Why Hire an FCCI Fellows Intern?

FCCI is committed to bringing up the next generation of kingdom minded business leaders and companies around the world. One way we do this is through the FCCI Fellows Program.

FCCI Member and owner of paNASH Passion & Career Coaching, Lori Bumgarner shared with us some of her experience and insights on hiring summer interns.

It was the year 2013, and the summer (my favorite time of year) was drawing to an end. I was sitting in my office with my two outstanding summer interns, Caroline and Jessica. I was giving them their final evaluation and we were saying our goodbyes as they were heading back into the classroom for the fall semester.

After giving them their evaluation, I asked them what their own evaluation of the experience was. I was a bit surprised by their responses. Both said this was the best internship experience they had ever had, and both of them already had several internships under their belt at larger, more popular companies than my own. I asked them to explain why, and they both said it was because they learned several things in this internship, compared to their previous internships where they just did a lot of busy work.

“You mean you didn’t have a meaningful learning experience in your previous internships?” I asked. “Oh, we were able to add some work tasks to our resumes, but we didn’t get to learn as much about the industry or the type of work we will eventually be doing like we had hoped,” they both said. Hearing this made me a little sad.

Prior to owning my own coaching business, I worked for many years as a college career adviser at several colleges and universities. I helped college students find and secure internships, all the while reminding them that while yes, they will be expected to do some busy work in their internship, the majority of it should be a learning experience. If it’s not, then that’s the time to sit down and have a conversation with the internship supervisor.

While it may require extra work from your company on the front end to create an educational experience for student interns, it can pay off in the long-run if you choose to hire the intern for a full-time, permanent job upon their graduation.

Lori’s experience highlights the need for the FCCI Fellows Program, a ten-week paid summer internship where a CEO or Executive Leader mentors an FCCI Fellows student, allowing them to grow in a business environment while experiencing a strong Christian foundation.

Click here for more information on how you can reach the emerging generations and help them become more aware and spiritually mature about marketplace ministry and their calling.