An internship is the cheapest way to test a career before committing to it, and often the shortest route to a first job. Many employers hire primarily from their own intern pools, because they have already seen the person work.
Here is how to find one and get the most out of it.
Where internships actually come from
- Your school’s career center, which has employer relationships you cannot see from outside.
- Professors and instructors, who are asked for recommendations more often than students realize.
- Company career pages, especially for structured summer programs that open months ahead.
- Family, friends and former managers. Not glamorous, but it is how a large share of placements happen.
- Local small businesses and nonprofits, which rarely advertise and often say yes to a good direct approach.
- Government and public sector programs, which have fixed application windows.
For the direct approach, keep the message short: who you are, what you can do, how many hours a week, and for how long. Our guide on networking when you hate networking has templates you can adapt.
Timing matters more than people expect
Structured summer internships at larger employers often recruit six to nine months ahead. Smaller organizations hire much closer to the date. Apply early to the big programs, then keep working the local and direct routes right up to the start.
Applying without much experience
You have more material than you think: coursework projects, part-time jobs, volunteering, clubs, sports, caring responsibilities. All of them show reliability, teamwork and organization.
- Lead your resume with projects and skills rather than job history, following our ATS-friendly resume guide.
- Write a short, specific cover letter, as in our guide to writing one that gets read.
- Prepare for the interview with our step-by-step checklist; the questions are the same, but expectations are lower and attitude counts more.
Questions to ask before accepting
- What will I actually work on, and who will I report to?
- Is it paid? What are the hours?
- Will I get feedback, and how often?
- Have interns been offered permanent roles before?
- Is there a project I can own and point to afterwards?
Unpaid internships are legal only under specific conditions in the United States, and they exclude people who cannot afford to work for nothing. Where you have the choice, paid roles, apprenticeships or part-time work usually build the same experience without the strain.
Making the internship count
- Ask what success looks like in week one, then confirm it in writing.
- Deliver one finished thing you can describe later with a result attached.
- Keep a weekly record of what you did, learned and improved. It becomes your resume material.
- Meet people outside your team, and ask them how they got started.
- Ask for feedback mid-way, not at the end when it is too late to act on.
- Find a mentor, as described in our guide to finding a career mentor.
- Use approved AI tools properly: check the rules, verify output, and say when you used them. Our guide to AI skills employers want explains what employers look for.
Before you leave
Ask your manager directly whether a role may open up, request a LinkedIn recommendation while your work is fresh, collect contact details, and send thank-you notes. Then keep the relationship warm with an occasional update; many first jobs come from an internship a year later.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do an internship after graduating?
Yes. Some programs are open to recent graduates, and many smaller employers do not mind at all. Contract and temporary roles serve a similar purpose. Our guide for new graduates covers the wider picture.
How many internships should I do?
One good one beats three where you fetched coffee. Depth and a finished project matter more than the count.
What if the work turns out to be dull?
Finish it well, and use the time to learn how the organization works and to meet people. Then choose differently next time; knowing what you dislike is genuinely useful, as our guide on choosing a career path explains.
