[STUDY] The most important aspects you need to take into consideration when promoting your internship opportunities [En]

April 22^nd, 2016

We all know how important is to recruit the best employees. A classical recruitment process does not always provide a clear understanding of a candidate’s potential, especially if we evaluate a student or a graduate. Internship and trainee programs allow the company to evaluate the culture fit and test the performance on job, along with future development potential.

According to the study The 2016 Workforce made by Hipo.ro, about 82% of employers will invest more in high potentials, by launching internship & trainee programs or other career opportunities dedicated to them. Moreover, half of the surveyed employers are looking to recruit over 3 interns this year.

What you should take into consideration when promoting your internship opportunities

1. Time placement of the internship & trainee program

The publication Employers´ Guide – Internship & Trainee Edition 2016 reveals the fact that 59% of the internship & trainee positions tke place during summer and 43% from April to June. A small percentage, only 10% of the companies have opportunities in the first quarter of the year, from January to March.

2. Promotion channels

To make sure you reach the best candidates, we recommend first of all to analyze your target and identify the most efficient channels. 84% of companies use to be present in career fairs, in order to interact with a large pool of candidates, from students and fresh graduates to professionals with experience. The advantage of this type of events is that you can get to know your candidates and find out what are their needs and how you can help them grow.

A second preferred promotion channel is the company website. 65% of the surveyed companies use to promote their opportunities on different online platforms in order to have a national exposure.

Open Days are still on the top 3 list, being implemented by 42% of the companies. We recommend you to organize an Open Day in order to let candidates learn more about your activities, departments, organizational culture or how can their skills bring value to your company.

Other channels that companies use to aware potential candidates about their career opportunities are: Workshops & Conferences (42%), Launching program events (30%) and Career publications (19%).

3. Departments

As you can see in the chart below, there is a variety of departments that candidates can access through an internship or trainee program. A significant number of opportunities for students are opened in departments such as: Research & Development (28%), IT (26%) and Human Resources (23%).

4. Benefits offered by companies to their interns

The most common benefit offered to interns is vacation days, in a proportion of 45%. Moreover, 42% of the companies offer food vouchers as a bonus and 33% provide medical insurance. By offering trainings and specialized courses to your interns, you show interest in their development and you keep them engaged. Only 29% of the surveyed companies organize this kind of activities.

5. According to what criteria do candidates choose their employer?

The study published in Employers’ Guide – Internship & Trainee Edition reveals that the most important criteria for a candidate when choosing an employer is the relevance of the program for their career plans. 65% of them state that working in a field in which they want to build a career gives them satisfaction and motivation to learn more and obtain great results.

Another criteria is the possibility of being hired after the internship program (61%) and the companies offer any trainings or development opportunities (57%). The company’s reputation represents only 26% of the candidates’ concern and only 12% of them are preoccupied if the program is paid or unpaid. 88% of the companies have paid programs.

These are some useful labor insights you should take into consideration when promoting your internship & trainee opportunities.