How Internship Programs Work for Job Seekers

Everyone has been asking me how to get offers at companies like Dell & Tesla I don't go to a top 500 school. I'm an immigrant, so I don’t have uncles at these companies. But I still landed internships at Dell and Tesla, here's how: 1. Hustle, Hustle, Hustle - When I was a freshman, I did everything on campus. Joined every organization, went to every career event, signed up for LinkedIn, Handshake, and even some random platforms my school pushed. This helped to get the attention of professors and faculty. So when a national competition came up (HBCU Battle of the Brains), they nominated me to represent the school. We ended up placing 2nd nationwide, Dell was a sponsor, and a recruiter passed my resume to a hiring manager. That’s how I got the internship. 2. Projects - Do interesting stuff. I'm CEO of Sorce, so I’ve seen thousands of resumes. Everyone has a LangChain chatbot now - that won’t make you stand out. My Tesla manager said the only reason he interviewed me was because of a side project: a tool for detecting AI-generated text right after ChatGPT launched. Do projects that you care about and is interesting. Even better, work on something that's useful and people use. 3. Conferences - Go to conferences and hustle. I got the Tesla internship by handing my resume to a Tesla recruiter at AFROTECH - simple as that. I didn’t even think I was going to be a top candidate, but I shot my shot. Attend every conference you can. Sneak in if you have to. No shame in trying. 4. Numbers - Don't forget the numbers game. Every new application you send is a new shot at goal and increases your odds of getting the internship. It's a marathon. So keep applying for roles, keep connecting with people on linkedin and keep editing your resume. This is also why we built https://lnkd.in/etr6msZG, it's basically AI to help you apply for jobs faster. If there's any other tip I might have missed, please add it in the comments! If you liked this, repost.

To all the interns out there: this one’s for you. Internships are more than a line on your résumé—they’re an early chapter in your professional story. And how you write that chapter can shape the trajectory of your career in ways you might not expect. As you begin your internship experience, please remember that the purpose of an internship is to help you get professional experience and also help shape your thoughts about your early career priorities.   Whether you walk away from your internship thinking "I love this and want more of it,” or "this field may not be for me," that’s a win. The purpose of an internship is to gain real-world experience, explore your interests, and begin shaping your early career direction. Learning what you don't want to do can be just as valuable as discovering your passion. And here’s something every intern should know: 👉 An internship is also an audition. How you show up—your attitude, your work ethic, your curiosity—can position you for your first full-time job. When you stand out as an intern, people remember. You’re not just doing tasks; you’re building trust, demonstrating potential, and creating future opportunities Here’s my best advice for making the most of your intern experience: 🔹 Be curious. Ask questions—not just about your assignments, but about how the organization works, how leaders make decisions, and how people collaborate. Curiosity shows engagement, and it helps you connect dots others might miss. 🔹 Show up like you belong. Because you do. Don’t wait for permission to contribute. Speak up in meetings, offer to help on projects, and bring your fresh perspective to the table. Confidence grows through action. 🔹 Build relationships. The people around you are part of your learning experience. Find mentors, ask for coffee chats, and get to know the team beyond their titles. Relationships often matter more than résumés in the long run. 🔹 Treat every task like it matters. Whether you’re sitting in on a brainstorm or proofing a deck, your approach to the work speaks volumes. Excellence in the little things builds trust for bigger opportunities. 🔹 Reflect and reset. Take time each week to jot down what you’ve learned and where you want to grow. Internships are about learning—knowing what’s working (and what’s not) is how you evolve. An internship is a two-way street. Yes, you’re there to learn—but you also have value to offer. Be bold, be curious, and be open. You’re building more than experience—you’re building your professional identity. You've got this. 💼✨ #InternshipAdvice #CareerGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #ReputationMatters #Mentorship 

Here's a transparent look into my recent hiring process for an industrial design intern: 📊 𝗕𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 ~75 applications received ~30 passed email screening 8 interviews 3 final candidates 📆 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 1 week application period 2 weeks of interviews 1 week negotiations/final offer ⚙️ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟭. 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 • I glanced at email applications as they came in • I skimmed but didn't really read in depth • The content didn't really matter but anything jarring could rule out a candidate • E.g. Unusually terse emails, ChatGPT nonsense (with the prompt left in!), addressed to the wrong design firm/person were immediately moved to a "No" folder 𝟮. 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 • I reviewed portfolios (website or PDF) in batches, usually 8-10 at a time • I spent about 30s on each • I didn't go past the front page of the website or the first few pages of the PDF • I looked for things to catch my eye • Any interesting ones were moved to a "Maybe" folder • All others were moved to the "No" folder and notified that they were not being moved forward 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻-𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 • I looked at the remaining portfolios in more depth • Still only 3-5m on each one • I looked for clearly demonstrated skills, a logical process, and relevance to my own work • I barely read any text, mostly looking at how the process was shown visually • I filtered down to the final set of 7-8 candidates to schedule interviews 𝟰. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 • I sent out an interview scheduling link • Faster responses and earlier timeslots did have an advantage (interview fatigue can set in after a few) • At this point I was mostly looking for a "spark" to show that they would be a smart and engaged intern • I had 3 final candidates, and made an offer to the top one • Luckily they accepted and we hashed out the details from there 👉 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 I'm only one example, but I think this process is fairly typical for smaller studios. If you're looking for an entry-level ID job or internship, here are a few ways you can stand out: 1. Make your intro email short and sweet, and don't stand out in a bad way 2. Your portfolio first read should hit hard. It's often all you get. 3. Show your process visually and don't overwhelm with too much text 4. Stay on top of interview scheduling. Respond quickly. 5. Be engaging in your interviews. Ask smart questions. Hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have questions in the comments below 👇 Does your hiring process differ? How so? - I’m Anson Cheung, an industrial designer with over a decade of experience designing technology products in Silicon Valley. Follow me for daily insights into a career in industrial design. #industrialdesign #designer

How I would go about finding a summer role as an international student First, you need to know it’s not too late to find a summer internship! I know how challenging it can be to find an internship as an international student, but with the right strategy and a proactive approach, you can still land a role. Here’s how I’d go about it: 1️⃣ 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 Not all companies can or will sponsor visas, so start by targeting those that do. Use platforms like: ⭐ MyVisaJobs.com (for sponsorship trends) - https://lnkd.in/eC7W8Bsu ⭐ H1BGrader (to check past sponsorships) - https://h1bgrader.com/ ⭐ Simplify and Handshake (filter for visa-friendly employers) - https://lnkd.in/eveZBcg2 ⭐ FrogHire.ai (helps international students find companies open to sponsorship) - https://lnkd.in/eEubGzFR 2️⃣ 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 & 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 Many roles have rolling deadlines, so apply ASAP! Don’t wait to mass apply. Apply within 7 days of the job posting going up. It’s not a hard rule, but it’s a good way to stay competitive. 3️⃣ 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 & 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 Your friend group can be a great resource for job leads and company insights. Back in college, my friends and I would recommend each other to recruiters and share our knowledge of companies that sponsored international students. If you don’t know someone at the company yet, a warm referral can really help your application stand out. 4️⃣ 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 & 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 ⭐ Engage with company recruiters on LinkedIn. ⭐ Find professionals in your field (working for the company of interest) and ask for informational interviews. ⭐ Join community centered or professional networking groups like ColorStack for additional support. 5️⃣ 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 If traditional internships are limited, consider: ⭐ Research assistant roles at your university or other universities. ⭐ Micro-internships with Parker Dewey - https://lnkd.in/ekQxh6_E. ⭐ Summer research programs. See list here: https://lnkd.in/eJWieBN9 To get you started, here are some non-FAANG companies known to hire international students:  🌸 Salesforce 🌸 Bandwidth Inc. 🌸 Eli Lilly and Company 🌸 EBSCO Information Services 🌸 Cisco 🌸 EY 🌸 Deloitte 🌸 Dell Technologies 🌸 HubSpot 🌸 Duolingo 🌸 IBM 🌸 Slack 🌸 Amgen 🌸 The Home Depot 🌸 ServiceNow 🌸 DEKA Research & Development You can also follow Put Me On to see new roles that opened recently. 💬 If you know other companies open to hiring international students, drop them in the comments. You never know who you’ll be helping. If you’re an international student still searching, don’t get discouraged! Roles keep opening daily. Stay proactive and remember, I’m rooting for you 💙 #putmeon #internationalstudent #hiring #internships #college #studentsoflinkedin #jobs

Summer 2026 internship recruiting is already moving FAST. don’t let it catch you off guard. I remember the stress of last season. so many roles, so much noise, and advice that rarely works in real life. So here are the exact strategies and tools I used to survive (and thrive) during recruiting: 1. Apply ASAP like, within HOURS of postings. I set up calendar reminders for application drops. Why? Because roles at top companies fill up fast and early birds really do get the interview. - intern-list from Jobright.ai: This is my favorite all-in-one board for finding open roles, sortable by role. intern-list.com - Internships Repo from Simplify : Updated daily by students. Refresh this religiously for the latest drops: https://lnkd.in/guntbVEt 2. Automate the busywork let tech do the heavy lifting. Simplify automatically fills out internship applications to save hours and cut down on mistakes. Seriously, I wouldn’t apply without it. simplify.jobs 3. Method to find the freshest postings. Go to LinkedIn, search for your desired role, filter by "Date Posted." Now, in the URL, change 86400 (last 24 hours) to 7200 (last 2 hours). This shows only just-posted jobs. Sounds small, but I landed interviews this way that most people missed entirely. 4. Don't ignore the behavioral Exponent & Interview Prepper Exponent: Role-specific question banks for behavioral and technical interviews, especially for PM/SWE. Insanely useful for real interview prep. https://lnkd.in/gnzGVf2V Interview Prepper: An all-in-one platform for personalized interview plans, company guides, daily prep games, and a new AI coding evaluator. I made this so people wouldn’t have to piece together 50 different resources. now everything’s in one spot. www.interviewprepper.co 5. Track everything don’t let any opportunity slip. After every application, I recorded: company, date, position, what I sent, and when to follow up. Tracking helped me follow up at the right times and see what actually worked for me. 💡REMEMBER: Recruiting is tough and rejection is normal, but you only need one yes. If you have questions or need help starting out, drop a comment or DM me. I’ll respond to every single one. You’ve got this. Don’t let the early crowd run laps around you. lock in, prep smart, and shoot your shot.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a handful of coffee chats—some with professionals, others with interns and students currently navigating their internships. One question kept coming up: What can I do to secure a return offer? I’ve been there, and I know how much that question weighs on your mind, especially as you hit the midpoint or start thinking about how to wrap up strong. When I interned at AWS, a few intentional moves helped me turn that experience into a return offer. 1. Get clear on expectations Have a direct conversation with your manager about what success looks like. Set goals, schedule midpoint check-ins with mentor, manager and work backwards from a clear plan. 2. Track your progress Keep a running doc of what you’re working on, who you meet, feedback you receive, and lessons learned. This helps with final presentations, and reflection. 3. Ask for feedback early and often Don’t wait for your exit review. Ask what’s going well and what to improve while you still have time to act on it. It shows committed to growing and gives you time to make real adjustments. 4. Stay organized and manage your time It’s easy to get disorganized towards the end of your internship and you start to lose track. Use a system that works for you—calendar, task list, Notion, etc. Stay on top of your work so nothing slips through the cracks. 5. Be proactive and add value Say yes to new opportunities and look for ways to contribute beyond your project. Leading a task, supporting a teammate, organizing a team building activity. Just be intentional—impact > quantity. 6. Build meaningful connections Network with people outside your team. Schedule coffee chats, quick intros, staying after meetings to ask questions. This all counts, follow up, and stay curious. These relationships often outlast the internship itself, they can become mentors, advocates or even friends. 7. Show your growth, not just results Speak up in meetings, and reflect on how you’ve grow not just what you’ve done. Let your team see your progress in real time. How have you adapted what you’ve learned? Growth over time is just as valuable as the final results. 8. Work on both technical and soft skills Yes - master the tools, write clean code, build the dashboard. But, also practice communication, time management, collaboration, and self-awareness. These skills will set you apart. 9. Build your personal brand on LinkedIn Connect with the people you meet. Share what you’re learning, showcase your journey. A thoughtful presence can leave a lasting impression and open doors. 10. Keep your resume updated Make weekly updates to your resume, write down your wins and impact while it’s happening. This saves time later and keeps your achievements accurate. Finishing strong isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It means being thoughtful, consistent, and intentional with how you show up. Let me know which of these help and share your own tip.

So you've been working at your internship and converting to a full-time offer is top of mind for you. After working in big corporate and startups, these are the steps I would take if I was an intern: ⭐ Be explicit with your goals and intentions Have this conversation in week 2-3. It doesn't have to be long-term at this company, teams are rarely expecting this. In fact, people are more likely to support you when you explicitly state how you want to learn in this current team and how it fits into your bigger vision. Example: "I eventually want to launch my own marketing agency. That's why I'm so excited to be here. I want to understand the structures and processes that make an agency successful. Specifically, I'm hoping to learn how you manage client relationships, structure campaigns, and track ROI at scale." When you're transparent about your goals, managers often go out of their way to give you relevant experiences. ⭐ Set up a halfway check-in with your manager Come prepared with specific questions: 💙 "Based on what you've seen so far, do you have any reservations about converting me to full-time?" If a company can't convert you, it's usually budgetary, not personal (unless you are responsible for a dead body). 💙 "Are there any growth opportunities or side projects I could support for the rest of my internship?" 💡Tip: before this meeting, journal about what skills you want to learn. List 1-3 specific skills and why they matter for your career. This helps you ask for relevant projects, not just busy work. ⭐ Set up a halfway check-in with your manager's manager Schedule it about a week after your manager check-in. Questions to ask: 💙 "Where do you see the team growing in the next year?" 💙 "What skills are you looking for in your entry-level hires?" 💙 "I'm really motivated to convert to full-time. What recommendation do you have for me?" 💡Tip: Their answers often reveal upcoming projects or team changes that create new opportunities. I've seen interns get offers because they learned about a new team forming and positioned themselves perfectly. ⭐ Make an action plan and share it After your check-ins, synthesize what you heard into a simple plan: "Hi [Manager], based on our conversations, here's my focus for the remaining 5 weeks: X, Y, Z" Then actually follow up every other week with a brief update: "Quick update: Completed 3 client call shadows and documented key learnings. On track with the competitor analysis" ⚡Takeaway: Converting to full-time is a team sport. You need advocates within the company, so having frequent conversations with your manager, team, and leadership are crucial to knowing where you stand. 💬 Anything that I missed that helped you convert to a full-time offer? Drop in the comments 💾 Save this for future reference 💛 Follow Sondra Y. for more Gen Z job search advice, tips, and stories #earlycareer #intern #recentgrad #forward #careerresources #genz #careeradvice