Transfinder transforms internships into recruiting opportunities

CEO of Transfinder, Antonio Civitella, has expanded his firm with offices in Texas and China in the last several years - and it's all in an effort to keep up with its more-than-2000 clientele base.

But Civitella has decided to push forward with a somewhat less global approach to workforce development by expanding the company's internship program that it offers students from local colleges.

Although the idea may seem outdated or old fashioned to some, Civitella and company executives believe that the extra work and expense of qualifying interns, teaching them how the company operates — and paying them — will pay dividends.

The company is hoping to have 12 to 15 interns work there this year, up from just three interns in 2016.

"We're always talking about how we need to keep some of these students in the area," Civitella said recently. "We're hoping that more companies do more of this."

Although Transfinder has a particularly strong relationship with Siena College, where Civitella got his undergraduate degree, the company also works with students from other local  schools, including  the University at Albany and Union College, as well as schools from outside the region, including Northeastern University and the University of Maryland.

The students are paid an hourly wage "in the teens," said Joe Messia, the company's chief operating officer, although he declined to provide the exact figure. They can also earn college credit.

Adding so many college interns, spread out throughout the year, isn't easy.

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