Internships can be a great way to gain experience and decide what angle you want to take when entering the professional world. Internships offer more than classroom education. You’ll get hands-on opportunities to see how the real world works and what each profession is like that you’re considering.
Graduate student internships also look great on your resume as you search for a job upon graduation. You’ll find that most graduate internships run through the summer to allow you to have a school/work balance.
These 8 companies offer exceptional opportunities for graduate student internships.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory offers summer internships for graduate students interested in working in the engineering field. You’ll work with scientists, engineers, and technical employees conducting research and technical assignments to help developmental research projects.
You’ll need a strong background in engineering and be a graduate student in good standing to qualify.
New York Post
The New York Post has several subsidiaries that hire graduate students as summer interns. PageSix.com and Decider.com are just a couple of options. The internships are paid and are for the digital versions of the New York Post and could be a great experience for anyone that wishes to go into publishing.
Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank offers internships for graduate students twice per year. The jobs vary based on the research development needs of ADB at the time. You’ll work with professionals from over 50 countries in this international company and gain a solid real-life understanding of the finance profession.
To qualify, you must be enrolled in a graduate program, have a major related to the project at the time, and be an ADB member.
Microsoft
Microsoft hires interns at all stages, including the graduate level. You must be an active student and working toward a degree that coincides with the internship, including in engineering, UX design, IT operations, finance, or marketing. Microsoft pays its interns and even offers relocation benefits if you must relocate for the opportunity. The opportunities vary by location and area of focus.
World Bank
World Bank internship opportunities provide graduate students with the opportunity to help improve the world using World Bank’s mission. World Bank offers a variety of internship opportunities in research, finance, human development, social sciences, engineering, and urban planning. It’s a paid internship that also offers up to $3,000 in travel expenses if approved.
National Cancer Institute
NCI offers internships for all levels and in many disciplines. Each opportunity works in a different area of research to introduce students to the many opportunities available. The opportunities change throughout the year, so always check back to see what may be open to you.
RAND Corporation
RAND Corporation offers a summer internship for graduate students in their 2nd year and beyond. The RAND works on national security problems and social issues both domestically and internationally. They place 35 – 45 interns each year and receive hundreds of applications at a time. The program runs for 12 weeks in the summer and for 2022 is a remote opportunity.
Stripe
Stripe offers many internships in engineering but occasionally has opportunities in other fields, including legal, design, science, and business operations. Interns are partnered with a professional to learn the ropes and solve real-world problems. They offer a robust onboarding program and offer many opportunities for networking and community engagement to further your career.
How to Get Internships for Graduate Students
There might be slightly less competition for a graduate student internship than an undergraduate internship, but there’s still plenty of competition out there. Here are some ways to ensure you get the opportunity you want.
Show off your Expertise
As a graduate student, you likely have plenty of experience in your industry already. It can be peer leadership opportunities on campus, previous internships, or even jobs you held. Think about everything you’ve done over the last few years that you could tie into your major and list them on your resume or internship letter.
Highlight your Skills
You have skills as a student even if you don’t realize it. Even if you haven’t worked a day in your life yet, your skills in the classroom can often transfer into the real world. Think about times you’ve problem solved, multi-tasked, or how you’ve managed your time. Find distinct instances you can talk about and demonstrate how you have the skills required for the internship.
Choose the Right Words
You’re trying to stand out among hundreds and sometimes thousands of other candidates, so you must use words that make you stand out. Read the words used in the advertisements and see what companies are looking for, using those words in the description of yourself.
Show Desire
Because you are competing against so many other candidates, you want to show how much you want this position. Show the companies you’re applying to how much you want to make a difference in the world and how dedicated you are to your profession.
By graduate school, you know what you want and focus intensely on it. Show companies what that focus is and how you’ve used it to drive you in your studies and your path to your new career.
Final Thoughts
Taking on as many internships as possible throughout your college career is a great way to land the best job out of college. You’ll already have the professional experience companies desire and will be leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.
Keep track of your experience, use it on your resume when you apply for paid jobs and enjoy the time you have learning about different opportunities. Who knows, you might even find the company you’ll land a full-time job with and work right out of college.
