Landing Top Internship Opportunities

Now is when undergraduates are highly focused on securing and finalizing their summer internship plans. Firms (including KKR) get inundated with emails and LinkedIn messages to network on investment banking, private equity, infrastructure, credit, and consulting. Here are the 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 things that I have found 𝑴𝑶𝑺𝑻 effective that undergrads can do to successfully network: 1. 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊: It sounds obvious, but I find so few undergrads actually do homework before reaching out. Research the firm, the role, and the person. Most successful candidates not only did the pre-work, but referenced their prep work which made it more likely to get a response and help build a rapport.  2. 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 (“Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon?”): You would be surprised that with a just little effort, you can find a warm introduction to a key decision-maker. You are 100x more likely to get a response when you find and leverage a connection. How to do this? Use LinkedIn, ask a professor, talk to a recent alumni graduate who can introduce you to his/her boss, etc. Take the extra step. It makes a difference. 3. 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖-𝐔𝐏: If you are able to make a connection, follow up on it! I am always surprised when I take time to speak with an undergrad and they don’t follow up. And if your email or call goes unanswered, don’t give up. Think about another angle and try again. You would be surprised at how a little persistence gets attention. Good luck in the recruiting process! Stay energized and optimistic! #Networking #Recruiting #Internships #PrivateEquity #CareerGrowth

The most successful candidate I've seen this year never actually applied through our careers page. Instead, they: 1. Found 3 team members on LinkedIn 2. Contributed to their GitHub discussions 3. Shared thoughtful insights on their posts Result? THREE senior managers emailed me about them ON THE SAME DAY Now they're a summer intern. The conventional approach: → Apply online → Message recruiter → Wait and hope The winning approach: → Build genuine connections → Add real value → Let others vouch for you Think about it: • I get thousands of applications • Team members get few meaningful connections Where would you rather compete? Remember: Your next role isn't just about what you know. It's about who knows what you know.

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

If I did not have an internship, here's what I would do to increase my chances for next time. Multiple students have asked me in mentorship calls, "What to do if they don't have an internship?" Sharing a few options: (I followed #4 and #2) 𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀: - Pick one technology (e.g., React, Python, AWS) and build a comprehensive project around it. - Example: If you're interested in AI, build a sentiment analyzer and deploy it on Hugging Face or Streamlit. 𝟮. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 (focus on AI usage in every domain): - Clearly document your projects on GitHub using professional READMEs. - Add detailed explanations, architecture diagrams, and deployment links. 𝟯. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: - Even small contributions count. Use sites like goodfirstissue.dev or explore GitHub repositories in your domain. - Document your contributions clearly on LinkedIn or your resume. 𝟰. 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀: - Engage in academic research projects or summer schools offered by universities or organizations. - This provides experience, mentorship, and networking opportunities. - Explore options like Stanford University Summer Session, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Summer Research Program, or the Amgen Scholars Program. Many universities globally offer virtual or on-campus summer research and learning programs -> check their official sites for deadlines and details. Ex: https://oge.mit.edu/msrp/ | https://lnkd.in/gPXEqgxn - 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦? In my freshman year, I joined the Stanford Summer School and Research Program. At the same time, I built my web portfolios to increase my chances of securing interviews with big tech companies. 𝟱. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: - Post weekly or bi-weekly updates on LinkedIn explaining what you're learning or building. - This boosts visibility and demonstrates initiative to recruiters. 𝟲. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 & 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: - Leverage high-quality online resources like Coursera, Udemy, or FreeCodeCamp. - Example: Deep Learning Specialization or AWS Cloud Practitioner. https://lnkd.in/ggPDt7qV Internships are beneficial, but your career growth isn’t limited by not having one. Strategic skill-building and visibility can position you strongly for future opportunities.

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.

A mentee of mine applied to 200+ software engineering internships in the last 3 months – here’s what you can learn from his experience  (He’s a master’s student in the USA, has strong skills, and I’ve been checking in with him every 2 weeks via text and calls.) 1️⃣ The numbers are brutal, but persistence matters   - He applied to 241 internships in 3 months.   - 117 companies ghosted him (no response at all).   - 88 companies rejected him outright after reviewing his application.   - Only 22 companies invited him for online assessments (OAs). - From those, he got 9 interviews and 2 job offers (Amazon + Autodesk). 💡 Lesson: It’s a numbers game. You will get rejected, a lot. But one offer is all you need. 2️⃣ The first 48 hours matter when applying - Some big-name companies closed applications within 48 hours of posting.   - The best way to stay ahead? Apply early and daily. - He used:   ○ GitHub repo: “Summer 2025 Tech Internships” (https://lnkd.in/gswGcUrG)   ○ Simplify.jobs – Job tracking and autofill applications ○ Swelist.com – Daily job postings sent via email 💡 Lesson: The earlier you apply, the better your chances. Set job alerts and apply as soon as listings go live.  3️⃣ Online assessments are a major filter   - Every OA took at least 1 hour.   - He failed 5 OAs outright but passed many others, only to get rejected later.   - The most frustrating experience? Getting a perfect OA score and still being rejected.  💡 Lesson: OAs are just the first step. Even if you ace them, companies may still reject you for other reasons (resume filtering, bad interviews, fit, etc.).  4️⃣ Interview preparation: go beyond Leetcode   - He spent 6+ hours in a library for 5-6 days before his Amazon final round.   - He used:     ○ Neetcode.io – A roadmap for coding interviews     ○ Leetcode cheat sheets – Writing down solutions & color-coding them based on difficulty     ○ https://lnkd.in/gY2pNcr8 – Filtering problems by company to study past questions  💡 Lesson: Don’t just solve problems: write down learnings, reinforce them, and study company-specific patterns. 5️⃣ Networking makes a difference - His first offer (Autodesk) came through a career fair, not an online application. - He had a great conversation with a recruiter, and they later reached out on LinkedIn to interview him. - One conversation led to a job offer. 💡 Lesson: Online applications aren’t enough, go to career fairs, reach out to recruiters, hiring managers and ask for referrals. 6️⃣ Rejections feel bad, but the outcome is worth it   - 200+ applications, 2 offers. That’s a 1% success rate.   - But he’s now interning at Amazon with a total comp of ~$55/hr this summer. 💡 Lesson: It only takes one “yes” to change everything. Keep going.  If you’re applying for internships/jobs right now, I know how exhausting it is. Rejections suck. Ghosting sucks. But stay consistent, use the right strategies, and don’t give up too soon.

Still looking for a summer internship? You’re not alone! I know several students in my network are still on the hunt, and the good news is—there are still opportunities out there! If you’re hoping to land an internship in the next few weeks, here are some tips to maximize your chances and make sure your application stands out: ✅ ⏳ Apply ASAP – The earlier you apply after a role is posted, the better your chances. If it’s been up for a while, it’s still worth applying—but don’t wait longer than you need to, or you might miss your shot! ✅ 🎯 Quality Over Quantity – Instead of mass-applying, focus on roles where you're a strong fit. Make sure your resume aligns with the job description, and don’t just hit “submit” and hope for the best—reach out to the hiring team or connections in your network to increase your chances. ✅ 🤝 Leverage Your Network – Now’s the time to tap into your career center, alumni network, professors, LinkedIn connections, and even family friends. Let people know what you're looking for—you never know who might have a lead! ✅ 📢 Showcase What Makes You Unique – No direct experience? Highlight relevant projects, coursework, or transferable skills. Use your LinkedIn profile and resume to tell a compelling story about what you bring to the table. ✅ 💼 Stay Ready for Interviews – Companies move fast this time of year. If you get an interview request, be prepared to schedule quickly and have strong examples of your skills and problem-solving abilities ready to go. And don’t forget to research the company before your interview! ✅ 🔄 Be Open to Different Opportunities – Maybe your dream company isn’t hiring, but a smaller firm or startup is. Internships are about learning—any experience can be valuable, and you never know where it might lead. ✅ 💪 Don’t Take Rejection Personally – You might not get an interview for a role you feel perfect for. Or maybe you nailed the interview but didn’t get an offer. It doesn’t always make sense, but there are so many factors at play—someone else may have edged you out, the role might have been canceled, or hiring wrapped up before you applied. Keep going! The right opportunity is out there. 💬 Now, I’d love to hear from you! 🎓 Students who have secured internships—what worked for you? 🏢 Fellow employers—any tips to add? Drop your insights in the comments—let’s help connect students with opportunities! 👇👇👇 #InternshipSearch #Hiring #UniversityRecruiting #CareerTips #InternshipOpportunities