Securing a summer internship at a startup is an exciting opportunity to immerse yourself in a fast-paced, innovative environment. Startups are known for their dynamic culture, allowing interns to gain hands-on experience, contribute to projects significantly, and learn from entrepreneurs and industry disruptors.
As Marc Andreessen says, “in a startup, absolutely nothing happens unless you make it happen.” Interestingly enough, the title of that piece is Why not to do a startup.
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you land that coveted startup internship.
Understand the Startup Ecosystem
Start by familiarizing yourself with the startup world. Startups differ from established companies in their pace, culture, and often in their expectations from their team members. They value creativity, adaptability, and the willingness to wear multiple hats. Use platforms like TechCrunch, HackerNews and TheVerge to learn about startups in your area of interest, their funding stages, and industry trends.
Identify Your Interests and Skills
Reflect on what you're passionate about and the skills you want to develop. Startups look for individuals with a can-do attitude and a knack for problem-solving. Whether it's marketing, coding, design, or sales, knowing your strengths and interests will help you target your applications more effectively.
While skill development is an essential component of internships, in actuality, honing your skills in one particular area shouldn’t be the main reason you get an internship at a startup. You should work at a startup because you’ll likely learn about every single part of the company that you work for. Use this time to understand who handles what within the company, so that you have an idea of what you’d be getting yourself into when you launch your career post-graduation.
I worked at an ecommerce company for my final summer internship, and I had the privilege of bouncing around a few different departments and reporting to a few different managers. How did I do this? By doing good work quickly. They gave me a data processing task that they expected to take two to three weeks. I completed it in one. As a result, my manager allowed me to work with the business development team, who was trying to source products from overseas and create new brands in lucrative categories on Amazon. After a month with that team, they found out I was decent with Excel Macros. The Marketplace Expansion team needed help with uploading their entire product catalog onto the new Jet.com (this was back in 2015). The entire catalog was stored across a dozen or so Excel files and they had to be consolidated. Because the sheets were updated regularly, they needed a Macro to run it on autopilot. So I built it.
I did a bunch of different stuff and was able to flex a pretty broad array of skills. It ultimately led to a job offer, but what was most important was gaining an understanding of how each department interacted with each other. Big companies likely won’t afford you the ability to understand how all parts of the organization work (unless it’s a rotational program).
Build Your Online Presence
Startups are usually pretty progressive in their interview tactics; they will likely Google you, look you up on social media and see if you’ve created any blogs or side projects. Ensure your online presence showcases your skills and passion, not just the party from Friday night. Update your LinkedIn profile, create a professional X.com (formerly Twitter) account, or start a blog related to your field of interest, or startups in general. If applicable, a portfolio on platforms like GitHub or Dribbble can also be incredibly persuasive.
The one thing that will put you above other candidates is taking real-world action when it’s not required or asked of you. Startups value the ability to learn quickly and hire people who lean into their curiosities and try to build things from the ground up.
When I was in college, my housemates and I owned a dog. There were six of us in the house, and we were constantly texting each other ensuring that someone had fed and taken the dog out during the day. Each of us had classes at all times during the day, so it was critical that we stayed on top of this and did our fair share.
I thought it would be fun to build an app to help us all keep track! It was called iFedIndi, and it was pretty useful. Less texts, more peace of mind knowing exactly when Indi had been fed and taken outside.
I built two or three different iterations of this app with different javascript frameworks and programming languages. Turns out, someone released the same app publicly about a year after I started building.
If I could do it over again I would have built the app in public, and shown my work online. It was pretty powerful! So my recommendation is when you do anything interesting, make sure you do it publicly, so you either get noticed, or have proof that you’ve got the skills you say you do.
Network
Networking is key in the startup world. Attend startup events, hackathons, and industry meetups in your area to meet entrepreneurs and startup employees. Follow up with connections you make, expressing your interest in learning about their work and the startup ecosystem.
I would highly recommend going to Startup Weekend events, or attending startup pitch competitions. These competitions are usually chock full of startup employees who just love tech. Worst case scenario, you meet a bunch of nerds and hear how poorly most people do at articulating their ideas to the world. It’s a great time.
Tailor Your Applications
When you find startups you're interested in, tailor your application to each. Highlight projects or experiences that showcase your skills and adaptability. Startups look for candidates who can jump into projects and contribute from day one, so show them you're that person.
When I was applying for internships at Google I went a bit overboard:
While I did get an interview, I did not get the job. Not sure if my resume format helped, but every little touch of customization could get you noticed enough to allow you a foot in the door.
Even something as simple as an objective statement can let the hiring manager know that you care.
Leverage Your University's Resources
Many startups connect with potential interns through university career centers or alumni networks. Make sure to check your university's job board, attend career fairs, and reach out to alumni working in startups. Some universities also offer startup incubators or entrepreneurship programs—participate in them if you can.
Most universities have alumni mentorship programs, and these can be outstanding resources for students hoping to gain entry into a particular field. Alumni departments typically have a strong sense of who to reach out to in order to help students get a job in the field that they want.
Don’t skip networking events. Period. Half of success is just showing up. That’s more true in networking when you’re trying to get a job than in most areas of life.
Show Initiative
Startups love self-starters. Don’t hesitate to reach out directly to startups you admire, even if they haven’t advertised an internship position. Write up an email explaining who you are, why you’re interested in them, and how you can contribute.
I’d recommend checking out ShowHN on HackerNews or ProductHunt and reaching out to creators and founders of interesting companies that show up on those boards. You’d be surprised how often a founder will respond to a simple “Hey, cool product” email. It’s just another way to help you get your foot in the door.
Prepare for the Interview
Interviews at startups can be quite different from those at large corporations. Often it’ll be a little bit less formal, but the bar for hiring will be as high, if not higher, than the average large company. The earlier the company is in its lifecycle, the higher the bar they will likely have, if they’re a solid company. At the same time, there’s a little bit less pressure with internships, since they’re only temporary roles.
Be prepared to talk about your past projects and how you overcame challenges. Demonstrating your problem-solving skills and ability to work in fast-paced environments is crucial. Also, be ready to discuss how you align with the startup's mission and values.
Ask Questions
Show your interest and enthusiasm by asking insightful questions during your interview. Ask about the projects you'll be working on, the team you'll be joining, and the startup's future plans. Asking questions not only shows your engagement but also helps you assess if the startup is the right fit for you. Conversely, the opposite is true: not asking questions tells the interviewer that you are not engaged.
As someone who has been on the other side of the interview table, it’s a major red flag when a candidate doesn’t ask a single question during the interview. There are a plethora of questions to be asked, and most of them are super simple. “How do you like working here?” is a great start. Asking zero questions is totally unacceptable.
Additionally, one question every candidate should ask is: “What concerns do you have about bringing me on board?” It’s a hard question to ask, but when you don’t ask this question, you walk away not truly knowing where you stand, or giving a rebuttal to any lingering concerns. Get comfortable asking this hard question, and you’ll be able to get any job that you want.
Follow Up
After your interview, send a thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity and reiterate your interest. Send this note on the very same day. A thoughtful follow-up can leave a lasting impression and show your professionalism.
If you want to make an outstanding impression, I’d recommend using a service like PaperlessPost to make your thank you note extra special.
Here’s what that looks like:
Stay Persistent
The startup world is competitive, and you might not get the first internship you apply for. Stay persistent, continue networking, and keep improving your skills.
When I was applying for my first full-time jobs I spent over a year applying and interviewing. What ultimately helped me land my first job was letting everyone I know that I wanted to work at a Silicon Valley startup.
I told my guitar teacher. He knew an executive at a startup in Palo Alto. I applied for a job I felt was a good fit, and while I didn’t get the role the hiring manager introduced me to a recruiting firm called Bett’s Recruiting. Within two weeks I had about eight phone screens, three onsite interviews, and two offers in-hand. It was incredible.
So again, stay persistent. You never know which connection will be the right connection. Leave no stone unturned.
Final Thoughts
Securing a summer internship at a startup can be a great alternative to your average summer job, or your Big Tech internship. Startups offer a unique opportunity to grow professionally and personally and provide a glimpse into the future. With the right approach you’ll have multiple internship offers in-hand, and hopefully the start of a full-time role after graduation.
Embrace the journey, broaden your field of view and trust the process.
Ready to find the internship of your dreams? TalentRamp is the largest online database of venture-backed startup internships. Click here to get notified the moment new internships are posted.
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