As owners of a boutique event management firm based in Austin, Texas, we have to get creative when it comes to staffing. We want to tackle the larger events but can't always afford to fire full-time employees. Our answer has been using interns.

I'm the first to admit that the goal here is not to hire just any intern or to saturate a team with interns. Instead, it's pinning down rock-star interns. For employers, here's help with identifying the rock stars from the duds, and for interns-to-be, here's the information on passing that crucial interview and rising to the top.

For employers: finding the rock-star intern

1. Be clear about your expectations. Specify the work hours, if the position is paid or unpaid, the work load, and the type of work involved. Besides looking for someone that can answer all questions "correctly," we're also looking for someone with the right attitude and work ethic.

2. Meet them face to face. Our in-house process is to conduct a minimum of two interviews. The first is an initial phone screen, and the second is face to face. If time permits, interviewees will have two face-to-face interviews: one with employee that he or she will report to and the final with me because I make all hiring decisions.

3. Ask them questions as if you're looking to hire them full-time. Don't ask interviewees standard questions such as, "What's your biggest weakness?" Instead, ask what his or her career aspirations are. Most importantly, ask why the individual wants to work for you versus the competition.

4. Have them do a trial run. If time permits, we generally as potential interns to work and event with us - unpaid - to test out their on-site problem-solving skills. This is a metric we can't seem to measure during an interview process alone.

5. Check their references. After the initial interview, call their reference. Then ask yourself is he or she fits your company's culture and work ethic.

Once you've hired someone, thank your intern for working hard.

For interns-to-be: stand out in the interview cycle

1. Mock interviews. If you have never done a formal interview, consider doing a mock interview with someone who can honestly critique your interview skills. Do you sound confident, or are you rambling?

2. Review your resume. I can't decide what bothers me more, poorly formatted resumes or resumes containing spelling errors. These mistakes make you look sloppy and, remember, first impressions do matter!

3. Follow up. We all work in a fast-paced environment, with the Internet fueling how quickly we expect people to respond. E-mails and voicemails can go into a balck hole by accident. Follow up if you don't hear back from a prospect in a timely manner after you've interviewed.