A good social media intern can help you establish a solid online presence. But, finding the right resource in this competitive digital marketing landscape can be a challenge. You need to consider a range of factors to filter out the right candidate. The good thing is that you’re not paying through the nose to hire and manage an intern.
In this post, we’ll address the question “how to hire a social media intern” comprehensively. You’ll learn:
- How to create your ideal candidate’s profile
- Where to look for a social media intern
- How to write an effective job description
- And more
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
What Does a Social Media Intern Do?
Before we dive into the step-by-step process of hiring an intern, let’s quickly look at the responsibilities you can expect to outsource to them. First, remember that an intern is an intern; meaning that they won’t have the experience to make drastic changes to your business’s online presence. But, if you can train them effectively, they can prove to be an invaluable resource for your company/business. The exact role and responsibilities of a social media intern depends on your digital marketing goals. The main responsibilities of a typical social media intern include:
- Content creation and scheduling
- Community management
- Research and analysis
- Analytics reporting
- Influencer outreach
- Customer support
- Administrative tasks
- And maybe more
How to Hire a Social Media Intern: Step-by-Step
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to hire a social media intern for your business.
Identify Your Needs
Start by identifying your social media marketing needs and goals. What you want to achieve directly impacts the roles and responsibilities of a marketing intern. For instance, if you want to build a social media community around your brand, you may need to outsource community management, customer support, and content scheduling.
In addition to that, the background of the candidate is an important factor to consider. This includes their education, type of degree, the industry they specialize in, and any past experience.
Decide on the Duties
The next step would be to define the exact tasks for them. This will help you attract the right candidates to your job posting and repel the unsuitable ones. For instance, they may be responsible for:
- Create content for Instagram and Pinterest
- Manage a Facebook community (Group)
- Develop and manage an ad campaign
- And more
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Decide on a Budget
A social media intern shouldn’t have to cost you a lot, but it’s wise to offer a reasonable salary. It’s an effective way to generate interest in your job posting. Look at the average salary in your locality to come up with a figure. Other factors that impact the salary include:
- Seniority
- Certifications
In the UK, the average salary of a social media intern is £1,386 per month.
Write a Job Description
A good job description includes everything a potential candidate needs to know before reaching out to your company. You want to include all the relevant information, including the exact roles they’ll be responsible for, the salary, required skills, and your contact information. Including every relevant piece of information in the description helps filter out the candidates who are actually interested in the role.
Post Your Job
You can use a range of recruiting strategies to attract your ideal candidate, including:
Ask your social circle: You can also ask your family and friends if they know anyone who fits the job description.
Local colleges: Go to job fairs at local colleges and universities and look for students who might be interested in an entry-level social media position.
Social media platforms: Join relevant social media groups in your industry. Engage with the community to establish your trust first. Create job postings and ask for recommendations.
Job platforms: Job posting platforms that are designed for this specific purpose are a perfect place to attract the right candidates. Social Media Jobs is a perfect example of how you can recruit the right talent for your needs.
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Conduct Interviews
An in-person or online interview is a major step in the recruiting process. Keep your interview short and to the point so that you don’t miss important questions. Introduce your company and its culture and explain the role. Asking the candidate why they want to join you is a good way to assess their long-term interest in your company. Try to ask open-ended questions and let the candidate get into the details of how they can help your organization grow. If you think the interview can get too long, consider conducting a second interview at a later stage for all the technical questions.
How to Hire a Social Media Intern: FAQs
Let’s address some frequently asked questions about hiring a social media intern.
How Much Should I Pay a Social Media Intern?
The exact salary of a social media intern depends on factors such as location, experience, and specialty. However, you can expect to pay a social media intern £10.42 per hour in the UK.
What is the Role of a Social Media Intern?
The exact role of a social media intern depends on your marketing goals. A good intern should be able to handle most aspects of social media marketing, including ad account management, content scheduling, community management, and more.
How Do I Interview a Social Media Intern?
Ask about their experience with different social media platforms and digital marketing tools. Make sure they have the right skills to help you achieve your marketing objectives cost-effectively.
Conclusion
When you’re hiring a social media intern, the most important thing you need to consider is whether they can help you with your marketing goals. Once you’re clear about what you want, create an ideal candidate profile and write a comprehensive job description.
Post your job listing on all the right platforms such as Indeed and Social Media Jobs. Prepare a questionnaire before conducting an interview. Communicate your expectations to the candidate to help them decide if they’re the right fit for the role.