
• Internships are a win – win: Your business wins by getting the extra help when it needs it, and the intern wins by gaining valuable hands on experience.
• You can learn something new: Having a fresh perspective around might help too.
Looking for more information on this topic? Find out how to make the most out of interns.
Email us to find out how we can help you find an intern for your business.