by Shivy Mannengi, an Tech, Data & Engineering intern
Welcome back to the world of career prep through the eyes of a fellow student!
Summer internships are the stress on almost every WashU student’s mind. I remember when I was a freshman, I felt like I needed to hit the ground running on campus and when school wasn’t in term. So what exactly do I recommend to do to land the internship of your dreams throughout college?
I want to start by answering this question with a statement: You do NOT need a formal, fancy internship at your Google type companies every year in college. Once again, working at these large tech companies is NOT the only path in life. In fact, as an underclassman, I would encourage EVERYONE to find an individual experience that aligns with their passions to learn the skills needed for their desired field.
To land a great summer internship, I would start with this: Define what great means for you. A “great” summer experience can be working at a startup, being a camp counselor, shadowing a professional, and everything in between. It’s about ensuring you’re developing a story to tell and the skills that matter.
After that, it’s about finding those opportunities. The best way to do this is through networking. Whether it’s a cold reach out on LinkedIn to a WashU or high school alum, these connections can show up in places you didn’t expect.If you feel nervous about reaching out, remember that having a connection likely helped others get to where they are as well. In the tech space, working at a startup for your first professional experience is extremely common to get a ton of hands-on work. Most startups don’t have official recruiting cycles, so cold reach outs are the best way to get involved. These initial experiences that build up your knowledge and skills are what will show in those interviews for big tech firms like Google, Apple, Roblox, and others.
As you’re reaching out to these individuals, it’s important to be organized and do what’s needed on your end. Have a spreadsheet that keeps track of everyone you’ve reached out to, the status of the connection, and where they work. Also, having your resume and portfolio of tech projects ready to go is important. It’s not necessary to have a tailored resume for every position you’re applying to, but having a few drafts specific to a type of job or industry helps a lot. Update it as you gain more experience and add new projects. One tip that helped me, especially as an underclassman exploring different experiences, is: Set aside 30 to 45 minutes every day strictly for applying to jobs. You could be on the phone with friends or watching a show, but having that set time each day for sending applications helps a lot.
Overall, these are some lessons I’ve learned and advice I’ve gotten after going through multiple cycles of recruiting. Always remember to stay grounded in what you want to do, and the right opportunities will come your way. Best of luck!
