How to hire a college program internship

How to hire a college program internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step college program internship hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a college program internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new college program internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a college program internship do?

Post a college program internship job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your college program internship job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a college program internship for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A college program internship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, college program interns from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of college program interns and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of College Program Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   College Program Internship	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them develop skills or choose a career or educational program.	$12-22
   Evaluator	An evaluator is responsible for assessing a speakers' speech, identifying areas of improvement, and providing constructive feedback to hone their communication skills and boost their self-confidence. Evaluators analyze speech delivery, including unnecessary fillers and mannerisms that may distract the audience from the speaker's presentation... Show more	$16-34
   Admissions Counselor	An admissions counselor is the primary point of contact between a university or college and their potential students. One of their primary responsibilities is to represent the school during various events for recruitment purposes, discuss the admission procedures to the students and their families through calls or appointments, and facilitate university tours and orientation among prospective students... Show more	$14-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PowerPoint
   • Math
   • Twitter
   • Customer Service
   • HR
   • Guest Safety
   • Professional Development
   • Facebook
   • Guest Service
   • Windows
   • Muse
   • Front Desk
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Leadership

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and edit office website using HTML coding and WordPress.
   • Manage and work special events on and off-campus to ensure that event run smoothly without mistakes.
   • Manage presentations, assemblies, and club meetings to offer services and emphasize the necessity of post-secondary study.
   • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
   • Review AutoCAD generate maps to confirm & compare field work entries.
   • Utilize mobile GIS platform in order to carry out field work.

   More college program internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your college program internship job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A college program internship salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, college program interns' average salary in north carolina is 44% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level college program interns earn 47% less than senior-level college program interns.
   • Certifications. A college program internship with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a college program internship's salary.

   Average college program internship salary

   $16.73hourly

   $34,803 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level college program internship salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average college program internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$44,892	$22
   2	District of Columbia	$42,382	$20
   3	New Jersey	$41,648	$20
   4	New York	$40,102	$19
   5	Washington	$39,430	$19
   6	Connecticut	$38,132	$18
   7	Indiana	$35,124	$17
   8	Texas	$35,069	$17
   9	Arizona	$34,928	$17
   10	Pennsylvania	$34,574	$17
   11	Illinois	$34,227	$16
   12	Michigan	$33,664	$16
   13	Ohio	$32,927	$16
   14	Missouri	$32,574	$16
   15	Kansas	$31,733	$15
   16	Nebraska	$31,612	$15
   17	Georgia	$31,439	$15
   18	Alabama	$29,475	$14
   19	Florida	$28,545	$14
   20	North Carolina	$25,882	$12

   Average college program internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$54,941	$26.41	7
   2	ALDI USA	$44,196	$21.25	9
   3	Huitt-Zollars	$43,280	$20.81
   4	Northwestern Mutual	$42,845	$20.60	138
   5	Northrop Grumman	$40,340	$19.39	80
   6	Erickson Senior Living	$40,295	$19.37	1
   7	United States Courts	$40,089	$19.27	1
   8	Grow Financial Federal Credit Union	$39,822	$19.15	1
   9	International Rescue Committee	$39,572	$19.02
   10	BayCare Health System	$39,364	$18.93	4
   11	Oakland County, Michigan Government	$38,396	$18.46	4
   12	Salt River Project	$38,308	$18.42
   13	Mercy Corps	$38,095	$18.31	1
   14	Carnegie Mellon University	$38,091	$18.31	5
   15	Boston Scientific	$37,900	$18.22	5
   16	JBS USA	$37,572	$18.06	1
   17	T. Rowe Price	$37,530	$18.04	4
   18	Franklin & Marshall College	$37,464	$18.01	2
   19	Teledyne Technologies Incorporated	$37,451	$18.01	2
   20	M.C. Dean	$37,327	$17.95	4

4. Writing a college program internship job description

   A college program internship job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a college program internship job description:

   College program internship job description example

   The Summer Internship Program is for candidates in their penultimate year of study (graduating August 2023 - July 2024) and obtaining their Bachelor's or Master's degree.
   
   Our Summer Internship Program is designed to provide students a challenging, meaningful and supportive internship experience that replicates as closely as possible the experience of being a full-time BlackRock Analyst. The program begins with a Summer Intern orientation which offers a thorough overview of the firm and the opportunity to hear from a number of senior leaders. Following orientation, interns receive on-the-job training and are given day-to-day responsibilities to contribute to their teams throughout the summer. The program also includes a speaker series, mentoring program, and various networking opportunities. The campus recruiting team also partners very closely with the firm Employee Networks to ensure the summer analysts can learn and interact with our employee networks and learn about our Inclusion & Diversity initiatives. The firm is highly committed to the Summer Internship Program and it is the main pipeline into our Analyst Program.
   
   Important: Candidates can apply for only one program (e.g. Summer Internship Program) and up to two opportunities within that program (e.g. Internal Audit and Portfolio Analytics). If you withdraw your application, you will not be able to submit an application for a different role. Once you submit your application you will immediately be invited to submit a Virtual Cover Letter and/or take a CodeVue assessment depending on the vacancy or vacancies you apply to. You must submit your Virtual Cover Letter within 5 days and/or the CodeVue assessment within 5 days, as failure to do so will result in your application being automatically withdrawn.
   We look forward to reviewing your application!
   
   BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.
   
   For CA Residents:
   
   We recruit, hire, train, promote, pay, and administer all personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), sex stereotyping (including assumptions about a person's appearance or behavior, gender roles, gender expression, or gender identity), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law. We interpret these protected statuses broadly to include both the actual status and also any perceptions and assumptions made regarding these statuses.
   
   BlackRock will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of the law, including any applicable fair chance law.
   
   BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right college program internship for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with college program interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit college program interns who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your college program internship job on Zippia to find and recruit college program internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit college program interns, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new college program internship

   Once you've selected the best college program internship candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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