How to Get Your Dream Internship in 2026
Last updated: April 2026
It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation — you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. Fortunately, I've learned a thing or two about applying to internships, and I'm sharing everything I know here.
5 Ways to Get an Internship (You Actually Want)
Here are five pieces of wisdom that I've gained from applying to hundreds of companies and speaking to hundreds of recruiters over the years. These tips aren't just valuable for landing internship offers from top tech companies (Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Google), but also at companies across every industry.
1. Your Online Presence Matters More Than You Think
Some people think that maintaining a personal website or LinkedIn is a waste of time. I've discovered two misconceptions.
Misconception #1: Recruiters don't have time to look at your personal website.
I applied to Google's software engineering internship when I was a sophomore at UMass Amherst. According to many applicants, the online application for sophomores is a "black hole" — you apply and never hear back.
You can imagine how ecstatic I was when I received an email from my recruiter that I had landed two phone interviews with Google software engineers. How did I not get sucked into the "black hole?"
I believe it was because of a blog post I had written.
By looking at the Google Analytics for my website, I discovered that a person from Mountain View, CA (where Google's HQ is located) had visited my site between the time I submitted my application and the time my recruiter contacted me. My website was kept private at the time, so it was unlikely that a random person from Mountain View just happened to stumble upon it.
Because of this, I believe that the reason I was one of the only sophomores at UMass Amherst to be interviewed by Google was because of my blog post.
Misconception #2: Recruiters don't offer interviews through LinkedIn.
Two weeks into my junior year at UMich, I received a LinkedIn message from a Microsoft recruiter informing me that I was a great fit for their company. She said that I could begin their recruiting process by forwarding her my resume.
This was eye-opening. I've never heard of recruiters actually reaching out through LinkedIn. In fact, I didn't email her back for at least a week because I was so sure that things like this didn't happen and that this was some sort of scam.
Now, I'm glad to say that it wasn't — and I was scheduled for an on-campus interview shortly after without having to submit any online application or talk to any recruiter at a career fair.
The takeaway: Your online presence matters. Some recruiters do look at your personal website and LinkedIn profile. If you want the best chance at getting interviews, post about your projects and keep your LinkedIn profile up to date.
Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out
Your LinkedIn profile photo is often the first thing recruiters see. A professional headshot signals that you take your career seriously — even before you've started it.
Quick wins for your LinkedIn profile:
- Professional headshot — Not a cropped group photo or a selfie with poor lighting
- Compelling headline — More than just "Student at [University]"
- Detailed experience section — Include projects, not just jobs
- Skills and endorsements — Add relevant technical and soft skills
- Custom URL — Clean up your LinkedIn URL for your resume
Need help getting your profile looking professional and polished? Try Aragon AI. It's an AI headshot generator that can turn your selfies into high-quality headshots in about 30 minutes. New users get free credits to try the editing tools for customizing backgrounds, outfits, and styling.
2. It's a Numbers Game
When you're a freshman or sophomore, apply to as many internships as you possibly can. The more, the better.
I submitted applications to 200 companies during my sophomore year. Guess how many I heard back from? 15. How many offers did I end up getting? 1.
For many underclassmen in college, getting an internship isn't easy. That's why you should be applying to as many companies as you can.
Instead of trying to get into your dream company, focus on getting into any company at all. See tip #5 for more on this.
How to manage high-volume applications:
- Use aggregate resources — Job boards, university career centers, and company career pages
- Set a schedule — Spend 30 minutes a day submitting applications
- Track everything — Use a spreadsheet to manage deadlines and follow-ups
- Expect rejection — Think of it as the norm, not the exception
At an ample rate of five minutes per application (6 applications/day), you'll have submitted about 170 applications in a month. Not too shabby.
During my junior year, I interviewed with and was rejected by some of my dream companies: Google, Meta, and Apple. Again during my senior year, I was rejected by Google, Meta, Apple, Tesla, and Airbnb. Even as a senior from UMich, I didn't even get an interview with Robinhood.
Keep calm and apply on!
3. Recruiting Processes Aren't Perfect
Nothing is. Instead of complaining about how recruiters take forever to respond, be proactive and reach out to them continuously.
- Go meet them at campus events or career fairs
- Connect with them on LinkedIn
- Do whatever you can to get in touch with them
It's your career. It's up to you (not them) to move you forward in the process.
Never give up once you get started in a recruiting process with a company. Even if it means emailing the recruiter again and again, week after week. Keep emailing them until they reply or move on to the next stage in your process.
Sometimes it may even be beneficial to talk to the recruiter in person at a career fair if they don't seem to be replying to your emails. Of course, give them at least a week before reminding them. And do it politely — they're not required to do anything for you.
When I was interviewing with Fidelity Investments, my recruiter changed and after emailing the new recruiter, I never got a reply. So I went to the campus career fair to find the recruiter in person. I talked to him, handed him my resume, and got my resume forwarded to the managers at their headquarters. Without doing this, I would've been jobless during my sophomore summer.
4. Study Up
Study for your interviews! This tip is underrated for many freshmen and sophomores. Many underclassmen don't expect to get interviews, so when they do, they can be unprepared.
I learned this the hard way when I got my Google interview during my sophomore year. Those were probably two of the most stressful weeks of my life. Learn from my mistakes and start preparing for your interviews earlier.
Note: Cramming does not work for programming interviews.
If you want to land your dream internship, start preparing for the interview the summer before the fall recruiting season. By September, you should know your data structures and algorithms like the back of your hand.
General guidelines:
- ~100 LeetCode medium questions can get you into most top tech companies
- For uber-competitive companies (like Airbnb), you may need ~150 medium questions
- I did about 50 medium, 50 easy, and a few hard LeetCode questions before getting a full-time offer from Microsoft
How to stay consistent:
Schedule two hours on your calendar each day to do two questions on LeetCode. When I was doing interview prep during my junior year, I did two questions after dinner each day. If you can keep this up for the entire summer, your chances of getting into your dream internship will be quite good.
The easy part is knowing what the process entails. The hard part is developing the motivation to follow through. I helped motivate myself by inviting friends to do interview prep with me. When one friend was busy, I invited another. This way I always had somebody to keep myself accountable.
5. Beggars Can't Be Choosers
This tip is for those who are having a hard time (especially freshmen and sophomores) finding internships. You have to take what you can get, even if it means making sacrifices such as seeing friends and family or going on vacation.
A few weeks before the end of my freshman year, one of my professors sent out an email looking to hire a summer intern. Long story short, I got the job because I was flexible with where I was going to live and the work schedule. I started as soon as school ended and moved into a spare room in the professor's home.
The first internship is the hardest to get. Once you have one on your resume, the next one becomes much easier.
Go Get Your Internship
Tips are great, but it's time for you to do something. Take some action. That might be:
- Studying for an interview
- Applying to a dozen or so internships
- Updating your LinkedIn headshot
- Writing a blog post about your latest project
Regardless of what it is, do something. Your dream internship is waiting for you — now go get it.
👉 Get a professional headshot for your LinkedIn
FAQs
How important is a professional headshot for internship applications?
Very important for your online presence. LinkedIn profiles with professional photos receive significantly more views than those without. A polished headshot signals professionalism and attention to detail — qualities recruiters look for even in interns. AI headshots from Aragon cost a fraction of traditional photography and deliver results in 30 minutes.
When should I start applying for summer internships?
Most companies begin recruiting in August-September for the following summer. Start preparing (resume, LinkedIn, interview prep) in the summer before, and begin submitting applications as soon as positions open. The earlier, the better — many companies fill roles on a rolling basis.
How many internships should I apply to?
As many as you can, especially as an underclassman. 100-200 applications is not unreasonable. Set a daily goal (5-10 applications) and track everything in a spreadsheet. Expect a low response rate and don't get discouraged by rejection.
What if I get rejected from my dream company?
Keep applying. Many successful professionals were rejected multiple times before landing offers. Use rejections as motivation to improve — study more, refine your resume, strengthen your online presence. You can always reapply next year.
