How to get an internship: timelines, applications and interviews

How do you get an internship?

Learning how to get an internship is mostly about timing and evidence. Timing, because employers in different fields recruit on very different calendars. Evidence, because an internship is usually a first professional role, so employers look for signs of interest and related skills rather than long work histories.

Before searching, decide what kind of experience you want. Internships can be summer or semester-long, full-time or part-time, paid or for academic credit, in person or remote. The University of Michigan’s career center also suggests defining the experience broadly, since job shadowing, research, volunteering and informational interviews can build the same foundation.

Then work through the steps in this guide: plan around your field’s timeline, search several channels at once, build student-friendly application materials, prepare for interviews, and evaluate any unpaid offer carefully.

When should you apply for internships?

The honest answer is that it depends on your field. Princeton University’s career center publishes recruiting timelines showing, for example, that large consulting and finance firms may recruit more than a year ahead for junior-summer internships, many tech internships are posted from June through November, and nonprofit, education and public service roles often open later, in spring. Individual employers vary, so check the specific organizations you want.

Two habits help in every field. First, apply soon after a posting opens; Princeton recommends applying within about the first two weeks rather than waiting for the deadline. Second, start preparing materials and networking a term before your target field’s busy season.

Where can you find internships?

Use several channels at once. Posted listings are only part of the picture; faculty, alumni and local employers often know about roles that never reach a big job board. Track every application and contact in one place so deadlines do not slip, as covered in our job search plan guide.

• Your school’s career center: advisers, resume reviews, mock interviews and employer contacts.
• Your school’s job and internship platform: many colleges use a student recruiting platform where employers post roles for that campus.
• Company careers pages: look for sections labeled students, early careers, university programs or internships.
• Career fairs and employer information sessions, including virtual ones.
• Professors, lab directors and department advisers, especially for research and field-specific roles.
• Alumni networks and informational interviews with people in roles you want.
• Local employers, hospitals, school districts, nonprofits and small businesses, which may not advertise widely.
• Government programs: federal internships on USAJOBS, plus state, county and city internship portals.

How do federal internships and the Pathways Program work?

Federal student opportunities are listed on USAJOBS, the federal government’s official jobs site. Its Students hiring path page describes the Pathways Internship Program: internships can be part-time or full-time, the agency signs an agreement with you outlining expectations, and the work can relate to your field of study. Eligibility requires being enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, in school or a qualifying career or technical education program.

The Office of Personnel Management explains that interns who complete the program requirements, including a minimum number of work hours and their degree or certificate, may be eligible for noncompetitive conversion to a permanent federal job. USAJOBS also lists unpaid options such as the Semester of Service student volunteer program, and links to agency programs at NASA, the State Department and others.

Federal applications work differently from private ones: read the entire announcement, confirm you meet the listed eligibility and qualifications, and upload every required document, such as a transcript or proof of enrollment. Federal resumes are typically more detailed than private-sector ones; our guide to resume length covers the difference.

How do you write an internship resume and cover letter?

Put education near the top, with your expected graduation date, relevant coursework and GPA if it helps you. Then add a section for projects, labs, campus jobs, leadership and volunteering. Employers do not expect extensive experience from interns, but they do want evidence that you have used related skills. Our guide to a resume with no experience shows how to turn class and campus work into strong bullets.

Keep the cover letter short: why this organization, which two or three requirements you can meet, and the evidence for each. Use the posting’s own language where it honestly fits your experience, and mention any conversation you had with someone at the organization.

How do you prepare for an internship interview?

Internship interviews usually focus on motivation, learning ability and teamwork rather than deep job experience. Expect questions such as why this organization, tell me about a project you are proud of, describe a time you worked through a disagreement in a group, and how you manage deadlines.

Prepare four or five short stories from classes, jobs, clubs or volunteering and practice telling them with the STAR method: situation, task, action, result. Research the organization, prepare two or three thoughtful questions, and send a brief thank-you note within a day. Many career centers offer mock interviews; use one before your first real interview.

Are unpaid internships legal?

It depends on the employer and the arrangement. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Fact Sheet #71 explains that for-profit employers must pay employees, but interns may not count as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act if they are the primary beneficiary of the relationship. Courts weigh seven factors, and no single one decides the outcome.

The same fact sheet notes that unpaid internships in the public sector and at nonprofit charitable organizations, where the intern volunteers without expecting pay, are generally permissible. State laws can add requirements, so if an unpaid offer from a for-profit company looks like ordinary work, ask questions, talk to your career center, or check with your state labor office.

• Is it clear to both sides that there is no expectation of pay?
• Does the internship provide training similar to what a school would provide?
• Is it tied to your education through coursework or academic credit?
• Does it fit around your academic calendar and commitments?
• Does it last only as long as it is genuinely educational?
• Does your work complement, rather than replace, the work of paid employees?
• Is it understood that the internship does not guarantee a paid job at the end?

What if you cannot land an internship this year?

Missing out on an internship in one cycle is common and recoverable. Employers value evidence of skills, and there are other ways to build it: a research assistant role, a relevant part-time job, a volunteer project with measurable results, a class project done for a real client, or a personal project you can show.

Keep your applications and contacts organized, ask employers who declined you whether they have later cycles, and start earlier next year using what you learned about your field’s timeline.