While Google has already selected its summer interns, it’s almost time for the fall internship application process. Applications will go live in late spring (and intern hopefuls can ask Google to alert them when the process starts.)
Google hires upwards of 1,000 interns per class, according to Intern Match. And an internship at Google can be a real career maker. Not only can it help a student get a job offer from Google, it’s a big attraction for other tech companies.
But those internships are not easy to get. An intern hopeful can increase the odds by doing some some pretty specific things on the application, Google’s Jessica Safir, one of the people who decide on interns, says on Quora.
1. Show off a good GPA. “Yes, we care about your grades. This is why we ask for your transcript. We don’t have a GPA cutoff, but we do take a close look at how well you’re doing in your computer science courses. When you’re a student, doing well in your classes should be your priority,” she writes.
2. Play up all your hobbies particularly your computer programming activities. Google wants to see what you’re into, beyond just paid employment, particularly things like “programming competitions, hackathons, building apps in your free time,” she writes.
In fact, hackathons and similar contests have become a major way for college students to attract recruiters these days, and not just from Google.
3. The resume doesn’t have to be one page, but probably shouldn’t be a massive four-pager, either.
4. Students can apply multiple times. Those who applied previously and got turned down, can try again. But Google will be looking for improvements in grades and/or resume activities, such as a bunch of hackathons or new apps you built, Safir writes.
