Finding a great intern has as much to do with your program, compensation plan, and the education you plan you have, as to how you advertise to fill the position. There are many ways to go about collecting intern applications and you can use one or more of these places to find a great intern. However, do create an online application form so that you can easily look through them and avoid spam.

* With Your Website – Blog about your need for an intern, tell the world about what is involved in the internship, what the intern will be doing, mention whether it’s paid or unpaid, and provide a link to the application. The application should be as complete as possible to ensure that you can determine who is right for your internship mostly through the application process.

* On Social Media – Share your blog post and application on every social media network that you have and encourage others to share it, too. That way more people will find out about your internship opportunity and hopefully you’ll get more applicants.

* Via Local Colleges and Universities – Every local college or university has a career development center and will work with you to not only help you find appropriate interns but also help you ensure that your internship program is valuable.

* Through the Grapevine – Start telling people that you have an internship opportunity that you need to fill and ask if they have any suggestions.

* Ask Colleagues – If you know anyone who uses interns, ask them how they found theirs and how they set up their internship program. You can learn from others simply by asking.

* Through Your Local High School – If you need younger interns, you can contact the local high school to talk about your internship opportunity. Many high school students are also attending community college at the same time and would be thrilled to have an internship.

* Professional Organizations – If you’re a member of any professional organizations, you can list your internship opportunities with them.

* Post a Job Listing – Another way to find an internship is the same way that you find employees or contractors. List your opening via job websites as well as places like craigslist.org. Link to your online application rather than your email to avoid getting spam sent to your email address.

To find a great intern you need to have an awesome internship program. Plan out the internship program in advance so that you know how much work you’ll give them, what type of freedom they’ll have, and how you’ll rate the internship at the end of the contract. Then, bring on only the people whom you believe have the right temperament and really need the opportunity, and you won’t be disappointed.