Outreach and Referrals

Many jobs are not posted online, and can only be found through networking. You should do three things to secure an internship

Ask your network
Seek warm intros
Do cold outreach

Ask your network

Many jobs and placements come through referrals. Even early in your career, you might have a contact who can connect you to an opportunity that would be a good fit.

You should:

let your network know that you are looking for an internship
message specific people in your network who could refer you

A good message is polite, direct, individualized, and to the point. Here's an example:

Hello {Name}

It was great to meet you at the event last week. I am currently looking for a software development internship, and I'm wondering if there are specific companies that you'd recommend I apply to. I am a strong python backend developer, and I'm also curious about data science. I'm open to different industries, though I have a special interest in healthtech given my experiences in volunteering at health clinics near my home. Thank you for your help!

Warm outreach

In addition to reaching out to your network broadly, you should seek referrals to specific companies or individuals.

If there is a company that you are interested in, you should see if you have any connections that might help you reach an individual at the company. You might have seen that LinkedIn displays "2nd degree" connections, and shows you who you know in common with someone else. You can ask for that person to connect you:

Hi [name], I am currently looking for an internship and I am curious to learn more about [company]. I saw that you are connected with [connection], who works there. Would you mind introducing me? Thank you!

Cold outreach

If you don't have a warm referral, you can still reach out to someone. "Cold" outreach is when you reach out to someone you don't know, and don't have a referral to connect with.

It's not always successful, since people are busy and might ignore you, but it can also work!

📖 Read about Cold outreach on the Handshake blog

When to cold email?

If there is no job listed, and you don't have a warm referral.

You can also do cold outreach if you want to try to set up an informational interview.

Who to cold email?

You should try to find the contact information for someone who is close to the program or position you are applying for. At a startup, that might be the CTO or CEO. At a mid-size company, it might be an engineer, engineering manager, or someone from the HR or people team. At a large company, there is likely someone in charge of internships, or in charge of specific internship programs.

For an informational interview, you can reach out to anyone at a company. It's usually more helpful the closer that person is to the position you are applying for (e.g. it's often more helpful to speak to someone on the engineering team than on the sales or marketing team, though either could be useful).

What to say?

Cold emails should be brief, polite, clear, and direct. You should have a clear ask, and you should offer value.

Here's an example:

From: rob.student@kibo.school To: ope.hiringmanager@example.com Subject: Informational Interview with Kibo Student

Hi Ope,

I'm Rob, a CS student at Kibo.

I came across your profile on LinkedIn when looking at companies for a potential internship.

I'm impressed by your team's product, and would love to hear more about how your engineering team works.

Would you be open to a 20-minute conversation in the next few weeks? If so, please suggest a few times that work for you. If it's easier for you, here is my availability.

Thanks,

Rob

Should you send follow-up?

If someone does not respond to your cold email, they might not be interested in talking with you.

Still, sending one follow-up message a week can be effective. You should send it in the same thread as your initial message. Remember to send

Hi Ope,

I'd still love to hear more about your team. Do you have time for a quick (20 min) call this week?

Thanks, Rob

🛑 Beware of making a bad impression by spamming. Do not reach out too often or too frequently! A good rule of thumb for cold outreach is to send one followup, after one to two weeks of your initial outreach. It may be disapointing not to hear back, but do not send incessive notes. That will only harm your reputation, and likelihood of getting a role at the company.

Other Platforms

Email is universal, and if you can find an email address, that's usually the best platform for cold outreach. However, other platforms can also be effective.

If someone is open to messages on LinkedIn, you can try sending a direct message there. It is similar to the email message above.

Twitter (or other social media) can also be effective, especially if you have mutual connections. Social platforms tend to be informal, so you usually should leave out the greeting and sign-off.

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