Dive Brief:

• Harley-Davidson is calling on current college juniors and seniors and recent college graduates to apply for a unique 12-week internship, dubbed the "#FindYourFreedom Internship." Eight finalists will be given a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and, after being trained to ride, will be paid to travel the country on their bikes while attending Harley-Davidson events.
• The company is looking specifically for interns with a planned career path in marketing, communications, social media or public relations. During the internship, participants will post their experiences to social media, representing Harley-Davidson as "brand enthusiast[s]" and handing out vouchers for the company's Riding Academy. They'll also get to keep their bikes.
• Applicants are encouraged to submit the most creative application they can generate — in any format — including essay, video, photo collages or other formats. The application process closes May 11.

Dive Insight:

Demand is rising for summer interns: according to one report, postings have already surpassed those seen in the past two years. Harley-Davidson is offering a paid internship in this case, but unpaid internships are predicted to increase as well, and recently relaxed federal guidelines around intern classification may well be the reason.

Harley-Davidson's opportunity demonstrates the win-win nature of internships: candidates have the opportunity to earn valuable career experience, while companies can use them to build both valuable hiring pipelines and strong branding opportunities — an opportunity that may be especially important to Harley-Davidson as it looks to attract younger riders to its brand.