Sales is often named as the easiest stepping stone into big tech, and it is a well-worn path, but not everyone has the skills to prospect, sell and close deals.
Other often-cited access positions are in marketing and communications, product management, business development, operations, customer success, and customer service.
Although landing a well-paid gig in a big tech company is a lifetime career goal for many, that doesn’t mean you can’t land one close to graduation.
In fact, big tech companies recognize the value in emerging talent and invest in programs to bring students and early-career talent into their organizations.
This is especially true for MBA students who also command higher salaries. Here are a few ways to stand out from the multitudes of applicants this year.
Interns and Apprentices
Students and graduates would do well to research the internship programs available at their top five or ten companies, and ensure they have allocated time to apply ahead of each deadline.
At Amazon, there’s two types of internships on offer: one for regular students and one for MBAs.
While its technical internships take place in the summer and last between 12 to 16 weeks, other internships are year-round.
Over at Google, internships are offered more on a rolling as-needed basis.
Current internships on offer are seeking expertise in Google Cloud, research science, software engineering, customer engineering HR, product marketing manager, sales, marketing and data, and these positions are available globally.
There are also MBA-specific internships, and these are clearly labeled in job titles.
For those looking to gain leadership and development experience, Google’s summertime BOLD Internship Program opens for application in fall for the summer ahead, and this is suitable for those looking for students in their third year of a four-year BA or BS program.
Meanwhile, the Facebook RPM Program recruits annually and gives participants exposure to multiple areas of the business over a total of 18 months. This is a highly-competitive program for aspiring product managers.
Now you know where the opportunities may lie, next you must prepare for crafting applications.
Understand the Business Priorities
Every business has its own goals, and you can learn a lot by sifting through news articles containing the company name, and by reading about their culture and values, and company news pages on their own websites.
Most big tech companies are competing in the AI race, so it’s wise to upskill in this area. Check out Datacamp, Codecademy, Coursera, and edX for short artificial intelligence courses, or if the company is big enough, it might be offering its own courses, as Meta, Amazon and Hugging Face do.
Research Its Culture
Next, look for sections like “About Us” or “Our Culture” on the company’s website; this is where many companies showcase their values and mission statement.
Additionally, an ESG (environment, social and governance) report which contains information about how a company functions and its sustainability credentials is a great resource, if available.
In Amazon’s case, they have a list of 16 Leadership Principles, which you should aim to exemplify, if you want to work there.
Then, find and follow the company on social media platforms and forums.
Pay attention to the type of content they share, their interactions with employees, and any events or initiatives they participate in. This will show you how the organization lives its values.
Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral interview questions are used by hiring managers to assess candidates based on their prior experiences.
The majority of these questions begin with “Give me an example of a time when…” and are meant to probe a variety of soft skills, including communication, leadership, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
Start with a list of skills frequently listed in the company’s job specs, and work backwards, showing how you have direct experience in each.
More Places to Apply
Ready to try a direct application? The GradCafe Job Board features lots of tech internships and entry-level opportunities, such as the three below.
Customer Success Intern, Oracle, United States
Oracle is seeking collaborative Interns to work with cross-functional teams during the summer of 2024. Training will be given at the beginning and the focus will be on interns getting the experience they need to exceed with Oracle or another organization. Interns will join team meetings, be part of existing teams, work with internal teams, report to trainers, have individual goals, and are expected to provide feedback to improve the program. There are seven different roles in the Digital Renewals Center, all require excellent customer service skills on phone and email, strong attention to detail, organization skills and analytical skills. So if you’re a self-starter and curious, apply here.
Sales Development Intern, Plaid, San Francisco
In San Francisco, Plaid is paying $5,000 a month to Sales Development Interns, who will learn how to interact with its top prospective customers, and will effectively communicate on behalf of Plaid to companies ranging from start-ups to large enterprises. You’ll learn all about the sales funnel from inbound leads and outbound campaigns, and follow through to deal closure and contract negotiation. Applicants should show demonstrated interest in working with customers and explaining technical processes, and a desire to get more technical and to learn all about Plaid’s APIs. Apply now.
Engineering Intern, SAIC, California
SAIC is seeking Engineering Interns to work on-site in California, MD with the possibility of hybrid work at a later date. This part-time position involves providing support for engineering, systems engineering, and process engineering for aviation technology development, experiments, and integration into fielded designs. You must be enrolled in an undergraduate program, be a U.S. citizen, and have the ability to obtain Secret Clearance. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, and there is no deadline. Take a look here.
Accelerate your job hunt today via the GradCafe Job Board
Amanda Kavanagh is a Dublin-based journalist and content writer with over a
decade of experience writing and editing across digital, print and social.
