Hiring talented interns that make an immediate impact on your company is a challenge when they lack experience, which is why these job boards are great resources for hiring top-quality students today.

It’s hard to argue against the economics of hiring interns. Employing free or very cheap labor is a low-risk solution for organizations that need workers, and internships offer recent grads or new professionals opportunities to gain valuable work experience.

Many companies historically hire interns on an unpaid basis in order to save costs on jobs that would otherwise go to entry-level employees, but unpaid internships have come under scrutiny as being ethically questionable. Few young professionals can afford to work for free, and arguments that unpaid internships exclude millions of low-income candidates from the workforce are gaining traction. With recent lawsuits escalating arguments on both sides of the issue, companies now shoulder the legal responsibility to know if and when an intern needs to be financially compensated according to the Federal Labor Standards Act (FSLA).

Tabling the legal and ethical debate of unpaid internships for the moment, hiring interns can have a positive impact on your organization, so you shouldn’t shy away from hiring young professionals who offer a fresh perspective, are eager to learn, and help cultivate mentorship and leadership skills among existing employees. To connect your company with fresh talent, check out these job boards and career resources for interns.

1. WayUp

The standout feature of WayUp is its appealing and user-friendly layout. Internship and entry-level job seekers can create personalized profiles that include their prior work experience and highlight extra criteria like volunteer experience, hobbies, and skills that demonstrate candidate value to employers.

With over 4.5 million candidates in their database from over 6500 different schools, there is no shortage of talent waiting to be discovered on WayUp. As an employer, you can create and post jobs via the company’s marketplace, and feel confident in WayUp’s representation of underserved minorities, who currently constitute over 35 percent of the total candidate database.

2. InternJobs.com

With its simple website design, InternJobs.com offers an affordable pricing plan that starts at $15 per posting for 30 days. What’s more, InternJobs.com has over two decades of experience connecting young professionals to employers. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense and regularly updated job board to post your open internships, then this is one resource you shouldn’t overlook.

3. Internships.com

Internships.com is the world’s largest student-focused internship marketplace, boasting its network size right on the site’s landing page: over 300k entry-level jobs and 5k internships from over 140k companies located in 10k cities across the US. The site offers free job posting for employers and a wide range of career resources for candidates, from how to write cover letters and resumes to interviewing advice.

Internships.com uses a powerful algorithm that allows students to search for opportunities based on major, industry, city, and company. The site even has an “Internship Predictor” that matches candidates with internships according to their personality and character references.

4. LinkedIn

You likely already use LinkedIn as a major sourcing tool for open positions at your organization, so why not leverage the world’s largest professional network for internships as well? Few other job boards can compete with the LinkedIn’s expansive network of members, companies, and educational institutions. With over 560 million active users on the platform, the likelihood of meeting a candidate through your existing network is high, making this a no-brainer for many companies.

5. Idealist

If your organization works in the non-profit sector, you may be in need of like-minded workers who share your passion for taking action and making an impact. With 1.4 million monthly visitors to the site’s English and Spanish sites, Idealist posts opportunities across the globe from nearly 130k organizations, and posting a new listing is as simple as logging in with a Facebook or Google account.

6. College Recruiter

College Recruiter was founded way back in 1991, and in over the last three decades it built a 7400-strong network of one-, two-, and four-year colleges across the country. Posting an open internship on the site starts at $75 per listing but can be tailored to target specific schools, majors, graduation years, GPAs, languages, or diversity requirements. College Recruiter also offers custom advertising solutions at various price points and hosts regular College Recruiting Bootcamps where HR professionals, hiring managers, and college relations professionals gather to network, brainstorm, and share ideas about how to attract the next generation of talent to your organization.

For many good reasons, more and more companies are hiring interns as an efficient and economical resource. However, it seems many employers are struggling to hire the right intern – the one who will step in with some hustle, an entrepreneurial spirit and a great attitude – and make an immediate impact. After all, how do you know which is the best intern to pick when, by default, they have little or no work experience?

Our advice: focus on the soft skills most in demand at your organization.

Rather than eliminating a student or recent grad or anyone excited to learn because their work experience is limited to delivering pizza or working at their uncle’s office, seek out the personal attributes of the intern who will learn quickly – and contribute right away.

When hiring your next intern, consider these “Top 10” soft skills:

1. Passionate

First and foremost, you don’t want an intern to just go through the motions for the next twelve weeks. Your intern should be passionate about the company mission, perhaps the service or products offered – and certainly the opportunity. If not, the internship probably will not be a great experience – for them, or you.

2. Work Ethic

Even without experience listed on their resume, we can spot a person with work ethic (and those without) a mile away. It’s in their posture, and embedded in their body language and how they answer questions. An intern without work ethic is generally high maintenance – and is ultimately a drain on your organization’s resources.

3. Entrepreneurial
This almost goes without saying – but we’re saying it anyway: If your intern candidate is ambitious, the proverbial “go-getter”, and you can see him or her leading their own business or not-for-profit someday… you’ve got a winner. And where better for the intern to learn than with like-minded people already running a challenging team like yours?

4. Ability to Problem Solve

Today’s internships come with considerable responsibility; a successful intern must be incredibly resourceful in completing assignments – and meeting challenges. You’ll want to pick the intern who can solve these problems through logic, critical thinking and by considering input from other members of your team.

5. Self-Disciplined

The most successful interns are those disciplined enough meet project deadlines without constant reminders – and who can sometimes even determine their own tasks and work schedule. This is especially true in a virtual assignment; even an in-office internship, however, requires self-imposed focus and determination.

See also:

• 10 Most Common Illegal Interview Questions
• How to Interview Someone in the HR Industry
• 5 Non-Technical Interview Questions for Software Engineers

6. Independent

Working independently, especially in small teams and start-ups, is the norm. Your intern must be adept at working without direct supervision – and making decisions without the help of others – to complete the projects and initiatives assigned. Perhaps even more important, the independent-minded intern never waits to be told what to do… they always find a way to contribute.

7. A Leader

Depending on the role and unique skill set of the intern, when interviewing an intern you may ask them to lead entire initiatives at your company, freeing up existing resources for other critical projects. Taking on a leadership role is a natural fit for many young professionals entering the workforce (and a great opportunity for them to be noticed early in their career!).

8. Resilient
In today’s economy, many organizations are constantly trying new approaches to achieve goals. Survival often means quickly discarding ineffective initiatives and trying something different. Interns working in this dynamic environment must not get discouraged if their work is replaced with a new approach, or they are suddenly asked to change directions.

9. Versatile

In many companies and non-profits, everyone from the CEO to the interns must wear many hats – and must be flexible enough to handle various assignments. Call it multi-tasking if you will; those who excel in this area often find the work exhilarating – and thrive in a dynamic work environment.

10. Coachable

This is the “big one”! Today’s lean work environments typically do not allow for elongated learning curves. Feedback is often spontaneous, direct and brutally honest. While in the long-term this form of coaching is highly effective, short-term it can cause anxiety for those with thinner skins and temperamental egos. The coachable candidate, then, goes to the top of the “must hire” list!

As you’re reading though this list of characteristics – and making your own Top 10 list of desirable attributes for your next intern – please consider this: not even CEOs and Directors have ALL these character traits; don’t expect perfection. Instead, look for those candidates who complement your existing talent. After all, if you have applicants that show just a few of these amazing attributes during the application and interviewing process, you just may have a real winner – and a major contributor – ready to hire right now!

Mark Babbitt,  Founder and CEO of YouTern,  is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. He is passionate supporter of Gen Y talent.

Smartrecruiters online recruiting software makes it easy for you to integrate skills assessments into your recruiting process