Are you struggling to find time for new IBM Cognos development? Wanting to implement the new IBM Cognos Business Intelligence functionality but you never seem to get there? What if you had an assistant that could take on some of the smaller projects? Have you considered getting an intern? Recruiting BI Talent can allow you to focus on the new Business Analytics functionality.
Currently, the IT department is short staffed and new initiatives are constantly tying up resources. Therefore, we are proposing a new Recruiting through Experience Program. This exciting new program would allow us to not only better leverage resources but allow us to treat the program like a “working interview”. Additionally, the amount of time and money spent on training a new employee is minimized by hiring someone who is already familiar with the business.
10 Benefits of Starting a Program for Business Analytics Internships
- Find future employees. An internship program is a year-round recruiting tool. (Fall internships, summer internships, semester internships, and quarterly internships) Implementing an internship program means you have an ongoing pipeline of future fulltime employees.
- Limit the drain on resources. For many, the process of recruiting and hiring is a drain on company resources. One solution: Appeal to tomorrow's staff members when they're looking for internships and all you have to do is choose the best of the bunch when it comes time to hire.
- College campuses are viral societies. This means if your organization impresses one class of interns, word will quickly spread. You'll soon find the most sought-after student talent is interested in working with you.
- Test-drive the talent. It's a human resources reality: A new employee makes a solid impression in the interview, but then just doesn't gel with your current team or your company's way of doing things. Because of this, hiring someone as an intern is the most effective way to evaluate their potential as a fulltime employee. When you “try out” candidates via a semester or summer internship, you make fewer mistakes when it comes to fulltime staffing. You get to avoid the pitfalls of training a new hire possibly saving you from learning they're not a fit for your organization or that the entry-level employee doesn't like the field. Starting an internship program lets you benefit from added manpower while more accurately assessing candidates.
- Increase productivity. Speaking of additional manpower, setting up an internship program allows you to take advantage of short-term support. The extra sets of hands help your employees be more productive, prevent them from becoming overburdened by side projects, as well as freeing up your team to accomplish more creative tasks or items where higher-level, strategic thinking or expertise is required.
- Increase employee-retention rate. The proof for the test-driving theory is in the positive employee-retention figures: According to NACE's 2009 Experiential Education Survey, almost 40% of employers reported a higher five-year retention rate among employees they'd hired via their internship programs.
- Enhance perspective. It's not just the extra sets of hands that make interns advantageous. Especially in an organization or departments of only 12 or 15 employees, new people bring with them novel perspectives, fresh ideas, and specialized strengths and skill sets. These augment the abilities of your professional workforce.
- Take advantage of low-cost labor. Interns are an inexpensive resource. Their compensation is significantly lower than staff employees, and you aren't obligated to pay unemployment or a severance package should you not hire them on fulltime. Moreover, while their wage requirements are modest, they're among the most highly motivated members of the workforce.
- Find free-of-charge. Internships.com allows you to post your employer profile completely free of charge. This means you get extensive exposure to the top colleges and candidates without putting a dent in your recruiting budget.
- Give back to the community. Creating an internship program is an excellent way to give back. Hiring interns not only helps students in your community get started but it enhances the local workforce as a whole.
- Support students. Internships provide students numerous perks. They gain experience, develop skills, make connections, strengthen their resumes, learn about a field, and assess their interest and abilities. Offering a paid internship is particularly beneficial, because it enables economically disadvantaged youth to participate. Students who have to help fund their own schooling will need a job, regardless. Providing an internship allows that job to facilitate a positive future.
- Support Veterans. We may want to leverage this program to help veterans who have served our country return to civilian life. There are a number of websites that allow for free job postings for organizations recruiting veterans.
Takeaway: In terms of both today's workload and tomorrow's workforce, starting a program for business analytics internships is an excellent way to facilitate success.