Three Easy Ways to Stand Out While Applying for Dev Internships

First, let us look at why winning an internship could set you up for life. 

And this is for good reason.

85% of Goldman Sachs' summer interns in Technology are made a full time offer, according to this Quora answer.

I can attest to that from my personal experience. Way back in 2004, I was a summer intern at Goldman Sachs and was offered a full time position at the end of the academic year. 2005 NAPA Represent!

Some of my college friends joined Goldman through off campus hiring and their interviews were a lot harder and took longer to close than my internship interview.

So, the smart way to land your first full time job is by first getting hired as an intern.

Given the above state of affairs, it should come as no surprise that there is intense competition for internships as well.

But there are a few small things you can do to tilt the board in your favor. 

Don't send out bare resumes. Always include a cover letter even if it is optional. But not just any cover letter. Make sure you have spent a bit of time to personalize the cover letter.

Pay attention while reading the job listing. If the listing mentions specific teams that you will be interning with, go ahead and read up about those teams. Then, find a connection, however tenuous, between the work those teams do and your interests. 

E.g., say you are applying to intern with a food delivery app's tech team. You could say something like:

The note is personal and it shows that you have a basic understanding of the space and a reason, however vague, for wanting to work in that specific team.

This is a bit of a left field suggestion. 

Create a free Calendly account and put your Calendly link in your resume. 

While it is unlikely that any hiring manager will open your Calendly to find an interview slot convenient to you (!), having a Calendly link is a signal to them that you value your time and expect them to value yours.

Calendly, for those who don't know, is a web app where you can designate time slots during which you are available - sort of announcing your personal office hours.

This one is a bit pet peeve of mine. I have had people applying for internships with email ids like JaiMaSantoshi OR AmitIsGreat.

Try to stick to firstname.lastname @gmail. Numbers are okay too as long as they are easy to work out. For example, Amit1998 will be interpreted as Amit born in 1998. 

One thing is certain - do not, under ANY circumstances, try to be cute with your email address. Any references to 69 or 420 are not going to be interpreted kindly. If you were born on 6th September or April 20th, hard luck. FInd some other number to use.

If you can buy a personal domain and set up email on that, nothing like it. As someone applying for developer positions, nothing speaks better of you than being able to use the Internet the way it was intended.

In fact, you can even use Pretzelbox.cc to host your domain and manage your emails.

To be clear, none of these suggestions are going to guarantee you an invitation to interview with your dream company. 

Still, the little things you do to stand out can lead to monumental changes in the course of your life. The harder you work, the luckier you will get.

Think of it like this. 

No one is ever going to decide NOT to interview you because you included a cover letter or using a professional sounding email address or included a Calendly link that they ignored. These tips are just basic hygiene that a lot of peers might miss and that can create an opening for you to stand out.

So, what do you have to lose by trying these tips?

Happy applying and good luck.