How to get an internship with no experience

An internship is often the best way into a first job: real experience on your résumé (your CV, in the UK), people who can vouch for you, and sometimes a job offer at the end. But landing one, especially with no experience, can feel like a closed loop: you need experience to get an internship, and an internship to get experience. Here is how to break it, from timing to the interview.

Why an internship is worth the effort

Beyond the line on your résumé, an internship is an extended interview. The employer gets to see you work; you get to see whether the job suits you. For many graduates, it is the shortest route to a permanent role.

When to apply

Earlier than you think. In the UK, most large employers open summer internship and placement-year applications between August and October, close many of them by December or January, and often fill places on a rolling basis, so the same application does better in September than in December. In the US, big employers recruit mainly in the fall for the following summer, and in investment banking, recruiting for junior-year internships has in recent years started more than a year ahead. Smaller companies recruit closer to the date, sometimes only a few weeks before.

The safest plan: start looking at the end of the summer, apply to large employers first, and keep applying to smaller ones through the spring.

Where to look

• Your university careers service. It has employer contacts, job boards reserved for students, and people who read applications for a living. Book a résumé review.
• Job boards with internship filters. LinkedIn, company career pages, and in the US student platforms such as Handshake; in the UK, graduate job sites and your university's own board.
• Careers fairs. Bring printed résumés and your 90-second introduction, ready to go.
• Speculative applications. Many small businesses have never advertised an internship but would take one on. A clear message explaining what you can do, for how long and when, can be enough.

Tailor your résumé and letter

An internship résumé looks like a résumé with no experience, with a headline that makes your search clear: "Marketing student seeking a 10-week summer internship, from June". Lead with projects, coursework, part-time jobs and societies, with their results.

In your cover letter, focus on what the employer gets: someone keen to learn their tools, who can take real work off the team's plate, and who might come back after graduating.

Nailing the internship interview

It runs like any interview, with two extra questions on the interviewer's mind: can you get up to speed quickly, and will you take the work seriously for a short stay? Show that you have researched the team and say what you want to learn in those weeks. Prepare for the most common tricky interview questions too.

Mistakes that cost you an offer

Your search plan

Frequently asked questions

Paid or unpaid?

Rules differ by country. In the UK, an intern who counts as a "worker" (set hours, real tasks, a promise of future work) is entitled to the National Minimum Wage. The main exceptions are placements of up to a year that are a required part of a UK university course, pure work shadowing, and voluntary roles at charities. In the US, an unpaid internship at a for-profit company is lawful only when the intern, not the employer, is the "primary beneficiary" (Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71); non-profits and public bodies have more leeway. Check GOV.UK or the Department of Labor before accepting an unpaid role.

What about a placement year?

In the UK, many degrees include an optional year-long placement between the second and final years. You apply the same way, on the same autumn timetable; the employer expects twelve months of full-time work, and often pays close to a graduate salary.

How many internships should I apply to?

Enough to have several conversations going at once: for competitive schemes, twenty or more targeted applications over the season is common. Spread them across large employers, smaller companies and speculative applications, rather than sending forty to the same few big names.

Can I get an internship in my first year?

Yes. Some large employers run programmes for first-year students (sometimes called "insight" or "spring" programmes), and small businesses often care more about motivation than year of study.

What if I don't hear back?

Follow up once, then widen your search: smaller companies, related sectors, other cities or remote roles. Keep applying rather than waiting on one answer.

Is a remote internship worth it?

It can be, but you learn a lot by watching people work. In NACE's survey, employers with in-person programmes made offers to 72% of interns, against 56% for hybrid ones. That doesn't prove the format made the difference, but if you have the choice, some time in the office is worth it.