{"id":7434,"date":"2019-05-21T11:38:35","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T18:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/?p=7434"},"modified":"2024-07-02T07:55:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T14:55:47","slug":"data-analyst-internship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/data-analytics\/data-analyst-internship\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Land a Data Analyst Internship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s a frustrating Catch-22 facing students and recent college grads on the hunt for an entry-level job: you often need the experience to get experience. One valuable way to get a foothold in any industry, particularly in the highly competitive tech space, is to find an internship. So we\u2019ve come up with an eight-step guide to help you land a data analyst internship. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s roll.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\n<\/div>\n\n
    \n
  1. \n

    Talk to Advisors and Career Counselors<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    Research and Compile Deadlines<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n

    Start Filling Out the First Application<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n

    Prepare Your Resume and Cover Letter<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n

    Send Out Lots of Applications<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  6. \n

    Prepare for the Interview<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  7. \n

    Nail the Interview<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  8. \n

    Wait and Negotiate<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    Step 1: Talk to Advisors and Career Counselors<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re paying for school, chances are you\u2019re shelling out a significant amount of money for guidance services. Get your money\u2019s worth. Schedule an appointment with your academic adviser. They often have connections and can save you a lot of work. Plus, they\u2019ll probably give you a glowing recommendation because they think you\u2019re rad for stepping up. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Another option is to visit your career counseling office<\/span> if your university has one. (Even if you\u2019ve already graduated, career counseling services might still be available to you.) Nearby companies usually put out feelers for job candidates with universities and will have direct contact with counselors. They\u2019ll most likely have a convenient list of companies that offer <\/span>data analyst<\/span><\/a> internships. While you\u2019re there, they can give you advice on how to design your resume, how to conduct yourself during the interview, and much more. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re enrolled in Springboard’s data science bootcamp<\/a>, you\u2019ve got a mentor who can guide you toward opportunities as well. These mentors work in the industry, so they can give you real-world insights about the field. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 2: Research and Compile Deadlines<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Most of the time, you\u2019re not going to be handed an internship after talking to advisors or counselors\u2014not that it\u2019s unheard of, so, you know, talk to them if you can. That means you\u2019re still going to have to do some of your own research. <\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>AngelList<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Glassdoor<\/span><\/a> are great places to start.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The importance of thorough research cannot be overstated. Especially at this point in your career, when employers are judging you on your character and potentially more than your experience, you have to show that you\u2019re genuinely interested in the company. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rajeeb Dey, CEO at Enternships.com, has this to say:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWe work with a lot of employers, and time and again the number one piece of feedback we get when they reject candidates is that \u2018they didn\u2019t seem to know, or care, much about our company,\u2019\u201d he <\/span>wrote on Quora<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019ve been told which companies to apply for, or even have an interview set up as a result of your conversations, you\u2019ll still want to visit the company website. Peruse the \u201cAbout\u201d page. Scan the blog. Figure out exactly what each company is and what they do. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, make sure you\u2019ve read and understood the data analyst intern job description as well. However, whether you are applying as a data sc<\/a><\/span>ientist, data analyst intern, or machine learning engineer, understanding the job description is important in determining whether you are truly qualified for the position. Take notes on your research, as you\u2019re going to need them when prepping your resume. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While you\u2019re researching, compile a list of deadlines. Internships, especially paid ones, are highly competitive. You\u2019ll have an edge if you apply early, so make sure you know the expectations and that you\u2019re going to exceed them, not barely meet them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 3: Start Filling Out the First Application <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Before you start prepping your resume, I recommend filing the first application, or, at the very least, starting it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is because many employers ask for many different types of resumes in different formats. In addition, while you\u2019re filling out this application, you\u2019ll get a better sense of what the company wants and what other companies looking for similar interns want. In other words, the process of filing the application becomes part of the research. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Most of these applications will be online. A lot of them will have their own application portals. Make sure that, if you\u2019re filing an application that you intend to finish later, you remember (or save in a safe place) the credentials for the online portal they\u2019re using. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve had to start from scratch on applications because I forgot the creds for the portal a week later. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I trust you know your way around these forms. They\u2019re tedious, I know. (Is there anything more frustrating than providing your full work history on an application that also requires a resume complete with, oh look at that, a full work history?) You can ease your suffering a bit, though. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Autofill settings have become pretty handy. This first application probably won\u2019t be the last. Sometimes interns file dozens of applications before they land anything. Plan for that. Unfortunately, Chrome\u2019s default autofill settings aren\u2019t exactly <\/span>swole<\/span><\/a>. They\u2019ll help with excessively common fields such as name, address, and phone number, but they could use some enhancement.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fortunately, autofill \u2018roids are available on the <\/span>Chrome Web Store<\/span><\/a>. In addition, make sure you\u2019ve got an updated LinkedIn and Indeed account. Often these will have 1-click application processes or will autofill forms for you.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Something important here: Make sure the information you provide is consistent across sources. What you provide in your applications should match, more or less, what you list in your resume, LinkedIn profile, Indeed, Glassdoor\u2014everything. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

    Get To Know Other\tData Analytics Students<\/h4>
    \"Cana<\/a>

    Cana Curtis<\/p>

    Research Analyst at Virginia Commonwealth University<\/p><\/div>

    <\/div>

    Read Story<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>

    \"Joel<\/a>

    Joel Antolijao<\/p>

    Data Analyst at FanDuel<\/p><\/div>

    Read Story<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>

    \"Yogita<\/a>

    Yogita Nesargi<\/p>

    Data Engineer at Deloitte<\/p><\/div>

    Read Story<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Step 4: Prepare Your Resume and Cover Letter <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    At some point during the application process, you\u2019ll be asked to upload a resume and you might also be asked to upload a cover letter. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can imitate the process for a full-fledged <\/span>data analyst resume<\/span><\/a>, but there will be some differences in your own.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, I\u2019m guessing the biggest gap in your resume is experience, if you\u2019re applying for internships. That means you might find yourself staring into an empty void of white space, panicking. Don\u2019t. Employers looking for data interns don\u2019t typically expect <\/span>a lot<\/span><\/i> of experience, at least not professional work experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are a few sections you can add to your resume to help fill it out: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n