SO YOU’VE THOUGHT ABOUT HIRING AN INTERN

Sparta, N.J.  September 9, 2005

If you’re like many small companies, at one time or another you’ve entertained the thought of hiring an intern for the summer.   While it’s an easier decision for the large, multi-national corporations, bringing an intern on-board can pose a variety of dilemmas for a small-to mid-size organization.

"For us it wasn’t about plugging the gaps during summer vacations or getting cheap help,” said Kirk Shearer, President and COO of TOTALogistix, a third-party logistics company.  "We were looking for talent: smart, well educated, motivated individuals who could become full-time contributors to our team once they graduate.  It was a matter of tapping into the newest technology and analytical techniques that are being taught in the top supply chain schools around the country,” said Mr. Shearer. 

As companies continue to evolve from manufacturers to distributors by outsourcing production overseas, supply chain management plays an increasingly critical role in both profitability and customer service.  Because it is typically considered the third highest line item expense, more “C” level executives are becoming aware of the impact these costs have on success and profitability of their companies.  Mr. Shearer explained, “More CFO’s are beginning to understand the importance of supply chain management.  While they don’t necessarily understand the nuts and bolts of the industry, they certainly are appreciating the dynamics, and the impact it has on inventory and cash.”  So what does this have to do with hiring an intern?

"It’s not a question of AN intern, but the RIGHT intern,” said Mr. Shearer.  “And the right intern is the one who can teach us as much as we could teach them.  In any service organization, you have to bring a higher level of knowledge to your client’s business.  The students today possess much of that new thinking.  If you don’t take advantage of it, you’re either not providing the best service to your client or you’re going to end up competing against it.  Either way, you lose.”

Manikandan Gokarnesan was that intern.  A second year grad student at Penn State, Mani already possessed a Masters in Electrical Engineering and is about to earn his MBA with an emphasis in Supply Chain Management and Corporate Finance.  “Mani was our first choice, and he was our only choice.  He was the right intern for TOTALogistix because he embraced the challenge of what we were attempting to do.  It was important that, as an outstanding student, he not only had to have the knowledge base, but the acumen to act as a leader and know how to implement that knowledge.” 

"That’s really what I was looking for as well,” said Mani.  “I was fortunate to have other offers, but the deciding factor was whether I would be limited to a specific role at a large company, or gain broader experience and have more of an impact at a small to mid-size firm.”

      
The results were better than expected.  Month one, understand the nature of our business and that of our clients.  Month two, begin to make suggestions about how we could do things differently and in many ways better.  And month three, share that knowledge with our clients so they too can benefit from this expertise.

"Our experiment, as we like to call it, was a huge success,” noted Shearer.  “Mani enabled us to provide new services to our clients, which ultimately translates into additional revenue streams for our company.” 

"I think the real benefit is we’ve found a win/win situation:  a closer relationship with our clients because we bring more value to their business, and a valuable new employee as Mani has accepted a full-time job offer after his graduation,” said Shearer.

So the next time you consider whether you should go for that college intern, don’t overlook the value a small company has to offer the best students: a chance to get involved in many aspects of the business that they might not be afforded by the big multi-nationals.  As Mani liked to say, “I don’t think I’d be kayaking with Michael Dell if I worked for Dell.”

TOTALogistix is a full service, third party logistics provider with expertise in logistics and strategic planning.

For more information contact:
Robert J. Basso
Director of Business Development
TOTALogistix Inc
191 Woodport Rd.
Sparta, NJ 07871
800. 989.0054 x117
Rbasso@totalogistix.com