How can I improve my chances for summer internships as an undergrad? [closed]

Question

So I am an undergrad, second-year student majoring in both Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering. My grades are average in my class. I have been having a difficult time trying to even get interviews for summer internships both this year and last. My school is fairly high in rankings for both of these majors - and that means I have a lot of competition from my school alone. I have only landed 1 interview, and will almost certainly not get another this year.

I've gone to career fairs and applied for big and small technical companies. I have completely revised my resume and I think I did a good job on that - summary, work experience, skills, projects, good design. I've also applied online. I am actually fairly ahead of many of the people in my year taking exclusively junior and senior leveled classes this semester, so qualifications aren't necessarily a problem. Even further, I have actually done technical work for a university startup - so I have semi work experience.

So, my question is, what could I be doing wrong that I can't get any interviews even though many of my peers are lower level classes and have received more interviews and even offers? Are there critical do's and don'ts that I am missing? How could I improve my chances of getting interview opportunities - and eventually offers?

Thank you!

Answer 1

It may be that you're trying too hard. Jobfairs usually have a swarm of candidates and if a recruiter plays his cards right, he'll get the intern he wants. In that situation the table is tilted to the favour of them and the students with high marks. Same goes for summer internships.

Try applying for positions a little higher than your mark, like those titled Junior or Graduate level. If you have solid demonstrable experience (say, a nice Github account) and approach companies that don't appear in jobfairs, you don't compete with your high-scoring student-mates anymore.

You compete with the world. That may work to your advantage because chances are it takes you from average to average-high.

Don't be intimidated, you'll know if you can cut it within the first month, and if you find yourself in a nice place, you may even continue working part-time through your studies.

Answer 2

There are only two possible problems. You are not applying to enough places or your resume is not as good as it needs to be. You may want to get your resume reviewed by a professional. Then pump it out in volume.

Also, sometimes it is easier to plow around the stump. You could build an amazing piece of software or an amazing website during your summer. If you can produce one that is popular and generates a passive income, even better. At the very least the experience should dramatically improve your chances of getting an internship next year.