Small-business owners are discovering an upside to the economic downturn: a deeper pool of talent to tap through internship programs.

    'The latest crop of interns was amazing,' says Joanna Pineda, chief executive of Matrix Group International Inc., an Arlington, Va.-based full-service web solutions provider.

    Pineda is now considering offering a year-long paid internship alongside the company's longstanding summer program for high-school and college students.

    Large employers have slashed the number of internships by around a fifth this year as part of recession-related budgets cuts. At the same time, demand for internships is rising among students facing a tight job market where employers are increasingly putting a premium on work experience.

    'It's a good opportunity for small-business owners,' says Keith Ashmus, chair of the National Small Business Association. Ashmus, who is also a co-founding partner at Frantz Ward LLP, a law firm in Cleveland, says his firm's ongoing paid-internship program is attracting higher-caliber candidates as larger firms cut back.

    Tony Pals, a spokesman for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, says while larger companies tend to have broader brand-name recognition, 'interns may enjoy the less bureaucratic nature of small companies, and the often more dynamic work environment.'

    Interns can pitch in to support projects that might otherwise languish on a back burner. They can also energize a workplace with their enthusiasm. An internship program can also serve as an effective recruitment ground for future hires.

    'An internship program is an inexpensive way to try someone out,' says James J. Holtzman, a fee-only financial planner with Legend Financial Advisors Inc. in Pittsburgh, which has an ongoing paid-internship program.

    Hiring permanent staff can be costlier and riskier right now because the uncertain economic environment makes it harder to forecast future cash flow. 'A business owner might want to hedge their overall expenses by employing lower-cost labor, such as interns,' says Laura Mattia, a fee-only financial planner with Baron Financial Group LLC in Fair Lawn, N.J.

    Setting up an internship program doesn't require a large investment of time or money. To get the best results, business owners need to find appropriate candidates and screen them to make sure they have the skills needed to get the jobs they want done. Once hired, providing regular feedback is important as it should be a learning experience for the intern. Offering to act as an advocate in support of an intern's career search is another selling point.

    'You need to create a win-win,' says Michael Franz, director of the Washington Small Business Development Center at Washington State University.

    First, a business needs to identify local schools and colleges that have students with desirable skills. By contacting schools' career centers, business owners can gain insight into students' schedules and the amount of time they can reasonably devote to an internship. For example, an intern may be able to work 10 hours a week while classes are in session and work 30 hours a week during breaks. If arrangements are made with schools in advance, students may be able to receive academic credits.

    Business owners should write up a clear description of duties the intern will be expected to perform, desirable qualifications, the required time commitment and whom to contact. 'Most schools have job fairs in the spring or fall semester, so consider sponsoring a table,' says Holtzman. Business owners who want to cast the net wider can post ads on Web sites like Craiglist.com and idealist.org.

    Businesses can offer unpaid internships if the on-the-job training predominantly benefits the student and furthers their education. However, to avoid falling afoul of federal labor laws, if interns are performing tasks that bring in business, experts recommend entrepreneurs compensate interns at an hourly rate that is at least equivalent to the applicable state minimum wage or offer a stipend that covers meals, living and travel expenses.

    Businesses also need to provide workers' compensation insurance and comply with all laws requiring withholding and payment of payroll taxes. It can also be prudent to require interns to sign a confidentiality agreement.

    小企業(yè)主們在眼下的經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退中看到了"利好"的一面：他們可以通過實習(xí)項目吸引到更多的人才。

    "最近的這茬實習(xí)生太讓人驚喜了，"Matrix Group International Inc.的總裁皮內(nèi)達(dá)（Joanna Pineda）說。Matrix Group International是一家總部設(shè)在弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓市（Arlington）的提供全方位服務(wù)的網(wǎng)絡(luò)服務(wù)提供商。

    眼下，皮內(nèi)達(dá)正考慮在公司原有的面向高中生和大學(xué)生的暑期實習(xí)項目以外，再增加一個為期一年的帶薪實習(xí)崗位。

    經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退導(dǎo)致的預(yù)算削減讓大型企業(yè)在今年砍掉了大約五分之一的實習(xí)崗位。與此同時，學(xué)生就業(yè)市場緊縮，而如今的雇主們也比以往更加看中求職者的工作經(jīng)驗，因此學(xué)生們的實習(xí)需求不斷上升。

    "這對小企業(yè)主來說是個不錯的機(jī)會，"美國小企業(yè)聯(lián)合會（National Small Business Association）主席阿什莫斯（Keith Ashmus）說。阿什莫斯同時也是克利夫蘭市一家名為Frantz Ward LLP的律師事務(wù)所的共同創(chuàng)辦人。他說，在大公司壓縮實習(xí)計劃規(guī)模的時候，他的公司推出的帶薪實習(xí)項目正吸引來更高素質(zhì)的求職者。

    全美獨立學(xué)院和大學(xué)聯(lián)合會（National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities）的發(fā)言人帕爾斯（Tony Pals）說，盡管大公司的品牌效應(yīng)往往會得到更大范圍的承認(rèn)，"但是實習(xí)生可能會因為小公司較少的官僚風(fēng)氣，以及往往更具活力的工作環(huán)境而更加享受為小公司工作。"

    實習(xí)生們可以投入那些原本可能會被擱置一旁的項目。他們的熱情還會為辦公室?guī)�來活力。實�?xí)項目也可以為將來招收新員工做好鋪墊。

    匹茲堡Legend Financial Advisors Inc.的收費(fèi)理財顧問霍爾茨曼（James J. Holtzman）說："實習(xí)項目是一種考驗員工能力的非常經(jīng)濟(jì)的辦法".該公司的一個帶薪實習(xí)項目眼下正在進(jìn)行中。

    不確定的經(jīng)濟(jì)環(huán)境讓未來的現(xiàn)金流難以預(yù)料，因此現(xiàn)在雇傭固定員工的花費(fèi)更高，風(fēng)險也更大。"企業(yè)主可能希望通過雇傭低成本的勞動力，比如實習(xí)生，來控制整體費(fèi)用，"新澤西州費(fèi)爾勞恩Baron Financial Group LLC的理財顧問馬蒂亞（Laura Mattia）如是說。

    制訂一個實習(xí)計劃不需要投入大量的時間和金錢。為了達(dá)到最好的效果，企業(yè)主們需要找到合適的申請者，對他們進(jìn)行篩選，確保他們具備完成任務(wù)所需要的技能。一旦錄用以后，定期對他們的表現(xiàn)做出反饋很重要，因為對于實習(xí)生來講這應(yīng)該是一次學(xué)習(xí)經(jīng)歷。主動提出幫助實習(xí)生找工作是實習(xí)計劃的另一個賣點。

    華盛頓州立大學(xué)（Washington State University）華盛頓小企業(yè)發(fā)展中心（Washington Small Business Development Center）主任弗朗茲（Michael Franz）說，需要創(chuàng)造一個雙贏局面。

    首先，企業(yè)需要對于當(dāng)?shù)啬男┲袑W(xué)和大學(xué)的學(xué)生具備該企業(yè)所需技能做到心中有數(shù)。通過聯(lián)系學(xué)校的就業(yè)中心，企業(yè)主可以了解學(xué)生們的時間安排，以及他們可以用在實習(xí)崗位上的時間。例如，一名實習(xí)生在學(xué)期中每周或許可以工作10個小時，而放假期間每周就可以工作30個小時。如果事先和學(xué)校一起做一些安排的話，那么學(xué)生們也許還可以因此拿到學(xué)分。

    企業(yè)主應(yīng)該明確說明實習(xí)生將要從事的工作、他們需要具備的條件、需要投入的時間，以及企業(yè)的聯(lián)系方式。"大多數(shù)學(xué)校在春季或秋季學(xué)期都會舉辦學(xué)生求職招聘會，企業(yè)主應(yīng)該考慮參加，"霍爾茨曼說。想要把網(wǎng)撒得更大一些的企業(yè)主可以在Craiglist.com和idealist.org等網(wǎng)站上發(fā)布廣告。

    如果企業(yè)的在職培訓(xùn)可以很好地使學(xué)生們收益，促進(jìn)他們的學(xué)業(yè)，那么公司可以不支付實習(xí)生的薪水。但是，為了不違反聯(lián)邦勞動法，如果實習(xí)生們的工作能給公司帶來收益，專家們建議企業(yè)主至少以各州最低工資的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)按小時支付實習(xí)生報酬，或者給他們一些生活津貼，讓他們用來支付食宿和交通方面的開銷。

    同時，企業(yè)需要為員工們提供補(bǔ)償保險，還需遵守各項要求預(yù)提以及交付所得稅的法律規(guī)定。另外，為了防患于未然，企業(yè)還可以要求實習(xí)生簽署一份保密協(xié)議。