What To Do if You Don’t have an Internship
Look below for some information regarding not getting an internship.
Also check out our Spotify Episode about this!
Some statistics to consider...
92-98% of MR/MS graduates are employed within 4 months of graduation.
41% accept FT jobs with their intern employer.
The most popular month for CSC grad students to accept internships in 2023 was April followed by March and May.
Application Tips
Set daily or weekly goals for your search and a routine.
Focus on industries that are hiring like hospitalities (hotels and airlines), healthcare, constructions, and retail.
Big job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed allow broad searches but you have to compete with a larger group of applicants. Consider looking on another site for entry level jobs such as:
Piazza
Ripplematch
Untapped (formerly Canvas)
Handshake
WayUp
Track your applications by using:
Custom spreadsheet
Trello
Teal
Notion
Other places to look for jobs:
Enable notifications on our Slack channel for any leads!
Check out crowd-sourced sites such as:
Github full-time list
Another Github list
CSC ePartner companies
Previous employers of CSC alumni!
Utilizing Google to find NEW listings on ATS sites:
Greenhouse
Workday
Lever
Ashby
iCiMS
Taleo
Other Ideas
Geographic Focus
NC Tech Association
Built in ATX
Industry or Affinity focused
Women In Technology
INFORMS Career Center
Backup Plans
Summer school classes
Fall co-op/internship
Independent projects - these demonstrate tech skills AND initiative (pair up with a friend!)
On-campus jobs
Online learning tools (Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIN Learning)
Moodle Career Prof Dev Course
Expand your network! Meet people, lay the groundwork for full-time employment
Networking
Attend campus programs
Join local meetup groups or register to participate in conferences
Practice tech interview questions with a peer
LinkedIn Messages
WE ARE CONNECTED THROUGH or I WAS FASCINATED BY YOUR POST ON
Provide context for why you are contacting them
I AM
Education, career goals and interests
I DO
Technical skills & experience
I’M SEEKING
Next role (internship vs. FT job), domain of interest, what you have curiosity/passion for!
CAN YOU SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT
Ask specific questions that are a good starting point, and it is easy for them to answer
For new connections:
“I noticed you just posted about your developing work in Data Science. I have a passion for Data Science, and am currently studying Computer Science to refine my skills. Can you share with me some of your key influences you for this research?”
“It was great speaking to you at the Engineering Career Fair last week. The web development work you do for local companies sounded fascinating! I’d like to stay up-to-date on future initiatives at your company.”
“I see that you graduated from my current university, North Carolina State University—go Pack! I’m a Computer Science Masters student and would be excited to hear more about your work with Facebook. I’d love to connect and hear about how your experience at NC State prepared you for working with Facebook.