How do I get an internship? apply to 20 and was accepted to zero.

faintingheart

How does one get an internship? I apply for like 20 and got zero acceptance. I'm currently enroll in WGU IT:Security program. Why am I not getting any offer? What am I doing wrong? How did you guys do it? I apply with my resume no cover letter. I have zero experience. Any tips you guys can give would be great. Thank you so much!


Your friendly IT Fan -Fainting Heart

EANx

My organization brings in several interns each year in a variety of roles. In all cases, we expect two things, that these will be entry-level people who want to learn about the real-world and that they will bring functionable abilities so they can hit the ground running in an admittedly limited capacity.

Go back through your responses, were there any you didn't parrot back that you were able to do the specific tasks they wanted from someone? IT tends to be fairly rigid in its demands, more so than the average business internship.

NHStudent

First, make sure that wherever you are applying actually accepts / wants interns. Assuming you have, try to see if you know anyone that works at any of these companies. Most of the interns I have hired were through knowing someone else that referred them in.

If you don't know anyone and still struggling, don't try to hit your target right away and adjust to doing something that will get you in the door. Example, if you want to do security work and have no experience, it is not likely that anyone will hire you, even as an intern. However, you could possible get some data entry position or help desk position that might provide avenues for a way into where you want to be. Just pay close attention to your opportunities within and know when to hold em and when to walk away. You are in it to build references and also need to advertise your interests to help bring in opportunities.

Good luck!

faintingheart

So if Security require experience. What would be reasonable a role i should aim for? I want to be a network enginner. That is my heart desire.

shochan

Bypass the internship, you mind as well get PAID!...Go apply for helpdesk positions & only stay there for 3yrs max, start looking for new networking/server/MSP positions at 2nd yr, but keep improving your skill sets/certs while your at it.

faintingheart

I will follow that advise. Thank you Shochan. I appreciate it.

technogoat

apply to 100-300 more

I had to do that

faintingheart

good idea, thank you.

boxerboy1168

I see you have the A+, Net+ and Security+.

Have you developed any hard skills?

In my experience they are mostly theory which is why I'm working on the CCNA now.

faintingheart

Well i can and love building PC's. My next class suppose to be the CCENT. I think that when i'll have the hard knowledge.

poolmanjim

You haven't mentioned how far along you are in your degree program but seeing as you are just now starting the CCENT I imagine you aren't beyond your second year (first 2-3 terms).

Most internships I've seen target near-graduates or post-graduates especially if you are looking for something very objective focused (like a networking or security internship). In my experience, those are the hard ones to get and they tend to go to more developed individuals. Do as shochan suggested, look for a help desk or entry-level NOC job. They likely aren't going to need much in the way of experience to get into and you'll be able to work them for a few years as you develop your skills.

I speak to this from experience. When I was in college I wanted to start playing the Windows Server game right away. I was ambitious and I couldn't understand why no one wanted to give a smart guy like me a chance. Money got tight and I stopped being picky and took help desk roles. I ended up working closely with Server/Networking guys and realized, I didn't know half as much as I thought I did. I started learning more, spent a few years jumping from help desk role to help desk role seeking $1 - 2 an hour raise here and there and eventually one of my managers pulled me into his office and said "We're moving you onto the servers team." It took a few years to get there but the journey taught me a lot and I realized that I was truly passionate about what I thought I was passionate about.

I wish you luck in your endeavors.

gespenstern

20? That's nothing.

Even with my experience and credentials I had to apply to ~200 jobs and go through ~20 interviews before I landed on the current one when I changed jobs last time in 2015.

Apply to thousands. Go extra mile everywhere.

crimsonavenger

Cover letters do sometimes help, especially if the recruiter / hiring manager is looking at hundreds of submitted resume's. You can offer up information that you can't easily place on your resume, such as informal experience, lab practice, life and career goals, etc. In general just learn to be persistent, and start networking irl and on the social media like LinkedIn. As others have said, 20 submissions isn't really much compared to what most of us had to go through to get started.

faintingheart

Thank you guys! All this info is excellent.

--chris--

Keep applying. 20 feels like a lot, but I've been there. I think I did about double that before I got a start.

NavyMooseCCNA

A thousand generations ago, before the dark times; before the Empire... in a brick and mortar college I was recommended for an internship by one of my professors. I knew her well and she felt I was a good fit for the job. Do online students have a relationship with their professors to get this kind of assistance?

lamont29

If you have the credentials that you advertise, then the only reason I can see that you are not getting the interviews might be geography. Otherwise, there might be some other qualitative reasons. For instance, when I worked in Human resources for a very large organization, any candidate that we considered contacting or calling in for an interview were background checked through their social media accounts. People tend to be very honest on their social media. Some, so much so that they talk themselves out of the competition.

Good Luck!