Getting an Internship

Advice on getting a student internship in the tech industry.

The Process

• It’s going to be a lot of work, much of it repetitive and seemingly stupid. Knuckle down and get it done, don’t whine.
• Do some basic research about a company before you apply.
  • Search their website for information about internships & recruiting.
• Expect to apply to many companies, possibly dozens. Don’t limit yourself.
• Have all your documents and resources lined up before you start the application process.
  • Resume
  • Transcripts
  • Faculty contacts and references
• Read instructions carefully and follow them. Don’t try to take shortcuts.
• Your school probably has a career counseling office with all kinds of useful resources. Take advantage of that.
• The tech industry is rich, don’t accept an unpaid internship in a for-profit company.

Basic Communication Tips

• Be prompt when replying and stay on top of the process.
• Write intelligently and clearly in full sentences.
  • Don’t bury the lede.
  • Don’t ask questions that a basic Google search could answer for you.
• Read over everything you write and edit it for clarity, spelling, and grammar before you send it.
• Do not use Chat GPT to write any of your documents or correspondence.
• Have at least one friend read over your resume and look for mistakes.
• Don’t hesitate to contact the company’s recruiting folks with (smart and well phrased) questions.

Interviews and Talking to Real Humans

• Do your research beforehand.
  • Read the Wikipedia page about the company.
  • Know what market(s) the company is in and how they fit in
  • Spend some time reading the company’s website.
    • The “About Us” section
    • Look at the products and the way they present them
  • Look up recent news about the company
• Learn about the industry you’re trying to get into
  • Who are the major players?
  • Who are the customers?
  • Is there industry drama, legal or regulatory churn, lawsuits?
• Be ready to talk and answer questions about yourself.
  • What you are studying and what you like about it
  • Previous work experience
  • Hobbies
  • Goals
  • Think about this stuff ahead of time; have some semi-prepared answers so you don’t sit there like a deer in the headlights.
• If you’re really nervous about interviewing get someone to do a mock interview (the career counseling office probably offers this).

Personal Presentation

• Look professional. You don’t have to wear a suit, but don’t show up looking like you just rolled out of bed.
  • Bathe, brush, shave, groom, etc.
  • Wear “business casual” clothing that’s in good condition.
  • You don’t have to be a drone. It’s OK to have blue hair, religious garb, piercings, etc., just make sure you look “put together”.
• Act professional. You’re trying to make it clear that you know how to function in the workplace.
• Don’t show up late
  • If it’s an in-person interview you should look up directions the night before, and use the “arrive by” feature to figure out how long the trip will likely take given predicted traffic.
• Don’t be hung over
• If you’re sick, call and cancel the interview. Giving the interviewer a disease is not going to score you points.

Video Interviews

• Video meetings use a lot of battery; plug in your device before you start or make sure it’s fully charged.
• It’s best to have the camera level with your face; try not to look down at it.
• Put the camera (phone, tablet, laptop) on a stable surface; don’t hold it in your hand.
• Don’t sit with your back to a window or other bright light source. Make sure your face is well lit.
• Use the “blur background” feature if possible. If not, make sure there’s nothing distracting behind you.
• Speak a bit more slowly and clearly than usual.
• Minimize background noise. Turn off the TV and the stereo, close the windows, keep barking dogs, drunk roommates, and crying babies out of the room.

Reasons to Pursue an Internship

• Because it’s a requirement for your degree.
  • These days many programs have some kind of work-experience requirement.
  • If this is the case you’ve probably only got two or three summers available, and you best get on it now so you’re not scrambling later. You don’t want to postpone graduation because you couldn’t score a last-chance internship. Get the requirement out of the way.
• It’s a way to build a “professional network” you can use to get a job after graduation.
  • A good internship gives you an “in” with a company and some people in the industry. Many companies give preference to hiring their former interns.
  • Spamming your resume and cold-calling random companies is a tough way to get a job. Any advantage helps.
• It’s a good way to see what actually working in your field of study feels like.
  • Hopefully you’ll like it, but if you hate it it’s better to find out before you graduate with a degree you don’t want to use.
  • If you can swing successive internships at very different companies you can get a sense for the different possibilities.
• It gives you work experience, which is good for your resume.
• You get paid!
  • Most people need money, welcome to capitalism.
  • You probably shouldn’t take an unpaid internship unless you’re wealthy or it’s in a non-profit doing work you find extremely exciting.
  • Never take an unpaid position in a for-profit company. That’s exploitative BS and you’ll almost certainly be treated poorly and learn little of value.

OK, but do I Really Need an Internship?

• Not unless your program specifically says “You must have an internship to graduate”.
  • Maybe you just need any kind of work-like experience?
• Do you already have a “professional network” you can rely on to get a job after graduation? Because getting a job is hard, and internships are a foot in the door.
• What about doing on-campus or other academic research?
  • If you think you want to pursue an academic career this is a great idea. Research isn’t the same as taking classes, and it’s important to understand what the life of a career academic is like before you commit to it.
  • You’ll learn more about your field, always a plus.
  • It’s still work-ish experience, and thus a much better career move than spending a summer flipping burgers or selling car stereos.
• Does the size & shape of the company I intern at make a difference?
  • Maybe, but probably not a lot.
  • Interning at a giant old company will tell you nothing about life at a startup, and vise-versa.
  • Larger companies are more likely to have an organized internship program that will do a better job of educating you.