Internship into interviews
July 1, 2018 12:15 PM Subscribe
Just recent finished an Internship with a large tech company, with no real position available in the area I was working. Any advises on how to get interview elsewhere in the company? Or other companys?
Just finished up my second Intership with a large tech company. They do this mostly 2 times a year with around ~200 candidates each time. Each time there is no explicit language or talk of job during or afterwords, the only talk is to gain knowledge and to help with work.
They do however constantly have jobs in the related fields for the internships, but has most of the time you are little under qualified so it’s harder to get in the door (interview).
While I was out there I did all of the things you were suppose to during internships, i.e. make connections, help coworkers, be present in the moments, take on projects, update resumes, go out on activities with hosts, you know all the stuff to gain a leg up on fellow coworkers on internships.
On resume front I have had multiple coworkers and relatives take a look at it, all say it looks good. I’m afraid while what’s there is good, that I’m not including things that may make it pop more.
Next step for me would be a resume builder but, in person interviews are a bit expenses and I just don’t know how much help it would be.
I’m in the US and the jobs I’ve been applying for are in San Francisco Bay Area (mostly lower bay think Santa Clara/San Jose but I’ll take whatever) or Seattle area. In the fields of hardware and software analysis or general QA posistions.
Thanks for reading and any advise.
Just finished up my second Intership with a large tech company. They do this mostly 2 times a year with around ~200 candidates each time. Each time there is no explicit language or talk of job during or afterwords, the only talk is to gain knowledge and to help with work.
They do however constantly have jobs in the related fields for the internships, but has most of the time you are little under qualified so it’s harder to get in the door (interview).
While I was out there I did all of the things you were suppose to during internships, i.e. make connections, help coworkers, be present in the moments, take on projects, update resumes, go out on activities with hosts, you know all the stuff to gain a leg up on fellow coworkers on internships.
On resume front I have had multiple coworkers and relatives take a look at it, all say it looks good. I’m afraid while what’s there is good, that I’m not including things that may make it pop more.
Next step for me would be a resume builder but, in person interviews are a bit expenses and I just don’t know how much help it would be.
I’m in the US and the jobs I’ve been applying for are in San Francisco Bay Area (mostly lower bay think Santa Clara/San Jose but I’ll take whatever) or Seattle area. In the fields of hardware and software analysis or general QA posistions.
Thanks for reading and any advise.
Response by poster: The company is primarily in the Bay Area, but all positions (in Seattle and Bay Area) I’ve applied for have been through internal means. By that I mean internal website followed up with an email to internal recruiter or hiring manager if I have a connection through them after a couple of days.
So far that has gotten me a couple of replies but no interviews.
posted by bigbadbehr at 1:36 PM on July 1, 2018
So far that has gotten me a couple of replies but no interviews.
posted by bigbadbehr at 1:36 PM on July 1, 2018
Best answer: If you've interned twice for the same company and aren't getting any traction on job interviews, I'd ask your manager (or a mentor figure on your team, someone who's familiar with your work) what you should improve on, at work, in order to get that. Frame it as an informational interview to help you build your career in general, not just your resume... and then take that advice and really work on it. It'll suck, probably, and you might hear something you don't want to hear, but it will absolutely help you in the long term.
I've worked with a lot of young interns in tech and often times the problem is they are unaware of and/or unwilling to work on gaps in their skills or knowledge or ability. It's entirely reasonable to have these gaps (even really glaring ones!) because you're just at the start of your career, but you must show that you are aware of and are working on them.
posted by Xany at 5:07 PM on July 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
I've worked with a lot of young interns in tech and often times the problem is they are unaware of and/or unwilling to work on gaps in their skills or knowledge or ability. It's entirely reasonable to have these gaps (even really glaring ones!) because you're just at the start of your career, but you must show that you are aware of and are working on them.
posted by Xany at 5:07 PM on July 1, 2018 [6 favorites]
I don't quite understand how a tech company would have interns without trying to convert them into full-timers. Interns are, shall we say, an investment in the future. Have you asked recruiting about how conversion works?
Also, most companies will pay for your flight and reimburse you some amount per day for food so that in person interviews do not become a financial hardship. (And if waiting for reimbursement for flights / meals is a problem, by all means, tell the recruiter.)
posted by batter_my_heart at 5:12 PM on July 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
Also, most companies will pay for your flight and reimburse you some amount per day for food so that in person interviews do not become a financial hardship. (And if waiting for reimbursement for flights / meals is a problem, by all means, tell the recruiter.)
posted by batter_my_heart at 5:12 PM on July 1, 2018 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
In general, especially for junior positions, I will happily take a slightly under-qualified candidate that has first-hand knowledge of my company's product(s) and corporate culture and has a reference or two from inside the company as being a hard worker over a better qualified stranger that will have a longer ramp-up time and might or might not have work-ethic.
Work those internal connections, find out who the hiring manager is, and approach them directly about whether they'd like you to apply for the job. They can help you get through HR screens if they're interested in you. That's part of what many companies hope to get out of internships, even if they can't place the person directly in the group they interned in.
To clarify, does your internship have you already in the Bay area or is that where you'd like to relocate to, assuming the current company can't place you?
posted by Candleman at 1:12 PM on July 1, 2018 [1 favorite]