Want to hire summer interns? Here are 4 tips to finding the best matches for your small business.

Having a summer intern can be a rewarding and beneficial experience for your business and the intern, but some planning is needed to be successful.

1. Start the process as early as possible.

Advertising on your website, social media platforms, and job boards, and check with the local universities and Workforce Solutions Borderplex to see if they have candidates to consider.

2. Make sure you have clearly defined the roles and responsibilities of the position.

To ensure you get the candidates with the right experience and skills, understand what you would like them to accomplish over the summer and explain their roles clearly from the start. Request resumes to weed out unqualified candidates and then conduct interviews to evaluate the rest.

3. Once you select the intern(s), provide them with a clear job description that outlines their responsibilities and your expectations.

Make sure you are providing something more than just a job to get done. Provide your interns with a mentor who can guide them throughout the internship. This will help them learn and grow in their role. If possible, allow them the opportunity to work in a variety of different areas so both of you can see where their strengths and interests lie. Also, make sure to provide regular feedback on their performance. It is always nice to include them in an office activity or lunch as well.

4. Finally, we believe that you should always pay your interns a fair wage that shows you value them and their work.

One of the best things about hiring interns is that it gives you an opportunity to really understand if you think they will be a good long-term fit for your organization.

If your intern performs well, consider offering them a full-time position at the end of the summer. This is a great way to retain local talent and build a strong team. If that’s not an option, write them a letter of recommendation that they may use in their future endeavors.