Now’s the perfect time to think about hiring an intern. These experience hungry, high school and college students are aching for the chance to build their resume and can help you expand your business, according to Shannon W. King, a Realtor also known as “the Real Estate Road Warrior”

What can a real estate intern do?

“My job is to meet with clients face-to-face. A lot of the marketing we leave to interns,” says King who has used both college and high school students as staffers on a regular basis. “Interns can do everything from flyers to property searches. The key to a successful experience is giving them something they can do every time they show up.”

King says there are a variety of tasks an intern can complete. “I have them pull properties, set up showings, [and] put together my buyer and seller packages so we have them when we need them.”

Here are some ideas on interns you can use to save time and/or expand your business:

1. Open House Event Assistant
Interns can setup, market, and take care of pre-event logistics connected to an open house. Have the intern “own” the event, which means he/she will make the flyers, make sure it is marketed online, and organize and order catering and other event supplies. Your ideal event intern will have great attention to detail and an interest in event planning or real estate.

2. Online Marketing Intern
Think of this intern as an online marketing guru in the making.  This student is useful for writing and designing written and graphic content for e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, and other electronic mediums. The best candidates for this job are looking for experience in advertising, marketing, or real estate.

3. Video Production Intern
This beginner video producer will help take your property marketing to the next level. The ideal candidate will have reliable transportation and a passion for producing and turning photos and graphics into short commercials to be posted online. This intern needs to be a YouTube whiz kid who already has his/her own video-editing software.

4. Research Assistant Internship
This Internet savvy fact finder helps your team find content for social media posts and articles, digs up research on local business trends and real estate, and drafts short reports on local neighborhood resources. Your best candidate will be good with Google, has Microsoft Excel experience, and exhibit a passion for news and learning to use new websites.

5. Other duties as assigned:
Shannon King says in her office interns “do everything we don’t want to do…with supervision of course.” Some additional good day-to-day tasks for interns are:

  • Scanning local papers for social content
  • Pulling property lists
  • New market or area research
  • Hanging flyers
  • Drop-offs/pick-ups around town
  • Drafting communications
  • Refilling listing boxes
  • Sign setup/removal

Where do I find a good intern?

Give it the good old college try, literally. With more degree-hungry 20-somethings than ever looking for experience in  every field, task, and specialty, your local university career center or student affairs department ia the perfect place to start looking for help. Most have job-boards, co-op programs, and dedicated staff to help match students with employers.

King says high school students are also helpful, but those “internships” are different, “High school students are good for day-to-day. College students work better when there’s a project.”

According to King, no matter what “[Hiring an intern] is an interview process just like any position would be.  They interview you and you interview them. Look for creative, computer savvy [students].”

King says to remember, “The teachers can tell you what type of students they are.  You will want students who do their work on time.”

How much will it cost?

To find out what interns are going for in your area, your local university can be a great resource. In addition, check out Monster College and Indeed.com to review internships in similar subject areas. Intern pay can vary based on a number of factors including time commitment, geography, tasks involved, and the size of your business. If you’re looking for help from a college student who needs credit, that could be free.

A little intern insight from an experienced agent

“Keep in mind to have interns, you have to be there to teach them.  It’s an education for them.  Sometimes it’s their first job so you have to go over everything from phone manners to attire expectations” says King.

At the end of the day

Make it good for both you and the student. They need credit, experience, and new skills that will help them in business as much as you need the support. Yes, they can be helpful when it comes to grabbing you coffee, but also be sure to give them some of the wisdom and experience you have to offer.