if you want a software engineering internship in 2025, do this (vlog)

Summary

In this video, Eric provides a detailed step-by-step guide on how to land a software engineering internship in 2025. He covers essential topics like structuring a resume to stand out, building impactful coding projects, and mastering coding platforms like LeetCode for technical interviews. Eric emphasizes the importance of an ATS-friendly resume, maintaining a strong GitHub profile, and the value of project-based learning. He also shares his personal experience of mass-applying to internships and offers encouragement to viewers to stay persistent in their journey.

Takeaways

• 💼 Spend time perfecting your resume, as it's the main tool recruiters use to assess your candidacy. Make sure it's ATS-friendly by including relevant keywords.
• 🧑‍💻 Your GitHub and coding portfolio are as important as your resume. Recruiters want to see your work firsthand through your coding projects.
• 🎓 Include your education details like major, minor, and GPA if it's above 3.5. Listing relevant courses can help you hit more buzzwords for AI screening.
• 📊 Follow the 'accomplished X through Y using Z' method for work experience bullet points. Use business logic and quantify your achievements to make a bigger impact.
• 🛠 The coding project section is crucial if you lack work experience. Showcase your skills by including the source code and deployment links for each project.
• 🚀 Use project-based learning to improve your coding skills. Focus on building projects that solve real-life problems to better understand development.
• 📈 Applying early and in large quantities increases your chances of securing internships. A strategy of mass applying helped the speaker land multiple interviews and job offers.
• 📝 Maintain detailed notes for coding interview prep. This includes tracking problem-solving techniques and syntax in your personal notes for easy review before interviews.
• 📁 Create a strong GitHub profile with well-documented repositories. This helps recruiters assess your coding skills and commit frequency.
• 💪 Perseverance is key. Even with numerous rejections and failed interviews, persistence combined with the right strategies will eventually lead to success.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of this video?

The primary goal of the video is to provide a step-by-step guide on how to land a software engineering internship in 2025. The speaker shares insights and experiences from their own journey, including tips on resumes, coding projects, and technical interview preparation.

Why is the resume such a critical part of the application process for software engineering internships?

The resume is crucial because it's the first thing recruiters see, and they often spend only about 7 seconds reviewing it. It's important to ensure the resume is ATS-friendly (Applicant Tracking System) and includes relevant keywords to pass the AI screening process.

What are the most important sections to include on a software engineering resume according to the speaker?

The most important sections include a header with contact information, LinkedIn, GitHub, and coding portfolio links, education with relevant courses, work experience following the 'accomplished X through Y using Z' method, coding projects, and technical skills at the bottom.

Why is it important to include coding projects on your resume, especially if you have limited work experience?

Including coding projects is essential because it showcases your technical abilities and demonstrates practical experience, even if you don’t have much professional work experience. It allows recruiters to see firsthand what you're capable of through your work.

How should coding projects be presented on the resume?

Each coding project should include the source code and, if possible, a deployment link. The projects should highlight important technologies used and demonstrate real-world applications or scalability, such as a project being used by many users.

What is the benefit of having a GitHub and coding portfolio alongside the resume?

A GitHub and coding portfolio act as extensions of the resume, allowing recruiters to directly see your coding work. It can make you stand out by showcasing your actual projects, technical skills, and how often you've committed to repositories.

What is the speaker’s advice for improving coding skills?

The speaker recommends project-based learning, where you build things from scratch to solve real-world problems. The idea is to practice coding through actual projects, rather than just watching tutorials or reading documentation.

What is the 'mass applying' strategy mentioned in the video?

The mass applying strategy involves applying to a large number of internships to increase your chances of landing interviews. The speaker suggests applying early and frequently, and using resources like the 'summer 2025 Tech internships by Simplify' to find new job postings.

How does the speaker recommend preparing for technical interviews using LeetCode?

The speaker suggests using LeetCode’s comprehensive roadmap and focusing on the 75 most commonly asked questions by big tech companies. For each question, they recommend writing notes on helpful syntax and problem-solving approaches, color-coding difficulties, and reviewing these notes before interviews.

What is the speaker's final advice for those applying for internships?

The speaker encourages persistence, noting that it can be easy to get demoralized by rejections or failing interviews. However, with hard work, dedication, and following the steps in the video, they believe anyone can eventually land an internship.