1. Choose your path
A lot of students think of internship as just finding an internship or being a software intern. That is because when you’re in school that’s the generic umbrellas term for the internship. When my friends were getting selected for internship, they always said they got an internship offer but not what role.
So, the first thing you should focus on is which field do you want an internship it?
It can be any of the following:
- Data Engineering/ Data Science
- Database
- Networking
- Software
- UI/UX
- Frontend / Backend Engineering
- Operations
- Linux SysAdmin
- HelpDesk
- Cloud Technologies
Pick 2-3 fields that interest you. If you don’t have a goal, you won’t know where to go and this is one of the main reasons students do not get internship. If you shoot blindly, you will never hit the target.
Pick the target – Pick a field.
2. Resume – Short and Concise
The only thing that will make or break your future. When you apply for a job, the recruiters are not going to check you out or your social media or your linkedin. They will look at the single piece of paper that you give them. So that is the only way you can get their attention and get the internship.
Resume should be very short and concise. It should have all the information at one glace. Recruiters spend less than 30 seconds at a resume. Some even less than 10. One of them told me she can have a glance and tell if the candidate will get selected or not.
Remember this is their job. They do this everyday for 4-5 hours a day or more out of the 8 hour shift. They know if writing BS or if you’re writing the truth. Do not give them a movie script, do not tell them your hobbies. You’re there to get an internship via your skills, so make sure your resume reflects that too.
Keep it short and simple. A single page that has all the relevant info and also has hooks and baits that gets their attention (we will discuss this in a later blog post).
Your future is in your RESUME. If you want your future to be good, make sure your resume is good.
3. Github
You can’t expect to get an internship in tech and not have a github account. If you don’t know what github is, you really need to pull your socks up and take your career seriously.
But Vishu, I am a database engineer, what will I put in github? Put your SQL queries, put the commands you run. Put those sexy joins in there. If you are a network engineer, put the running config of the interfaces your connected via ospf/RIP/BGP.
Doesn’t matter what field you chose in Step #1. You can always put stuff in GitHub.
So build your github and start creating repos with your projects.
4. Projects
I still don’t get how students apply for internships without making any projects and then expect to land an internship. I don’t care if this hurts your feelings but you need to hear this.
You’re a normal student with no formal experience. You are one of the hundreds of thousands that are applying for the same company for the same position.
- What is different about you than others?
- Why should the company consider YOU when there are thousands of others just like you?
- What have you done to prove you know the stuff except writing it down.
Projects are such a big hack to get an internship. It’s truly unbelievable how easy it becomes to get an internship when you have build a few projects.
You’re not entitled to an internship because you went to school and took some courses.
Take an hour out everyday, build some projects and see the recruiter calls come in.
5. Referrals and Networking
Referrals are by far the most guaranteed way to get an internship BUT also the most tough of all the above steps.
If you have a referral, it basically means someone credible with the skill and knowledge that takes to be in that company, is backing you and that just adds to your advantage and puts you in a positive frame in the recruiters mind. Its guaranteed to get you a step in the door and that is why this is also the most difficult step. No one is going to refer a random John Doe because the person is also putting his credibility on the line.
So if you want to get someone to refer to you, provide value to them. Like, share and comment on their linkedin posts. Constantly put stuff on your linkedin feed about what you’re learning and what you are building. In that way when the time comes and you ask them politely, they will check your github and your profile and they will be willing to back you up infront of the recruiters.
Follow people who work in companies you want to work, it can also be people from your college. Linkedin shows you if someone from your college is currently working in the company you’re looking at. Connect with them, ask what the work culture is like, ask them for career advice, be nice and polite.
Engage with strangers and express your opinions. If you disagree, be nice and put your point forward graciously.
Refrain from talking about Politics and Social Events. You’re barely an adult, you have not seen the real world, you do not know the company’s view points on it. Share and express positive things and provide as much value as you can.
So these are the recommended #Savage steps I would give to anyone who wants to avoid rejection from recruiters and get THEM calling YOU and not the other way around. If you agree/disagree, please let me know in the comments section.
I hope you learned something and this was of some value.
#Kaizen