As Gen-Z enter the workforce at astounding rates, many of them are looking to join forces with exciting small businesses and start-ups, not as a stepping stone to make a quick buck, but to embark on their journey towards a fulfilling career whilst connecting to senior mentors and gaining niche learning experiences that larger corporations may neglect.
If you are hesitant to believe that 18 – 25 year olds will, and can, effectively grow your business, I have outlined 8 key advantages to hiring students for remote project work. What you consider to be a risk may very well be the golden ticket to accelerating the growth of your business.
1. Every business can use an extra pair of hands
There’s no need to think of students as getting in the way or just making coffee. A capable student can contribute enormously to your teams output. With minimal training, they can help get certain work tasks done which frees-up your existing team to focus on tasks needing a higher level of experience or expertise.
A recent NACE survey highlighted that 92% of student interns were on essential work tasks such as data analysis, problem solving and others
2. Enhance your social media outreach with new content
Students are VERY social media savvy…. they’re all well informed about various platforms and social trends, from YouTube, Instagram to LinkedIn and Twitter. If social media is a useful to your business, a student can not only enhance your strategy but establish a presence and produce content such as posts and blogs.
3. Learn more about your market to enable growth
A high-calibre student can uncover more insights about your market, competitors or customers which will help you come-up with better ways to differentiate your company from the competition. Or perhaps, you have too much research and simply need a student to break down the information into a summary report.
4. Have the right attitude and come with fresh ideas.
Students understand that they need real work experience to gain a foothold into their chosen fields. With chances to gain experience in real small businesses, they will do their best to make a great impression to ensure a good recommendation from you will form a part of their CV. Equally, they learn fast and come with fresh ideas as there’s no box, and that glass ceiling doesn’t exist! So, if you want energy, fresh ideas and a new perspective, get them involved!
5. Strengthen your digital expertise.
Students are great with technology. Many small business owners know what they need and what they should be doing. However, it’s not always easy to quickly implement when there is so little time to understand and an even longer to-do list. As students have grown-up with technology. Simply, leverage their natural knowledge and make your life easier.
6. More than a 1(00) Trick Pony
Students are agile creatures that adapt quickly. With 6 ongoing deadlines, exams and a part-time job to cover expenses, their lives are constantly in flux. How do they survive? They accommodate, reorganize and acclimatize to life’s demands. This can be of a great benefit in the shifting landscape of modern day workplaces, where technology, management and priorities are constantly changing. With these tricks, young people will place your business at an advantage as they are better equipped to jump in at the deep end across different tasks.
7. A useful low cost resource
Small businesses with tight budgets can take advantage of low cost students as they are inexpensive compared to the average national average wage for a full-time employee. Especially, if you can book by the hour. This is equally advantageous to the student as they need the flexibility to meet the demands of their lectures and project work.
8. (Now) Easy to find and activate
Small businesses with tight budgets can take advantage of low cost students as they are inexpensive compared to the average national average wage for a full-time employee. Especially, if you can book by the hour. This is equally advantageous to the student as they need the flexibility to meet the demands of their lectures and project work.
Whenever you need a student, for an hour or more, Paperound.com is the best marketplace to find a UK student, at no extra cost.
As a student myself, I have found working for small businesses the biggest asset to my personal development and employability skills. Alongside completing my neuroscience degree, I have been hired to write this article, whilst working on the business development of multiple start-ups and currently the marketing manager at Jukes, a sports tech company, it is clear that my drive and flare has been recognised. It is time that others get noticed, and more importantly trusted, to accelerate growth within small businesses and start-ups. We mean business (pun intended), just like you.
Task 1 of your day; book a Paperound student for an hour or more!
If you’re a small business who just needs an extra pair of hands to get tasks done or to support a project you just haven’t had time to start, check out Paperound.com.