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The best interns aren’t always the ones with a mile-long resume. They’re usually those who jibe with your company’s vision, values, and passions — namely, your culture. But if you’re not finding ways to engage potential intern candidates with your company culture, it’s unlikely that great, well-matched students and recent graduates are going to bite.
That’s right, it’s time to brag about your company’s awesome culture. This shouldn’t be too challenging if you’re a part of a startup or small business, because your company’s culture is likely a driving force in all that you do.
About 33 percent of all students begin their internship search more than three months prior to their chosen internship season. With fall internship season right around the corner, it’s time to start attracting and engaging better potential intern candidates today!
Toot your own horn and sell your company culture by doing the following:
Add A Personal Touch With Video
Sometimes driving your company culture home means putting a name to a face. Talented potential intern candidates will be more likely to apply for your internship opportunities if they know who’s actually behind your internship program.
You can’t attend every career fair or speak in every college classroom, so why not engage students and recent graduates via video chat programs? Consider using Google+ Hangouts to host informative Q&A sessions about your company’s internship program or even a conversation for students and recent graduates about industry trends. You can record your discussion and post it to your blog and social media channels for continued viewing.
Video is the perfect medium to bring your company culture to potential intern candidates. At CBS Interactive, internship-themed Google+ Hangouts are one of the most regularly cited reasons interns decided to apply at the company.
Document Life Inside Your Company
When was the last time you snapped pictures or took a video of life around your office or at a company outing? If this isn’t on your agenda, it’s time to get started. Spend time carefully documenting the worthy moments related to your company culture and begin posting them on the medium you most frequent to tout your employer brand, whether that be a company newsletter or social media sites.
There’s a number of different ways to go about showcasing life inside your company. At Marriott, current staff share their experiences via Instagram, while some companies prefer to create viral videos of their employees goofing around. Consider creating a Facebook album where your current interns can add photos from their experiences during their time with your company.
Let Your Interns Sing Your Song
Sure, you may think your company is awesome, but the true test of your company culture is whether your current and previous interns and employees feel the same. Give your past and present staffers a chance to share their experiences as members of your team. Firsthand information is likely to win the interest of potential intern candidates.
This could be as simple as showcasing intern and employee quotes on your website. If you’re looking to gain an extra edge with students and recent graduates, spice up your testimonials with some creativity. Or, consider creating video testimonials for your YouTube or Vimeo channel — a great way to showcase how you create and spread the experiences of your interns.
Present Your Perks
Your company culture likely features a variety of unique perks. They may not be like Google’s — which include a bowling alley and beach volleyball — but they’re still worth bragging about to attract well-matched students. Does your company offer extreme flexibility for interns? What about paid attendance at a variety of conferences and events? Go beyond simply listing these special perks on your internship listing and find creative ways to share what special things you have to offer your interns during their time with you, like by creating a company infographic or blog post showcasing employees who have benefited from your company perks.
Access to better interns starts with showing off your company culture. Use these tips to showcase yours in a creative way!
How do you plan to tout your company’s unique culture?
About the Author:
Nathan Parcells is co-founder and CMO of InternMatch, an online platform connecting the best intern candidates and employers. Connect with Nathan and InternMatch on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.