How to Get an Internship With No Experience

You’ve probably thought, “I can’t get an internship without experience, but I can’t get experience without an internship.” It can feel like you are stuck in a loop with no way forward.

The good news is, employers want to see your curiosity, your effort, and your ability to learn and grow on the job. They know that as a student, you do not have everything figured out yet.

Here are interesting facts about internships and interns:

• In 2024, 67 percent of graduates completed at least one internship.
• Paid interns receive an average of 1.4 job offers compared to 0.9 for unpaid interns.
• About half of the interns end up in full-time roles.
• Paid internships lead to higher starting salaries, with a median of $67,500 compared to $45,000 for unpaid positions.

What counts as experience? If you have led a class project, held a part-time job, started a student club, or completed freelance work, you probably have more experience than you realize.

The key is showing employers the skills and potential you already have. When you present what you have done as proof of what you can do, you don’t only show experience. You also become someone they want to hire.

In internships, employers would like to see transferable skills. Your school activities, job, or volunteer work are considered experiences that make you cut out for it.

NACE identifies eight key competencies that employers want. They include:

• critical thinking
• communication
• teamwork
• technology
• leadership
• professionalism
• career and self-development
• equity and inclusion

Your experiences matter to your internship application. Here’s why:

• Class projects can demonstrate teamwork, communication, and the ability to meet deadlines.
• A part-time retail or food service job teaches customer service, problem-solving, and reliability.
• Student organizations give you leadership, collaboration, and event-planning skills.
• Volunteering demonstrates initiative, adaptability, and social involvement.

Employers do not expect you to be exceptionally skilled. They prefer someone who can think, communicate, work well with others, adapt, and grow. As you already have proof of that, your job is to frame it so they can see it.

Take a moment to list your experiences, and write down the skills you gained from those. Turn what feels like “just school or part-time work” into evidence that you are ready to succeed in a professional setting.

Starting a resume with limited work experience can be daunting. However, you have valuable skills, projects, and experiences that demonstrate your ability to learn, grow, and contribute. The key is to structure your resume effectively and highlight your strengths.

Here’s a simple structure for you to follow:

Contact information

Your phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile should be easy for employers to find.

Resume objective

Keep it short. Express what you want to do and how you can contribute.

Education

Include your GPA if it’s strong, your relevant coursework, and any honors.

Skills

Include both technical skills, like software or tools you know, and soft skills, like teamwork, communication, or leadership. Match them to what the posting asks for.

Projects

Don’t underestimate class, personal, or creative projects. Quantify what you did when you can. For example, you can say, “Led a team of 4 students to complete a research project on local water quality.

Activities & Leadership

Clubs, student government, or other organizations show initiative, collaboration, and leadership.

Volunteer Experience

Community work shows responsibility, adaptability, and willingness to help.

Create a strong resume. Follow these steps:

• Use action verbs like led, organized, created, or analyzed.
• Keep it to one page.
• Tailor it for each internship by using keywords from the posting.
• Don’t apologize for not having much experience. Instead, highlight your potential.
• Employers are looking for students who can learn and grow.

Career centers exist to assist students like you, and most of their services are free. Sadly, many students don’t use their career centers enough, which is a missed opportunity.

If you’re worried about landing your first internship, get help from your career center. Here’s what you can get:

• Resume and cover letter reviews
• Mock interviews and coaching
• Career counseling
• Internship listings through Handshake
• Career fairs and employer info sessions
• Alumni networking connections
• Industry-specific guides

Staff at your career center are trained to help students who don’t yet have professional experience. Handshake, specifically, is the main way:

• Employers find students from your school.
• Fill out your profile completely with a photo, your skills, and your interests to get matched to the right opportunities.

Campus-specific job boards give you a better chance to stand out. They often have fewer applicants than big sites like Indeed or LinkedIn.

Your professors and academic advisors know your field, and they can help. They can connect you to internships or research opportunities that might not be posted anywhere.

Career center staff are experts at helping students like you start your professional journey. Take advantage of the support they offer, and turn what feels like a blank slate into a real plan for landing your first internship.

About 85% of jobs are filled through connections. More than 90% of students who did internships had informational interviews. Students with two or more internships were eight times more likely to have these conversations. These figures show how important networking is.

What is networking for students?

• Networking is NOT asking strangers for jobs
• Networking is building genuine relationships and gathering information.

Here are important tips on how to network as a college student:

Start with who you know.

Family and friends might connect you with their contacts. Professors, especially those who also work in the industry, can offer advice and introduce you to others.

Alumni from your school are usually willing to help, and your classmates’ parents might share insights you cannot find online.

Do Informational Interviews.

Informational interviews are short conversations, usually 15 to 30 minutes, where your main goal is to learn. These chats often lead to opportunities that are not posted anywhere.

Ask about someone’s career path, what their typical day is like, and any advice they have for students.
Ask if they know anyone else you should talk to.

Used LinkedIn.

Create a professional profile with a clear headline, summary, and photo. Connect with classmates, professors, and alumni.

More than 70 percent of people hired had a connection at the company. Many internships exist in the hidden job market, meaning they are never posted publicly.

Each conversation helps you practice. Start reaching out to one person this week and ask for a quick 15-minute chat. Every new connection gets you closer to landing your first internship.

More than a social media site, LinkedIn is where recruiters and employers find candidates.

Over 75 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn, and there are 46 million student users. Employers also check social media, with 70 percent saying they look at candidates’ profiles. That means your LinkedIn profile is often your first impression.

Set up your profile essentials as a student. Here’s how:

• Use a professional headshot with a clean background and appropriate attire.
• Your headline should be more than just “Student.” You have to try something like “Marketing Major | Aspiring Brand Strategist | UMD ’26.”
• Write your summary in the first person. Think of it as your elevator pitch.
• Include your education, relevant coursework, and GPA if it is strong.
• Fill out the experience section with internships, projects, volunteer work, and part-time jobs.
• Add a skills section with industry keywords so recruiters can find you.

Take action to make your profile work for you. Here are a few more tips:

• Connect with classmates, professors, family, and alumni.
• Follow companies and organizations you are interested in.
• Join industry-specific groups to learn and engage.
• Get recommendations from professors or supervisors who can vouch for your skills and work ethic.
• Use the keywords from job postings in your summary, experience, and skills.
• Turn on the “Open to Work” feature so recruiters know you are looking for internships.

A LinkedIn profile can feel overwhelming at first, but think of it as a tool to showcase your potential. Each connection, each section, and each keyword you add increases your visibility to recruiters.

A strong profile gives you a way to stand out. Get noticed, and move one step closer to landing your first internship.

Finding internships can be overwhelming with all the platforms and postings out there. Make it manageable by starting with the primary platforms where employers actively look for students.

Here are the top primary platforms you can try:

• Handshake is the main campus recruiting platform. The employers on it specifically look for students from your school.
• LinkedIn Jobs allows you to use filters for “internship” and “entry-level” to narrow your search.
• Indeed has a huge database. Try searching for “internship” plus your field.
• Go directly to company websites and check the careers pages of organizations you admire.

You can also use specialized resources that can open doors. For example:

• USAJobs.gov is the place for federal internships.
• Idealist.org lists nonprofit opportunities.
• Many professional associations have job boards with internships in your field.
• Look for postings labeled “entry-level,” “no experience required,” or “student-friendly.”

Applying to smaller companies can also pay off. There is usually less competition, and the work is often more hands-on, giving you valuable experience.

Start early. Many summer internships have deadlines in the fall or winter, so do not wait. Quantity matters too.

Apply to at least ten positions and expect some rejections. Create a tracking spreadsheet with the names of companies you applied to, the date you applied, and your application status.

Treat your internship search like a project. Break the tasks into steps, set deadlines for applications, and make follow-ups professionally. Each application is an opportunity to practice, learn, and move closer to the internship that will launch your career.

It is normal to feel nervous before your first internship interview, but you should always remember this: employers know you are a student. They are not expecting perfection or polish. They want to see your potential through your curiosity, your willingness to learn, and how you think on your feet. The key is preparation.

Learn the company’s mission, values, recent news, and culture.

Read the job description carefully and think about your experiences, including class projects, volunteer work, and part-time jobs. Match what they are looking for.

Prepare three to five examples of your accomplishments using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Practice answering common questions out loud so you feel comfortable explaining your experiences clearly.

Prepare for internship interview questions.

The most common questions are the following:

• “Tell me about yourself” (have a 60-second pitch ready)
• “Why are you interested in this internship/company?”
• “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
• “Tell me about a time you worked on a team.”
• “What do you hope to learn from this experience?”

On the day of the interview:

You should dress professionally even if it is virtual. Bring copies of your resume and arrive ten to fifteen minutes early.

Prepare three to five thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer. This shows that you are engaged and genuinely interested.

After the interview:

You have to keep it brief, express your appreciation, and reiterate your interest. Employers will understand that you are still a student and learning. Send a thank-you email within 24 hours.

Prepare, practice your answers, show your curiosity, and demonstrate professionalism. Making a strong impression raises your chances of landing the right internship.

Just because you’re taking a long time to get an internship does not mean you’re risking putting your career on hold. There are many ways you can build experience and develop skills that employers value.

Any experience that teaches you skills, shows initiative, or puts you in a professional setting counts.

Here are the best alternatives that will help you build experience:

Volunteering is a great option. Nonprofits often need help with marketing, events, data entry, or other tasks that teach transferable skills.

Freelancing is another way for you to gain experience. You can offer services in your area of interest, like writing, design, or social media, on campus or to local businesses.

Research assistantships are also valuable. You should ask professors if they need help with research projects.

Campus jobs can build your skills, too. Working for your department, the career center, or a student organization can give you hands-on experience in teamwork, organization, and leadership.

Personal projects, such as building a website, starting a blog, or creating a portfolio, can show your initiative and creativity.

Virtual job simulations, like those on Forage, give you a taste of real-world work from employers.
Online courses from Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or Google Career Certificates can also help you gain skills and demonstrate commitment.

Even summer jobs that are not internships matter. Roles in retail, food service, or as a camp counselor build communication, teamwork, and reliability.

Micro-internships are another option. They are short-term, project-based work that lasts days or weeks instead of months.

The key is to frame these experiences in terms of transferable skills that relate to professional settings. If a traditional internship isn’t available to you at the moment, find alternatives that help build your resume, grow your network, and get ready for your next opportunity.