A Guide to Getting Internships as a First-Year College Student
Internships are an excellent way for college students to gain first-hand experience with developing products and services in an industry environment. However, being a first-year student in college can make it challenging to acquire offers, because companies often want students with extensive technical experience and a closer graduation date. As I reflect on my first year in college (2019–2020), these are some of the strategies that have worked for me to attain two part-time roles during the school year as well as my summer internship.
Please note that I used these strategies in pursuing software engineer internships. If you choose to use them, it’s important that you adapt them to the type of role that you’re seeking (data science, product management, UX design, etc.)
Part-time positions during the school year
Interning part-time is a great way to get direct industry experience alongside your classes. This tends to be possible with startups, as they are more likely to be flexible to your schedule if they feel you’ll bring value to the company. Interning at a startup is an incredibly fulfilling experience because you get to work in a fast-paced environment, collaborate with founders, and have a significant impact on the development and growth of a product.
Cold emailing is certainly a viable strategy to attain a part-time position. However, I’ve found the most success with making a strong first impression in person / in a face-to-face setting. Here are the steps you can take to do the same:
- Get involved in your city’s startup ecosystem. Go to conferences, workshops, and other events where you can meet and talk to founders. Don’t go to these events intending to have an offer by the end. Rather, attend with the mindset of learning from founders about their career and startup journey. This is what I did when attending events, and it allowed me to have more genuine conversations, gain new connections, and walk away with lessons that I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten.
- Send followups. At the end of a conversation, exchange emails and/or LinkedIns with the individual that you talk to. After the event, send a prompt followup to them. Make sure to include these points in your followup:
→ Thank them for their time
→ Provide a short summary of what you took away from talking to them
→ Request to schedule a time for further discussion
These points will demonstrate that you value their time, learned from what they had to say, and are interested in discussing more. Keep in mind that you may not receive responses from everyone. Founders are extremely busy, but there are some who are willing to work closely with students.
- Attend the second meeting. During your followup conversation, learn more about the problem(s) that the company is trying to solve and what the impact would be if they fulfill their mission. Additionally, learn about what obstacles are currently in their way. Think about your skills and how you may be able to contribute to overcoming said obstacles. Ask thoughtful questions to clarify any thoughts or ideas you may have.
- Propose an internship. You can do this during the second meeting itself, or in another followup email:
→ State the kind of role you’d be interested in, and how your skills align with the obstacles and problems that the company is trying to solve.
→ Reiterate why you believe in what the company is doing
→ Most importantly, convey that you are willing to learn what is needed to have the highest impact (and be fully prepared to do so if you officially join the company).
If you’re not able to clearly communicate any one of the three of these points, I’d encourage you to reconsider if the company is a good fit for you. If you are able to, and they say yes to your proposal, then that’s awesome! You can commit and proceed with any onboarding tasks. For the company I interned at, aside from an extensive conversation about my technical skills and experience, I didn’t go through a formal interview process, and was able to commit to my offer on the day I received it. Other startups may work differently. You may be asked to complete an online assessment, or take part in behavioral and technical interviews. If this is the case, ask any questions beforehand about what to expect so you can prepare as necessary.
Summer positions:
One way to increase your chances of being hired as an intern by a technology company is through career fairs. While many companies at career fairs will be overwhelmed with resumes and conversations, others will use them as a way to accelerate select students through their hiring processes. I attained half my interviews from a career fair, one of which led to a summer offer. Here’s what to keep in mind when you attend these events:
- Prepare beforehand. Look through the list of companies in attendance, and make a note of which ones you’re most interested in talking to. However, be ready to adapt on the fly based on the length of the lines for each company. Bring ample printed copies of your updated resume to the fairs.
- Be ready for different types of conversations. Some recruiters and employees at career fairs will talk to you about your career interests and why you’re interested their company. Others will be far more serious and ask you questions to dig into the content on your resume. Be open to having these varying kinds of discussions. Additionally, if you have something on your resume, make sure that you’d be comfortable discussing it and answering probing questions in further detail. Ask questions of your own to learn more about a company and the role of the person you’re talking to.
- Differentiate yourself from others. I’ve found that the key to succeeding in a career fair is to make yourself memorable from everyone else. Every student will likely talk at the surface level about coursework, skills, and qualifications. You can stand out from others by taking one or both of the following paths:
→ Talk about unique leadership experiences and/or initiatives (startups, nonprofits, etc.) that you’ve launched. These would ideally be totally specific to you, or things that only a few others also did.
→ Discuss experiences that other people likely have (internships, research, etc.), but do so in a way that is more passionate, exciting, and convincing than everyone else.
If you did a good job (and the companies you met with are pulling students for interviews), then chances are that you’ll be contacted after the fair to schedule one. In my situation, I was called shortly after a career fair for an on-campus interview the next morning. This helped me move quickly through the hiring process without having to apply online first. You may have the same experience, or you may be asked to provide your availability for a phone/onsite interview in the coming weeks.
Other general points:
Looking back on my first year of college, making a strong first impression in a face-to-face setting was a defining factor in attaining interviews and offers. However, these strategies could work for a student in any year of college, as making a direct connection is an effective way to stand out. Note that the steps for part-time internships at a startup could also be used to attain a summer position as well. Be clear that you’re looking to learn and would be willing to put in the time to make a valuable contribution to the company.
Hiring processes in your first year likely won’t be straightforward. However, if you’re willing to put in the time to prepare beforehand, be proactive, and form connections with people working on problems that interest you, then you are more than capable of attaining a part-time and/or summer offer. I hope that the lessons I shared from my experiences will enable you land intern roles where you can grow as a learner, a professional and, most importantly, as a human.
