Abstract:

This paper aims to provide an insight into the current state of internship as a method of recruitment and selection in knowledge-intensive organizations in the services sector, such as advertising agencies and IT firms, in Romania. After a synthetic overview of the most important theories in literature on recruitment and selection, on internship and knowledge-intensive organizations, the paper will focus on our own research, consisting in three parts:
a) a qualitative content analysis on two Romanian economic journals, in order to identify the image of internship as a method of recruitment and selection in Romanian organizations, generally, as it is presented in specialized journals, within a period of 2 and a half years;
b) interviews with 15 employers, in advertising and IT firms, people with experience in recruitment and selection of candidates;
c) interviews with 15 students who took part in the internship programs run by advertising and IT organizations of which interviewed employers belong to.

The research through interviews aims to identify by which recruitment and selection methods the employers of an organization, in this case, from an knowledge-intensive service sector, can identify their employees and whether internship can become a beneficial method for both recruiters and trainees, in advertising agencies and IT firms.

Experience by participating in internship programs is an asset through which young people have the opportunity to get a job faster in the desired economic field. In this context, specific objectives of the research through interviews with employers and interns include:
a) identifying the selection requirements for internship acceptance in knowledge-intensive organizations (advertising agencies and IT companies) as well as the way in which the internship is carried out;
b) identifying the benefits of students and employers as a result of an internship program;
c) identifying the motivations of students and employers to participate in internships, respectively to organize internships;
d) description of the conditions under which a trainee could become an employee of the organization; and finally
e) reviewing the abilities, knowledge and skills recommendations through which students can improve their professional experience.

The perception, on the researched subject, of recruiters with experience in internship programs in the advertising sector as well as their own interns has many features similar to those of IT recruiters and interns.In regards to establishing student selection criteria to accept them in internship, the research results showed that for both economic sectors, the aspects considered most important refer to involvement in extracurricular activities, membership in different working groups (such as student organizations), volunteering and participation in other internships. As benefits, interns appreciate the chance of being employed, the opportunity to put into practice theoretical notions learned learnt in college, the opportunity to gain experience and see if they can identify with the industry. From the employers` perspective, they have the opportunity to develop their future employees` abilities before hiring them, and the costs of recruiting and selecting the right candidates will be, thereby, reduced. Further studies should focus on identifying how most efficient internship programs work and the specific abilities that are being developed.

Keywords:

Internship, recruitment, selection, knowledge-intensive organizations.