You’ve decided to bring on an intern who will help you for a semester as part of her college work. This can be an effective way of having an employee without really making a long-term commitment. For a small entrepreneur, hiring is not to be taken lightly, and puts you on track to enter into a totally different realm. An intern can be a good test drive for you. When you put out your feelers that you are looking for such a person, typically to colleges, or social networking sites, you will likely receive numerous resumes. After a while, most will start to look the same. Certainly you want basic information about a person, such as classes attended, grade point average or interests. But there’s a better way to get a leg up on what a potential intern is really about.
Pay close attention to the cover letter. The resume is polished, reviewed over and over, and sent to dozens or perhaps hundreds of potential suitors. The cover letter on the other hand, should be customized to you. Reading the cover letter will tell you whether the intern can write English — using proper grammar, spelling and punctuation — and whether he or she has done any research into what it is you do. In other words, is the potential intern interested in you, or simply a position. So next time, pay attention to the cover letter. It may tell you more.