for those seeking software engineering internships
Here are some of my favorite resources for finding companies to work for.
Short answer: YES. Long answer: YYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS.
Your options are definitely more limited after only your first year in college, but you shouldn’t let that hold you back from applying at all! There are a solid number of companies that have internship programs targeted to freshman. Some of these are:
These are absolutely worth applying to, but don’t rely on getting them or sometimes even hearing back. They’re highly competitive and you should keep looking after applying. It’s also a great idea to to try local companies in your area. Even if they don’t list an internship application, sending an email can’t hurt. This was actually how I got my first software engineering
internship!
Once you’ve taken or are taking Data Structures and Algorithms, you have all the knowledge you need to start. At this point, if you’re looking for your first internship, you should work towards creating a side project or two. Having side projects are key to answering behavioral questions in an interview and attracting attention to your resume. The next step is to start preparing for interviews. This includes both behavioral and technical. Your Data Structures and Algorithms class is a good start to preparing for technical questions. See Technical Interviews for more!
As a junior, companies are going to expect you to know your Data Structures and Algorithms inside and out. Practice technical questions, both on an online resource and a whiteboard. With that said, even if you don’t have the technical questions down it’s still smart to apply as applications open. It’s definitely better to be early and fail a few interviews than to wait until the last minute and have all the spots be full. Chances are you won’t get an offer at the first company you interview with, but that’s ok! Every interview can be taken as a learning experience towards your next one. Most big companies interview in a language-agnostic manner, but some smaller ones ask you to interview in a language they themselves use so be sure you’re prepared for both options.
You should have a fairly robust understanding of data structure & algorithms,
as well as how to use them appropriately.
See this great repo for a thorough overview of what you should know.
Focus on accomplishments
Quantify results
Target your resume to your career
Don’t get too technical
Be concise
Be clear, and structure your resume well
Ditch the “objective.”
Don’t be vague in your “summary.”
Include skills.
Use keywords
There are countless options for designing a resume. Some of my personal favorites include:
You can also design your own instead of using a service, if you’d prefer. When I updated
mine for summer 2017, I ended up redesigning it in Sketch.
Unless a cover letter is required, there is no need to write one. It won’t ever
hurt you to write it, but recruiters generally don’t read them or care if you do.
If you do feel a need to write one, be sure to cover the following:
Referrals are major 
if you can get them. They push you towards the top of
the mountain of resumes that companies get every single day, and so they’re more
valuable then they first appear. Looking for relations you’ve built through
school/classes, from past internships, or clubs is a great starting place. All
it takes is a simple ask! You can most often get a referral from current
employees, former ones, interns, or former interns.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind before you ask for a referral.
You primarily want to keep your referral requests to people you know more than in
passing. If they can vouch for you as a person as well as an engineer, they’re
far more likely to refer you than if they don’t know you well enough to speak
to either.
The 8VC Fellowship is an enriched summer internship program designed to foster
the technology leaders of tomorrow. Fellows will complete a software engineering
internship at an 8VC portfolio company while attending weekly Fellowship events
to meet and learn from notable entrepreneurs, executives, and investors in our
network from Silicon Valley and beyond.
As a Code2040 Fellow, you’ll spend an intensive summer career accelerator
between June and August. You’ll intern at a top-tech company and participate
in a series of evening and weekend workshops designed to equip you with the
tools and resources you need to navigate the tech industry and build an exciting
career.
And you won’t do this alone: Being a Fellow means building community with other
Black and/or Latinx technologists, receiving support from mentors and managers,
redefining the future and face of tech, and ensuring other technologists from
their community have the opportunity to succeed in the innovation economy.
Over the course of a summer, KPCB Design and Engineering Fellows join our
portfolio companies, where they develop their technical or design skills and
are mentored by an executive within the company. Participants in our new
Product Fellows program will get the chance to spend a full year working at a
Silicon Valley startup.
Fellows will also be invited to attend both private events held by Kleiner Perkins as well as by our portfolio companies, where they can meet other talented engineering and design students, network with luminaries in their respective fields, and explore the San Francisco Bay Area.
hackNY Fellows Program - Application
The hackNY Fellows Program is an intensive program designed to introduce students
to NYC’s startup ecosystem by pairing the best technical minds with great New York
startups. You’ll live in the heart of NYC with a cohort of some of the most talented
and creative student technologists from all over the world. Local startups are
carefully selected for the program and demonstrate both innovative tech and a strong
mentoring environment. You will contribute meaningfully at your paid internship and
learn from your work, our curated Speaker Series, and your fellow hackers. In an
initiative led by our AlumNY and reflecting their community values, you will volunteer
in programs for positive social impact in NYC. With a focus on increasing diversity
and inclusivity in tech, you’ll work within underserved communities by teaching,
mentoring or using your technical skills for social good.
Venture For America - Application
VFA is a two-year fellowship program for recent grads who want to work at a
startup and create jobs in American cities. Fellows learn important startup
skills at our five-week Training Camp, apply for jobs within our vetted company
network, and work for two years as full-time, salaried employees in one of 18
cities. When Fellows are ready to start a company — be it two years after college
or ten — VFA has the resources (like a crowdfunding competition, accelerator,
and seed fund) to help make that dream a reality.
