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ā€¢3 min read

Applying to Internships Is Humbling

lifecareerjob-hunting

summer internship applications are open. i've applied to 23 places. i've heard back from 4. three rejections and one "we'll keep your resume on file" (which is a rejection wearing a hat).

this is fine. this is normal. this is pain.

the process

  1. find job listing
  2. get excited about job
  3. spend 2 hours tailoring resume and cover letter
  4. submit application
  5. receive automated confirmation email
  6. wait
  7. receive polite rejection or hear nothing ever
  8. repeat

i've done this 23 times. my cover letter game is strong. my self-esteem is not.

the rejections

they all sound the same:

"Thank you for your interest in [Company]. After careful consideration, we've decided to move forward with other candidates whose experience more closely matches our current needs. We encourage you to apply again in the future."

translation: no, but nicely.

what i'm learning

1. it's a numbers game everyone says this. it's annoying but true. the more you apply, the more chances you have. my success rate is currently 0%. but 0% of 23 is the same as 0% of 5.

2. my resume needed work after the first few rejections, i got feedback from a career advisor. turns out my resume was... not great. poorly organized. missing keywords. burying the good stuff.

3. experience requirements are suggestions "2+ years of experience required" for an internship? they're filtering, not gatekeeping. apply anyway.

4. networking helps (allegedly) i'm bad at this. working on it.

the competition

everyone's building side projects. everyone has github activity. everyone did competitive programming. everyone speaks three languages and has a startup on the side.

(okay, not everyone. but it feels that way sometimes.)

staying sane

  • applying in batches (not one at a time)
  • celebrating small wins (getting a response is a win)
  • not checking email constantly (failing at this)
  • remembering that one "yes" cancels out a hundred "no"s

the dream

i want to work somewhere that does interesting AI stuff. ideally somewhere that cares about the ethics and safety of what they're building.

anthropic keeps coming up on my radar. they're doing fascinating work. they're also almost certainly not hiring second-year CS students.

but a person can dream.

for now

keep applying. keep building. keep learning. the right opportunity will come.

(that's what everyone says. i'm choosing to believe it.)

rejection email count: 6. we're building character over here.