How to hire an economic development internship

How to hire an economic development internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step economic development internship hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an economic development internship, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An economic development internship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, economic development 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of economic development interns.

   Type of Economic Development Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Economic Development Internship	Economists study the production and distribution of resources, goods, and services by collecting and analyzing data, researching trends, and evaluating economic issues.	$12-25
   Agricultural Economist	An agricultural economist works in production and logistics in the farming industry. Their main task is to organize systems to make procedures efficient and cost-effective... Show more	$15-74
   Energy Economist	Energy Economist is the people who research ways that natural gas has been used in the past, the consumption rate, and the future consumption rate. Businesses rely on an energy economist's ability to gather data, run computations, and give useful information... Show more	$12-63

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Stata
   • SQL
   • Econometrics
   • PowerPoint
   • Data Analysis
   • Litigation
   • SAS
   • Economic Analysis
   • Financial Statements
   • Economic Policy
   • Data Collection
   • R
   • Statistical Analysis
   • GIS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform GIS inventory of city pedestrian infrastructure to achieve ADA compliance
   • Evaluate EDA grants to create best practice case study examples pertaining to long-term economic development.
   • Educate customers on product and BLS consumer information.
   • Generate and analyze STATA linear regressions to help forecast GDP!
   • Work closely with local and Mexican trade and tourism organizations.
   • Represent clients in all stages of foreclosure and consumer debt litigation.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your economic development internship job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An economic development internship can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, economic development interns' average salary in tennessee is 60% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level economic development interns 48% less than senior-level economic development interns.
   • Certifications. An economic development internship with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an economic development internship's salary.

   Average economic development internship salary

   $37,977yearly

   $18.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level economic development internship salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 25, 2025

4. Writing an economic development internship job description

   A job description for an economic development internship role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an economic development internship job description:

   Economic development internship job description example

   Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth.
   
   This position supports the Ankura Disputes & Economics Business Group - one of seven practices focused on client delivery services across the Firm.
   
   Practice Summary:
   
   The Complex Valuation Disputes and Tax Controversy practice is a dynamic group of accountants, financial analysts and economists that use their valuation, forensic accounting and data analytics skills to help resolve the most complex disputes in US history. Each project is a collaborative combination of team members who focus not only on complex problem solving but promoting a supportive environment full of challenging tasks and learning opportunities. Most projects begin with a blank slate after which the team designs creative and efficient approaches depending upon the specific facts and circumstances. In all cases, team members are encouraged to combine their academic skills and outside experience with financial modeling and data analytics tools. The group's clients are broad, spanning from Fortune 100 corporations to privately held partnerships, and projects can last from several weeks to several years. Team members routinely interact with client personnel in accounting, financial reporting, treasury, legal and information technology departments as well outside attorneys.
   
   Position Summary:
   
   Summer Interns, working as part of a project team, perform critical, value-added work that can directly impact the outcome of the project. Responsibilities may include developing and performing financial, accounting, economic, and statistical analyses; providing detailed fact finding, research and analysis; developing computer models including detailed and complex spreadsheet or database analyses; preparation of expert reports and exhibits; demonstrating proper documentation of analysis; and providing excellent client service.
   
   Summer Interns also participate in several group learning projects to enhance their financial modeling, database analytics and communications skills (both written and oral communications).
   
   Basic Qualifications, Skills, and Characteristics:
   
   Candidates should be top academic performers, be interested in the consulting industry, and meet the following criteria:
   
   + Pursuing a Bachelor's Degree with a major in accounting, finance, or economics or a Masters of Accounting with an expected graduation date between December 2023 to June 2024.
   
   + A cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better.
   
   + Candidates must be able to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship (now or in the future).
   
   + Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
   
   + Creative problem-solving ability and a collaborative, consultancy mindset.
   
   + Ability to multi-task and effectively prioritize tasks.
   
   + Highly motivated, driven, and dynamic attitude towards work and career.
   
   + Ability to excel within a team environment.
   
   + Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; working knowledge of Microsoft Access.
   
   + Ability to learn or already possess database management, programming, and analytical skills (e.g. SQL, VBA, Tableau/Microsoft Power BI)
   
   + Must be willing to travel and work overtime as needed.
   
   Ankura is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where mutual respect and collaboration is paramount. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, protected veteran status, national origin, or any other legally protected status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right economic development 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 economic development interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit economic development 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 economic development internship job on Zippia to find and recruit economic development internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting economic development interns requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 economic development internship

   Once you have selected a candidate for the economic development internship position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new economic development internship first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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