Backrs Guide to Landing a Great Internship
A strategic, step-by-step approach to finding, landing, and making the most of your internship experience.
20 min read read
internships
career development
job search
college students
internship guide
Landing a great internship is one of the most important things you can do in college. It builds your resume, expands your network, clarifies your interests, and dramatically improves your odds of landing a strong first job after graduation.
But the process is harder than most students expect. Competition is fierce, the best opportunities often go unadvertised, and success requires more than just submitting applications online.
This guide gives you a strategic, step-by-step approach to finding, landing, and making the most of your internship experience.
Your complete internship search playbook
Top Insights
The right experience can open multiple doors. In order of importance:
- Signal achievement. Ironically, the most important part of having an internship is getting one—it signals that employers find you desirable. The second most important part is demonstrating strong performance once you're there. (See Backrs Standards by Track for benchmarks of success.)
- Increase your line of sight to a full-time job. Many internships are extended interviews.
- Expand your network. Every experience broadens your access to professionals who can advise, vouch for, or refer you.
- Build useful, relevant skills. You'll learn practical tools, workplace habits, and communication skills that carry forward.
- Clarify your interests. You'll discover what types of environments, people, and problems fit you best.
What are NOT good reasons to get an internship?
- To make money. If you need income, that's valid—but treat pay as a bonus, not the purpose. The long-term ROI of experience dwarfs short-term wages.
- To have fun or go somewhere cool. You'll hopefully enjoy yourself, but the goal is to set up a 40-year career, not an 8-week vacation.
The right experience can open multiple doors. In order of importance:
- Signal achievement. Ironically, the most important part of having an internship is getting one—it signals that employers find you desirable. The second most important part is demonstrating strong performance once you're there. (See Backrs Standards by Track for benchmarks of success.)
- Increase your line of sight to a full-time job. Many internships are extended interviews.
- Expand your network. Every experience broadens your access to professionals who can advise, vouch for, or refer you.
- Build useful, relevant skills. You'll learn practical tools, workplace habits, and communication skills that carry forward.
- Clarify your interests. You'll discover what types of environments, people, and problems fit you best.
What are NOT good reasons to get an internship?
- To make money. If you need income, that's valid—but treat pay as a bonus, not the purpose. The long-term ROI of experience dwarfs short-term wages.
- To have fun or go somewhere cool. You'll hopefully enjoy yourself, but the goal is to set up a 40-year career, not an 8-week vacation.
Advice from a Pro
Backrs co-founder Tom Latkovic brings decades of experience hiring and evaluating talent. He is a former McKinsey Senior Partner, has founded multiple companies, and over the course of his career has directly hired hundreds of people and been responsible for thousands.
In this video, he explains:
- Why blindly applying on LinkedIn or Handshake rarely leads to internships
- How to build a “team” of mentors, professors, and peers to support your search
- Why you should target employers instead of job postings
- How to use alumni and connections to get your resume seen by a real person
- The best questions to ask professionals when seeking guidance
- What to do if you can’t land a formal internship
- And more
Top Internship Myths
Reset your expectations before you begin your search.
The myth: You can find and land a great internship entirely by yourself, without help from anyone.
The Reality
Almost nobody lands a great internship alone. The students who succeed build a small team around them and use every advantage they can find. Most hiring decisions are made by people who trust someone they know. You have blind spots that professors, mentors, near peers, and coaches can see. Many internships are never posted publicly.
What to Do Instead
Leverage every resource available — parents, professors, identity-based programs, alumni networks, Backrs. Build connections through the search process itself. Think of it as recruiting a team: 2–3 professionals, 3–5 near peers, and a set of good tools.
The Bottom Line:
The students who land the best internships don't go it alone. They build a team and use every resource available.
The myth: You can find and land a great internship entirely by yourself, without help from anyone.
The Reality
Almost nobody lands a great internship alone. The students who succeed build a small team around them and use every advantage they can find. Most hiring decisions are made by people who trust someone they know. You have blind spots that professors, mentors, near peers, and coaches can see. Many internships are never posted publicly.
What to Do Instead
Leverage every resource available — parents, professors, identity-based programs, alumni networks, Backrs. Build connections through the search process itself. Think of it as recruiting a team: 2–3 professionals, 3–5 near peers, and a set of good tools.
The Bottom Line:
The students who land the best internships don't go it alone. They build a team and use every resource available.
The Process
A step-by-step framework for finding, landing, and making the most of your internship.
Treat your search like a sales funnel. Track three things: Employers (focus on employer names, not just roles), Connections (everyone who might help), and Specific Opportunities (with links, deadlines, next actions).
How to Set It Up
Use Google Sheets or Notion with status filters. Add a weekly review habit. Color-code priorities.
What to Track
Employer names, contact people, application status, deadlines, follow-up dates, and notes on each conversation.
The Bottom Line:
Pro Tip: Pipeline management is a core professional skill that mirrors sales, consulting, recruiting, and entrepreneurship. Master it now.
Treat your search like a sales funnel. Track three things: Employers (focus on employer names, not just roles), Connections (everyone who might help), and Specific Opportunities (with links, deadlines, next actions).
How to Set It Up
Use Google Sheets or Notion with status filters. Add a weekly review habit. Color-code priorities.
What to Track
Employer names, contact people, application status, deadlines, follow-up dates, and notes on each conversation.
The Bottom Line:
Pro Tip: Pipeline management is a core professional skill that mirrors sales, consulting, recruiting, and entrepreneurship. Master it now.