How to Get an Internship (Even With No Experience)
The most effective way to get an internship is to email companies directly instead of only applying through job boards. Most companies never post their internships publicly — they hire students who reach out first. A short, specific cold email to the right inbox beats dozens of portal applications.
Job boards feel productive, but they funnel you into an applicant-tracking system alongside hundreds of others. Reaching out directly puts you in front of a real person and signals initiative in a way an online form never can. Here's exactly how to do it.
The 5 steps to landing an internship by reaching out
- Build a target list. Pick 20–50 companies you'd genuinely want to work at — including small ones and startups, where a single email often reaches a decision-maker.
- Find the right inbox. Use a role-based recruiting address (careers@, jobs@, recruiting@) or a named recruiter. FirstInternships gives you 16,000+ verified company recruiting inboxes so you skip this step.
- Write a short, specific email. 70–120 words. Say who you are, one concrete reason you're interested in this company, and one clear ask ("Do you take summer interns?").
- Attach your resume and send from your own email. Emails that come from you, personally, get read.
- Follow up once after 5 days. Most replies come from a polite follow-up, not the first message.
Why emailing companies directly works better than job boards
- You reach a person, not a portal. No resume black hole, no ATS keyword filter.
- Less competition. Hundreds apply to a posting; almost no one emails directly.
- Hidden roles. Many companies will create or offer an internship for a student who impresses them, even with nothing posted.
- Initiative stands out. Reaching out is itself evidence you'll be a proactive intern.
What a good internship cold email looks like
Hi [Company] team,
I'm a sophomore studying computer science at [School]. I recently built a small budgeting app to learn how APIs and databases fit together, and I've followed how your team approaches [specific thing]. I'd love to intern this summer and help wherever I'd be useful. Do you take summer interns? I've attached my resume.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Want more? See our step-by-step cold email guide and copy-paste templates.
Do this in minutes instead of hours
FirstInternships gives you 16,000+ company recruiting inboxes across 17 industries, writes a personalized cold email for each based on your background, and lets you send it from your own Gmail. Free to start.
Get your first internship →Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to get an internship?
The easiest way to get an internship is to email companies directly instead of only applying through job boards. Most small and mid-sized companies never post internships publicly, so a short, specific email to their recruiting inbox reaches a real person and skips the applicant-tracking system entirely.
How do I get an internship with no experience?
Focus on smaller companies and startups, reach out directly by email, and connect one real detail about yourself (a class project, a personal build, a club) to what the company does. Experience matters far less than showing genuine initiative and a specific reason you're contacting them.
How many companies should I email?
Aim for 20–50 well-targeted, personalized emails. Direct outreach typically gets a 5–15% reply rate, so a few dozen good emails usually produces multiple conversations.
Is cold emailing for internships effective?
Yes, especially for smaller companies. A concise, personalized email to the right inbox consistently gets replies that job-board applications don't, because you reach a person instead of a portal.
When should I start looking for an internship?
Start 2–4 months before you want to begin. Direct outreach works year-round because you're not waiting on a posting cycle — many companies take interns whenever a good one reaches out.