Recognizing the Interns You Want On Your Team [INFOGRAPHIC]

The right intern can breathe new life into a company as they tackle projects that you may not have time to do and bring fresh perspective to meetings. But choose the wrong intern and you may be counting down the days until the summer ends and the intern is gone for good. A new infographic (see below) from Intern Match illustrates some of the key traits of a terrific intern, helping you to avoid making a decision that you’ll regret for the entire summer.

The good

• The Eager Beaver: 72 percent of recent graduates say that they had an internship during their college years, with 42 percent of these people saying that it led to a job. This person is motivated and may turn into your new star employee. They see the value in interning, even if it does result in having to do some thankless tasks from time to time.
• The #1 Fan: This intern knows everything there is to know about your business, and is one of your biggest advocates. You want this cheerleader on your team because they love what you offer, and want to get others as excited about it as they are.
• The “Think Outside the Box” type: 83 percent of millennials want to work someplace where their creativity is valued. They place a value on their overall lifestyle, as opposed to focusing just on what their paycheck looks like. This type of intern is ready to bring a list of ideas that can boost your business, and is glad to use their creativity.
• The student: 89 percent of millennials believe in the importance of learning while they’re on the job. This means that they’re ready to pick up new skills and use them to better the company.

The bad and the ugly

• The “gimme gimme”: With 40 percent of millennials saying that they should be promoted every two years regardless of performance, make sure you steer clear of interns who believe that a job should be handed to them, regardless of whether they’ve earned the spot.
• Mr. Moneybags: Regardless of whether you offer paid internships or not, you want an intern to be there because they believe in the company and want the experience, not because they’re looking for a paycheck. Since 8.8 percent of students ranked financial compensation as the most important part of their internship, make sure you’re separating Mr. Moneybags from the Eager Beaver.
• The clueless one: You want someone who will become a part of your team and advocate for your brand. The 26 percent of young job applicants who say they know little to nothing about the company they’re interviewing with shouldn’t become a part of your internship program.

Have you encountered the perfect intern? Have you had any intern horror stories? Share with us in the comments!