Here is How to Actually Find Data Science Internships in 2024
My advice as an ex-hiring manager
After 6 years of working in this field and having experienced firsthand what it’s like to build a data team from scratch, I can tell you with confidence that the most direct path to a career in Data Science starts with an internship:
Not only are the entry-level requirements much more attainable, but an internship also holds significant weight on your resume, even if it didn’t lead directly to a full-time offer.
But here’s the catch.
If you try to follow this path, you’ll face two main challenges:
Data Science internships are actually quite rare.
Given the intense competition in today’s job market, luck plays a bigger role than it ever did before, and the last thing you want is to rely on chance.
💡 Not to mention, most Data & Analytics teams aren’t set up to work with students or interns, and even if they are open to hiring one, it is still quite low on their list of priorities.
This is why so many students are struggling to find internship opportunities.
So does that mean getting an internship today is out of the question?
Absolutely not.
In this article, I share a strategy that I have seen work effectively in multiple tech companies, and which even led me to hire my first Data Scientist intern while working as a hiring manager.
🎁 At the end, I also share a free bonus for paid subscribers to help you become more effective at finding internships.
Let’s get started!
Being Proactive
Waiting for an internship to be advertised doesn’t equal being proactive.
You must put yourself out there and connect with those who have the potential to give you the opportunities you are looking for.
You have to ask.
I know asking can be scary, especially when it involves strangers, but the reality is that you won’t make it very far in your career if you don’t learn to ask for what you want.
And here’s the thing: the best opportunities often aren’t even advertised. In fact, a lot of internships get filled before they ever make it online. That’s why one of the most effective ways to land an internship is to ask for it, even if there’s no posting.
But of course, to get results you must move strategically.
So how do you do that exactly?
The cold message
To land an unadvertised internship, you'll need a 'champion'—someone on the inside who believes in your potential and can help open doors.
That means you’ll have to venture into the unknown and reach out to strangers.
1 — Define your strategy
Have a clear plan for who you will reach out to and how.
The How:
You have two options depending on how much of a rush you are in:
Establish a connection: Express your interest in connecting, but don’t ask for anything yet.
Make the Ask: Get straight to the point and ask for an opportunity.
The first option is about playing the long game and establishing a meaningful connection so that they feel more inclined to help out in the future. You should be doing this with every connection regardless.
But there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting straight to the point. Most people will appreciate that you are being transparent with your intentions and not trying to waste their time.
The Who:
Regardless of which method you go for, you’ll need to decide who you should reach out to. Here are your main options:
Team Leads or Analytics managers
Data Scientists
Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but please avoid reaching out to multiple of them simultaneously within the same company.
Pick one and start there.
2— Start connecting
Connect with people who work at the companies you are interested in.
For example, if I was interested in working at OpenAI, I would visit their LinkedIn page, go to the “People” section, scroll down, and connect with Data Scientists working at that company.
Alternatively, you can find other Data Scientists working at OpenAI using the “search” feature:
The goal here is to grow our network, and hopefully, start building relationships early.
3 — Make the Ask
A good cold message is simple and genuine
Let me share with you some examples of how these messages could look like:
Message type #1: Establish a connection
This is one of the LinkedIn messages I sent as a recent graduate with the purpose of networking and building relationships:
With this approach, I ended up with a couple of coffee chats and a few office tours, which included the Google and LinkedIn offices.
Message type #2: Make the Ask
Below is a message I recently received on LinkedIn from someone looking for an internship at the company I was working for:
And finally, the best cold email out there. This was sent to Snapchat’s CEO by a random teenager asking for an internship:
Short, while still highlighting relevant work experience — perfect for CEOs whose inboxes tend to fill up with emails.
💡 By the way, data suggests that the ideal length of a cold email is between 150-200 words. So keep all of your messages short and concise.