How to get a Software Engineer Internship in 2024 (with no experience)

Summary

The video offers valuable advice for those seeking software internships, emphasizing the importance of exploring opportunities beyond co-op websites, optimizing resumes with keywords, leveraging AI tools to streamline the application process, and networking with peers for referrals and insights. It also suggests adding relevant projects to one's resume and applying to a variety of companies regardless of size. The speaker shares personal experiences and tips, including the significance of LeetCode practice for technical interviews, ultimately encouraging persistence and learning from each application.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Expand your search beyond co-op websites for more internship opportunities.
• 🌐 Utilize GitHub and LinkedIn to find comprehensive job postings in one place.
• 📄 Optimize your resume with relevant keywords and maintain a simple, one-page format.
• 🤖 Use AI tools like chatbots to streamline the application process, including cover letter writing and resume customization.
• 💡 AI can also aid in interview preparation by generating potential behavioral and technical questions.
• 👥 Network with peers for referrals, job search experiences, and learning from their insights.
• 🔄 Include mentorships, hackathons, and personal projects on your resume to showcase experience.
• 🏢 Apply to both large and small companies for internships to increase your chances.
• 💻 Practice LeetCode problems to prepare for technical interviews, even if you're new to coding.
• 🚀 Persistence is key - every application brings you one step closer to a job offer.

Q & A

What is the main challenge the speaker faced when looking for their first software internship?

The main challenge the speaker faced was not receiving responses after sending out numerous applications and feeling uncertain about the process.

How many applications did the speaker send out daily during their month-long search for their first internship?

The speaker sent out five applications every day.

What was the speaker's initial reaction to the lack of responses to their job applications?

The speaker emailed their Co-op coordinator asking if something was wrong.

What is the first tip the speaker shares for landing a software internship?

The first tip is to know where to look for opportunities and not to limit oneself to just co-op websites.

Which platforms does the speaker recommend for finding software internship postings?

The speaker recommends using GitHub, LinkedIn, and websites like workast.com for startup opportunities.

How can the applicant tracking system (ATS) impact a resume's chance of being seen by a hiring manager?

The ATS scans the resume and gives it a score based on how well it matches the job posting; if the resume does not pass the ATS, it is often rejected before reaching the hiring manager.

What is the significance of using AI tools like chat GPT in the application process?

AI tools can streamline the application process by reducing the time spent on writing cover letters and customizing resumes.

How can networking be beneficial in the context of finding a software internship?

Networking can provide valuable insights from peers about job searches and company experiences, as well as potentially leading to referrals and connections with recruiters.

What types of experiences can be added to a resume to demonstrate skills and knowledge without having completed an internship?

Mentorships, hackathons, and personal projects can be included on a resume to showcase relevant skills and experiences.

Why is it important to apply to both big and small companies for internships?

Applying to a variety of companies increases the chances of landing an internship and provides exposure to different work environments and opportunities.

What advice does the speaker give for leveraging LeetCode in the context of preparing for technical interviews?

The speaker suggests regularly practicing LeetCode problems to become familiar with common technical interview questions and improve problem-solving skills.

Outlines

00:00

📄 Finding the Right Opportunities for a Software Internship

This paragraph discusses the importance of looking beyond just co-op websites when searching for a software internship. The speaker shares their personal experience of sending out numerous applications without success and eventually finding opportunities through various channels such as GitHub repositories and LinkedIn. They emphasize the value of not limiting oneself to the co-op program and exploring job postings on company career pages. The paragraph also highlights the significance of being aware of different platforms where tech companies post their internships, including big tech companies and startups.

05:01

📄 Crafting an Effective Resume and Leveraging AI Tools

The focus of this paragraph is on the critical role of a resume in securing an interview. The speaker explains that many resumes are rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS) due to formatting and keyword mismatches. They advise keeping the resume simple, one-page, and keyword-optimized. The paragraph also introduces the use of AI tools like chatbots to streamline the application process, including writing cover letters and customizing resumes. Additionally, the speaker shares their personal experience with AI in interview preparation, suggesting that it can help generate relevant behavioral and technical questions to practice.

Keywords

💡software internship

A software internship refers to a temporary position within a company where individuals, typically students or recent graduates, gain practical experience in software development. In the video, the speaker shares personal experiences and tips on securing such internships, emphasizing the importance of persistence and strategic job searching.

💡job applications

Job applications refer to the process of formally expressing interest in a job and submitting the necessary documents, such as a resume and cover letter, to the prospective employer. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses the challenges of not receiving responses to job applications and offers strategies to increase the likelihood of getting an interview.

💡Co-op program

A Co-op program is a form of cooperative education where students alternate between academic study and paid work experience in their field of study. The video mentions that while Co-op programs can provide internship opportunities, students should also explore job postings outside of these programs to broaden their options.

💡ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that enables companies to manage the recruitment needs and process job applicants more efficiently. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of optimizing resumes to pass through ATS, as it scans and scores resumes based on how well they match the job description.

💡AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. In the video, the speaker suggests using AI tools like chatbots to streamline the job application process, including writing cover letters and customizing resumes.

💡networking

Networking refers to the process of building and maintaining professional relationships to gain access to potential job opportunities, information, and support. In the video, the speaker discusses the benefits of networking with peers and obtaining referrals, which can lead to learning about new job openings and gaining insights into the hiring process.

💡LeetCode

LeetCode is a platform that provides a collection of coding challenges that are often used to prepare for technical interviews. The video encourages viewers to practice LeetCode problems to improve their skills in data structures and algorithms, which are essential for succeeding in technical interviews for software internships.

💡resume tailoring

Resume tailoring involves customizing a resume to match the specific requirements and keywords listed in a job posting. In the video, the speaker stresses the importance of tailoring resumes to include relevant skills and keywords that align with the job description, which can increase the chances of passing the ATS and getting selected for an interview.

💡job search platforms

Job search platforms are online resources that aggregate job postings from various companies and industries, allowing job seekers to search and apply for positions. In the video, the speaker recommends using platforms like GitHub repositories and LinkedIn to find internship opportunities, as they provide a centralized location to discover and apply for jobs.

💡referrals

Referrals in the job search context are when current employees or contacts recommend a job seeker to an employer. While referrals can sometimes help in the hiring process, the video suggests that networking with peers for information and advice can be more beneficial for securing internships than relying solely on referrals.

💡experience

In the context of job applications, experience refers to the practical knowledge and skills one gains through work, projects, or other relevant activities. The video addresses the challenge of demonstrating experience when applying for the first internship, suggesting ways to showcase relevant skills and projects on one's resume.

Highlights

The speaker shares personal experience of searching for a software internship and the challenges faced.

Sending out a high volume of applications is emphasized, with the speaker having sent out five applications daily for a month.

The importance of looking beyond co-op websites for internship opportunities is stressed, as not all positions are listed there.

Large tech companies may not always post on university co-op pages, so alternative job searching methods are necessary.

GitHub and LinkedIn are recommended as platforms for finding job postings and opportunities.

The speaker discovered GitHub repositories for internship postings, which are frequently updated.

The resume is crucial and should be well-formatted and keyword-optimized to pass the applicant tracking system.

AI tools like chatbots can help streamline the application process by reducing time spent on cover letters and resume customization.

AI can also assist in interview preparation by generating potential behavioral or technical questions.

Networking is important, but it's more about discussing experiences and learning from peers rather than just referrals.

The speaker emphasizes the value of sharing experiences and knowledge with peers, which can lead to discovering new opportunities.

Non-traditional experiences like hackathons and personal projects can be included on resumes to demonstrate skills and experience.

Applying to both large and small companies is encouraged, as it broadens the range of potential internships.

LeetCode is essential for technical interview preparation and there are resources available to help with LeetCode problems.

The speaker's Co-op coordinator's email highlights the importance of persistence and learning from the job search process.

Every job application brings one step closer to a job offer, and patience is key in the job search process.

Transcripts

hello everyone if you clicked on this

video you're probably looking for a

software internship maybe you've sent

out 50 applications and haven't really

heard anything back when I was looking

for my first software internship I sent

out five applications every day for a

month and I didn't hear anything I even

emailed my Co-op coordinator asking him

if something was wrong if you want to

know what my Co-op coordinator said back

to me stay till the end of this video

today I'm share with you seven tips that

hopefully you haven't heard about before

to help you land a software internship

these tips are not just theories or

things I saw on Reddit they're based on

my personal journey and I actually use

these tips every day when I apply for

new graad positions my first piece of

advice is know where to look for

opportunities don't limit yourself to

just the co-op websites this is a

mistake that I made for my first

internship the co-op website has a lot

of opportunities but not all of them a

lot of big tech companies are not posted

on the UBC Co-op page and if you're not

in Co-op don't worry I actually have a

lot of friends who dropped out of the

co-op program because they found

internships outside of Co-op and my

Amazon internship was actually not

through Co-op at all I found that job

posting just on the Amazon career Pages

now if you want to know a place to look

for these job postings aside from the

company career page you can use GitHub

or LinkedIn to find all the job

opportunities in one place I actually

only found out about the GitHub repos

about a year ago and I've been using it

ever since there will be GitHub repos

with every single internship posting

from Canada and the US these GitHub

repos are also updated really frequently

so you can check on them every single

day for new job postings another obvious

one is LinkedIn you can use their job

tabs to find new internships also if you

are interested in working at a startup

there are a bunch of Y combinator

startups listed in workast startup.com

I'm surprised that not everyone knows

about the GitHub repos and I've had to

tell a few of my classmates to apply to

new grad jobs on there number two your

resume is your ticket in in it's

important to note that about 75% of your

resumees are actually rejected before

reaching the hiring manager this is

often because your resume did not pass

the applicant tracking system basically

the ATS scans your resume and gives it a

score based on how well it matches the

job posting this shows how important it

is to have a resume that is well

formatted and keyword optimized make

sure your resume is one page keep it

really simple not colorful or any icons

on it if you're looking for a template

that you can you use Jake's resume and

I've linked it down below this is a

template that I've been using for my

resumés for the last 8 months tailor

your resume to include the specific

keywords or specific scills that the job

hting listed remember that a

well-crafted resume is your gateway into

getting an interview number three use AI

to accelerate the application process

Embrace AI to streamline your

application tools like chat gbt can

significantly reduce the time you spent

on writing cover l letters and

customizing resumes over a year ago I

actually made a video about how to use

chat TBT to write cover letters so if

you want to watch that video you can see

in the description I actually don't

really write cover letters anymore but

if you were writing cover letters it

would save you so much time to write

them using chat gvt another tool that I

just started using in my new grad job

search is simplify it will AutoFill in

your address it will AutoFill in all the

job work experience you had your

graduation date everything like that and

make your process so much easier

simplify also has features that allow

you to write customized resumés and

cover letters number four use AI to help

with interview preparation AI can

revolutionize your interview prep you

can use it to generate a list of

Behavioral or technical questions that

you can use to practice before when I

was preparing for an interview I would

often look at Reddit blind glass door or

even the Le code forums and look for

other people's personal experience when

when interviewing with a company this

can be really insightful and help you

learn exactly what this company is

looking for during an interview and what

kind of questions they might ask but

looking all over the Internet for this

information can be a little timec

consuming you can make this process a

lot faster if you have chat4 and use

their web scraping to find all of the

posts in one search this approach has

made me feel a lot more confident going

to interviews because I know exactly

what to expect number five networking I

know you've probably heard this word a

ton and it's really overused but I'm

going to use it in a way you might not

think one of the big things that I

immediately think of when I think of

networking is referrals but referrals

don't actually help you that much when

it comes to internship what networking

really is is talking to your peers you

can talk to them about their experiences

with their job search or their

experience working at a company I had a

friend tell me recently you should apply

to Microsoft because they just opened

their new grad and I've even learned

about new companies that I've never

heard about through my peers another

thing that I learned from a girl in my

tutorial class is that I should switch

from java to python when doing leak code

this summer one of my friends actually

introduced me to her recruiter from a

previous internship through this

connection I actually was able to get

past the resume screen and get a OA a

lot faster so talking to your peers and

networking and growing your circle can

have so many benefits to helping with

your interview prep hi just popping into

the video really quick I thought I'd

just Shar that in my first 2 years of

University I actually had a really hard

time making friends and I didn't have

any CS friends that I could ask any

questions about or learn from and if

you're on the same boat this February

I'll be sending out weekly emails

sharing all the things I've learned

throughout the years from my peers some

of the things I'll be writing about is

which language is best to use for lead

code and how to make your resume really

stand out and some job postings that I

think you should apply to if you're

interested in this there'll be a link in

description now back to the video number

six other experiences you can add to

your resume looking for your first

internships is a bit of a paradox you're

looking for an internship because you

want experience but the internship

itself requires experience so it can be

kind of difficult to figure out what to

put on your resume to show I have

experience when I don't actually have

internship experience on your resume you

can add any mentorships you've done

hackathons or projects when I was

applying to my first software internship

on my resume I included a full stack

project that I worked on if there's a

specific company you like to work for to

make your resume standout you can create

a project that uses their Technologies

for example if you'd like to apply to

stripe you could create a project that

uses the stripe API and if you like to

apply to Amazon you can create a project

that uses AWS Services number seven

apply to big and small positions when

you're applying to internships don't

limit yourself to small and midsize

companies because you never know know

your first internship could be big Tech

I honestly applied to Amazon on a whim I

did not think that I was qualified to

work there or I did not think that I was

good enough I think that if you never

apply to these places you never give

yourself the opportunity Amazon hired

over 10,000 interns in 2023 and though

it was not that common I did meet a

handful of people who worked at Amazon

as their first internship so cast a wide

net in your applications apply to both

big and small companies there are

benefits to working out both and don't

limit yourself number eight here's a

bonus tip do leak code if you don't know

already you should probably get started

on doing leak code when I was looking

for my first Co-op I actually did not

know about leak code I did not know that

I had to remember anything for my data

structures and algorithms class that

made doing my first round of interviews

really embarrassing and really hard leak

code is essential for preparing for

technical interviews now if you you're

looking for a really great resource or a

really great way to keep track of your

Elite code questions or figure out how

to solve these Le code questions you

should definitely check out NE code I

know this is really confusing but NE

code makes wonderful YouTube videos on

how to solve lead code problems and he

also has a really great website that can

help you keep track of these Le code

problems that you're solving personally

I think if if you just do the 75 blind

lead code questions that will be good

enough to prepare for any software

internship interviews it does seem like

a lot of work to do on top of any school

or job or any job applications you might

be doing but if you just do a few

questions a day this shouldn't take you

more than 30 minutes you can definitely

fit into your schedule and it'll be so

worth it in the end when you get your

offer now if you watch to the end of

this video thank you I wanted to share

with you what my Co-op coordinator said

to me when I was emailing in him about

just feeling lost looking for jobs this

email is from 2021 it goes hello my

friend I looked at your applications you

appli to 30 unique companies and you

have received two interviews that's not

a bad rate enjoy the job search process

because it could be a lot worse when it

comes to full-time placement and he's

right it is these experiences will help

you with your full-time job search when

you graduate which can be daunting

without work experience you are doing

the right things keep doing that just be

patient hold on do not give up yet and

let disappointment creep in again as I

said earlier enjoy the process and treat

everything as a learning opportunity an

interview and an offer is just around

the corner that's it for today remember

that persistence is key and every job

application is one step closer to the

job offer if you want to know how I got

my Amazon internship or my internship

Journey click these videos good luck on

your internship applications I'll see

see you in the next video