How to hire a general internship

How to hire a general internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step general 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 general internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new general internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a general internship do?

Post a general internship job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your general 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 general 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a general internship to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a general internship that fits the bill.

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

   Type of General Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   General Internship	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	$21-40
   Administrative Clerk	An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments... Show more	$12-19
   Work Study Student	Work-study students are students who do part-time jobs to support their living and educational expenses. Usually, they offer their services in an organization related to their field of study... Show more	$7-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Internship Program
   • Patients
   • PowerPoint
   • Patient Care
   • Financial Statements
   • Data Analysis
   • Journal Entries
   • Legal Research
   • Linkedin
   • News Stories
   • Facebook
   • Vital Signs
   • Autocad
   • General Surgery

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a web-base graphical interface that utilize a SQL database to better track fabrication lab operations.
   • Update and revise both standard and project specific engineering drawings in AutoCAD.
   • Update websites and Facebook page on the latest collections, successfully increasing followers and web traffic.
   • Work extensively with AutoCAD drafting floor plans, general planning, and designing using ADA standards.
   • Needle guidance for radiologists in thyroid fine needle aspirations and breast core biopsies under sterile conditions.
   • Handle all A/P functions with growing responsibility in the areas of A/R, purchasing and personnel administration.

   More general internship duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, general interns' average salary in new mexico is 42% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level general interns earn 48% less than senior-level general interns.
   • Certifications. A general 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 general internship's salary.

   Average general internship salary

   $61,485yearly

   $29.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level general internship salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average general internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$80,505	$39
   2	Maryland	$74,377	$36
   3	Nevada	$74,149	$36
   4	Alaska	$72,038	$35
   5	New York	$71,261	$34
   6	Colorado	$70,857	$34
   7	California	$70,580	$34
   8	Illinois	$68,776	$33
   9	Pennsylvania	$67,361	$32
   10	Georgia	$65,085	$31
   11	Virginia	$64,416	$31
   12	Michigan	$64,333	$31
   13	Utah	$64,238	$31
   14	Arizona	$63,090	$30
   15	Texas	$61,966	$30
   16	North Dakota	$60,894	$29
   17	Florida	$60,834	$29
   18	Montana	$59,064	$28
   19	Missouri	$57,514	$28
   20	Indiana	$57,386	$28

   Average general internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	General Motors	$94,828	$45.59	52
   2	Discover	$75,930	$36.50
   3	The Williams Companies	$75,664	$36.38
   4	Triton Systems	$71,651	$34.45	1
   5	Rite-Solutions	$71,353	$34.30	1
   6	National Veterinary Associates	$67,561	$32.48	6
   7	Emory University	$65,359	$31.42	1
   8	Connecticut Veterinary Center	$64,402	$30.96
   9	Alliance Health	$63,983	$30.76
   10	Crop Quest	$63,906	$30.72	5
   11	The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania	$63,905	$30.72
   12	Bowie Resource Partners LP	$63,297	$30.43
   13	Metrolink	$63,212	$30.39
   14	NETA	$63,141	$30.36
   15	Dollar General	$61,044	$29.35	19
   16	MasTec	$60,148	$28.92	12
   17	Swedish Hospital	$59,613	$28.66
   18	Wanzek Construction	$58,892	$28.31	3
   19	Swanson Russell	$58,284	$28.02
   20	Masonite	$58,223	$27.99

4. Writing a general internship job description

   A general 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 general internship job description:

   General internship job description example

   • Required Experience: Senior year of nursing school
   • Required License: Current listing with Nurse Aide Registry as a Nurse Aide
   • Required Certification: BLS

   This role requires you to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 based on local, state and /or federal law or regulations (unless a medical or religious exemption is approved).

   Mission Health, an operating division of HCA Healthcare, is based in Asheville, North Carolina, and is the state's sixth largest health system. Mission Health is consistently named one of the nation's Top 15 Health Systems by IBM Watson Health and is the only health system in North Carolina to achieve this recognition. Mission Health operates six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners, long-term acute care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital and the regions only dedicated Level II trauma center. With approximately 12,000 colleagues and 2,000 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina.

   HCA Healthcare has been recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute more than ten times. In recent years, HCA Healthcare spent an estimated $3.7 billion in cost for the delivery of charitable care, uninsured discounts, and other uncompensated expenses.

   "The great hospitals will always put the patient and the patient's family first, and the really great institutions will provide care with warmth, compassion, and dignity for the individual."- Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr.

   HCA Healthcare Co-Founder

   If you are looking for an opportunity that provides satisfaction and personal growth, we encourage you to apply to our Nurse Intern program. We promptly review all applications. Highly qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews.

   Unlock the possibilities and apply today!

   We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting general 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 general internship

   Once you've selected the best general 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.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new general internship. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a general internship?