You might have to apply to tens of opportunities to get a single response or an offer, and that is completely normal! Keep taking the time to improve yourself and try again. You only need one success.
Start your internship searching process early in the fall. Create a spreadsheet with potential roles, deadlines, application requirements, and a schedule for applying. Keep track of when you contacted someone or submitted an application, so you know when to follow up if you don't receive any response.
Attend career fairs and keep up with school announcements. However, those opportunities are available to all students, so actively seek other resources as well. Some include Indeed, internships.com, and Idealist. Large organizations like NASA and Bank of America also have selective internship programs.
Superposition founder, Areeta Wong, compiled resources for high school students, found at bit.ly/CSforHS. You may also have to create your own opportunities by contacting local businesses or universities. See below for our cold-emailing tips!
Marketable skills are skills that are valued by employers, and your main selling points, like coding, graphic design, content creating, problem-solving, and project management. Identify your marketable skills and make sure to highlight those in your resume to help pitch yourself for potential positions. These can also help guide your search for internships to apply to.
Your network can give you insight into your dream roles, share opportunities, and even serve as a referral for your next position. When networking with others, the goal should be establishing a connection, rather than immediately trying to gain something. By effectively networking, you can open up doors for yourself that simply having qualifications may not.
LinkedIn is a great place to get started! Whenever you send a connection request, introduce yourself and why you want to connect. For example, "I really enjoyed your post about _______ and would love to ask more questions about your experience in _____." This is especially important in high school as no one will be actively recruiting you.
Every company or internship position you're applying for may look for your different skills, and you should tailor your resume to reflect that. Your resume may only be looked at for mere seconds, so make sure your most relevant experiences and skills stand out. Start off your bullet points with action verbs like "analyzed", "developed", "evaluated", "designed," etc. and quantify your impact whenever possible. Your resume should reflect not just what you did, but also what impact you made.
An effective cold email is concise, personalized, and actionable. Remember that your recipient is under no obligation to respond or even read your email, so make it as easy as possible for them. Introduce yourself and the reason you're emailing them within the first paragraph, or at the very beginning of the second. Talk specifically about why their research/position interests you, and show that you've done your own thorough research into your recipient's work. Suggest ways for them to involve you, and be sure to thank them for their time!
Your portfolio is important for demonstrating your interest and skill in a certain field or subject beyond what's on your resume. If you're a programmer, your GitHub should be featured in the header of your resume. If you're interested in a web development position, creating your own personal website can help highlight your qualifications. You should be actively adding to your portfolio with recent work to show your continued dedication.
Depending on your purpose for networking, master the interview on both sides, as an interviewer and an interviewee. If you're asking to chat with someone to get their expertise, prepare questions in advance, appear engaged in their responses, and find ways to contribute to the discussion. If you are being interviewed or called for a position, use resources to find out commonly-asked questions and anticipate questions that can be asked about you. Try mock interviews with yourself or a friend.