How to hire a leadership internship

How to hire a leadership internship, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a leadership 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

   Hiring the perfect leadership internship also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

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

   Type of Leadership Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Leadership Internship	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$14-24
   Summer Analyst	Summer analysts are people who undertake an internship within a banking institution. These professionals perform analyses of detailed financial and corporate information... Show more	$20-49
   Financial Analyst Internship	A financial analyst intern is responsible for supporting an organization with financial activities and tasks. Typical duties and responsibilities may include creating and analyzing financial reports, preparing financial statements, and helping with audits... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Internship Program
   • Customer Service
   • Leadership
   • Professional Development
   • Leadership Development
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • PowerPoint
   • Store Operations
   • Human Resources
   • Financial Analysis
   • Process Improvement
   • Market Research
   • Data Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage content on the school's official athletics website and YouTube account.
   • Lead teams and run meetings for CityFest Houston committee's and promotions.
   • Develop and lead cross-functional Kaizen event that identify and eliminate waste and improve communication in the yield signal investigation process.
   • Develop a web page that visualize department budget spreadsheets into a variety of charts using Google API, HTML and JavaScript.
   • Create basic letterhead using PhotoShop to send to client base.
   • Edit and post videos to YouTube for use on university website.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, leadership interns' average salary in west virginia is 59% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level leadership interns 41% less than senior-level leadership interns.
   • Certifications. A leadership 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 a leadership internship's salary.

   Average leadership internship salary

   $39,660yearly

   $19.07 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level leadership internship salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

4. Writing a leadership internship job description

   A good leadership internship job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a leadership internship job description:

   Leadership internship job description example

   You are a driven and motivated problem solver ready to pursue meaningful work. You strive to make an impact every day & not only at work, but in your personal life and community too. If that sounds like you, then you've landed in the right place.
   Are you a high performing student?
   
   Have you demonstrated leadership?
   
   Are you ready to make a difference?
   
   Join an exciting and inclusive work environment where your work matters, and we put the customer at the center of all we do. You will develop critical leadership and functional skills in areas such as Product Development, Line of Business Management, Business Intelligence, Distribution Channel Analytics, Pricing and State Product Management. The ECLDP internship program is an 11-week experience that includes formal and experiential learning, volunteerism, and networking.
   
   What's in it for you?
   
   * Challenging assignment in the Product organization
   * Capstone team project outside of assignment domain - partner with other interns to research and present
   * Core competency development in required corporate skills
   * Coaching, mentoring, evaluation, and feedback
   * Access as early candidate to future early career opportunities, including full time rotational program
   
   What is The Hartford looking for?
   
   * Students expecting to graduate in May 2024 with a bachelor's degree in Economics, Mathematics, Finance, Actuarial Science, Statistics, or Risk Management & Insurance, and a GPA of 3.0 or higher at graduation
   * Must have a record of high achievement, analytical thinking, initiative, and process improvement
   * Demonstrate strong communication, change agility, and team skills
   * Leadership experience outside of the classroom
   
   Compensation
   
   The listed annualized base pay range is primarily based on analysis of similar positions in the external market. Actual base pay could vary and may be above or below the listed range based on factors including but not limited to performance, proficiency and demonstration of competencies required for the role. The base pay is just one component of The Hartford's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include short-term or annual bonuses, long-term incentives, and on-the-spot recognition. The annualized base pay range for this role is:
   
   * Equal Opportunity Employer/Females/Minorities/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity or Expression/Religion/Age
   
   About Us | Culture & Employee Insights | Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | Benefits
   
   Student Intern - HHSIAN
   
   * --
   
   Skills:

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find leadership interns for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with leadership internship candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 leadership internship

   Once you've selected the best leadership 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.

   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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