Top 10 Ways to Secure your STEM Summer Internship

Whether you're a high school student, undergraduate, grad student or not currently in school, a summer internship can provide valuable experience. It will help you grow mentally, challenge you, and may be the deciding factor of whether you really want to pursue that certain career (or not).

Challenges in securing that internship position may include availability, experience and competition depending on your field — not to mention automated screening that may sort you based on key words in your file.

Over the past five years, I've applied to hundreds of internships, faced countless rejections, interned at two different laboratories, and even landed a job through one of the internships. Based on that experience, here are ten valuable practices to keep in mind when applying for STEM internships.

1. Apply Early

Don't wait until the last minute to submit your application. Treat each position as if it is first come-first serve. Applying early improves your chances of an interview and shows enthusiasm.

A few years ago I was offered a Quality Control summer internship, and it helped that I applied shortly after hearing about the opening. Although I'm still early on in my career, I have had to turn qualified internship applicants away after a position has already been filled by another qualified student who applied earlier.

2. Research the Company

Check out the company or lab - start with their website. Look for 'About' pages, and if they have their values and practices listed, even better. If the lab you're interested in is local, consider reaching out and ask for a tour. The worst they can say is no.

Make note of the lab values/beliefs and write them down. If your beliefs or values align with one or more of the company, be sure to work that information into your interview. Find out what the company is successful at and known for — is it manufacturing, research, marketing, analytical, or something else entirely?

3. Boost your Resume

If your school offers resume/CV assistance, make use of that resource. Ask your mentor or PI to look it over as you update it each semester. YouTube also has several great videos of recruiters sharing what they look for on applicant resumes.

Keep your page clean, avoid unnecessary filler words or adjectives, and include any and all relevant experience for your desired field of work. Make sure your dates/experiences listed are accurate and truthful.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are used by companies or sectors that receive a ton of applications to sort through resumes by key words or phrases. Perform an online search such as: "[the position you're applying for] resume key words." This should be specific to your field/career and will help get your resume higher up the interest list.

(Limited-Time Bonus: For a free resume/CV review, you can email yours to Chemistryweeklynews@gmail.com by June 30th, 2025. Redact any personal information you feel shouldn't be shared.)

4. Get on LinkedIn

If you're not on LinkedIn, I strongly recommend setting up an account regardless of where you are in your education or career. Recruiters can and likely will check online for your social media presence. If you have a headshot, set that as your profile picture. If not, ask a friend or family member to take a picture of you from the shoulders up and in good lighting, or see if your school offers free headshots.

Check out what other people in your field or age are posting and work on making a post if you haven't already. It may be about some research you're working on in a school lab, a certain article that interested you, or even about a school activity that shifted your mindset/beliefs.

5. Your Interview Starts Before the Meeting

Most interviews nowadays are via online meetings — think Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Arrive to the online waiting room 5 to 10 minutes before your scheduled time, as some interviewers check your promptness. If you're in person, arrive 10 to 15 minutes earlier and bring a personal water bottle.

During your interview I recommend your camera and microphone stay on, making sure beforehand that they work fine. Unfortunately, technical difficulties may negatively affect the recruiter's overall perspective of the interview, even if the fault is not yours.

Recently, one of my colleagues interviewed an applicant who did not join the meeting until right after the scheduled time, kept their camera turned off, and from the audio it sounded like they were driving. Needless to say, that applicant was not prepared and was not selected for the internship.

Keep a short written list of talking points in front of you to refer to in the event you lose train of thought. I made the mistake once of not preparing sufficiently for an interview and thoroughly embarrassed myself. Practice answering interview questions in front of the mirror, with friends and family, or follow along with a Youtube mock interview video.

6. Get Your Foot in the Door

An unconventional method may be needed to get yourself into the specific industry or lab you want. As an undergrad just getting started in analytical research, I was looking for a local part time internship during covid and heard about an opportunity at a local municipal water treatment laboratory. Many of the chemists there were furloughed during that time and the internship dates were pushed back several months. Despite the delay, I kept in touch with the lab's manager via email, checking in about once a month on the opportunity.

About 6 months after the initial conversation with the municipal lab manager, I was allowed to go in person to the lab and begin volunteer work. This was tough and exhausting on my schedule with 4-5 classes + my off campus job with overnight hours, but completely worth it.

Because of the volunteer work, I was able to learn new techniques and practice working with instruments that my school's lab did not have, including ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) and (IC) Ion Chromatography.

Even if you have to take an unpaid part time "volunteer" position for a few months, the experience and people that you meet will be worth it. This is a great time to practice setting boundaries in a lab setting, experience maintaining a work-life balance, and learn new skills.

7. Check Different Industries

Private, local government, federal, and academia host a plethora of opportunities for students. Take the time to look for these positions and check with faculty for any student openings.

Private labs may be more likely to be flexible in scheduling, hours, and pay, so this may be a good industry to consider for internship if you have other responsibilities or are a parent.

Local government labs and federal labs will typically list their internships in spring and early summer, and I recommend starting to look as early as late January. Better to be early than miss a deadline. Some labs also have fall/winter internship schedules which are worth looking into as they may have fewer applicants.

8. Seek Professional Help

Utilize your resources and talk to those around you. Your professors are there to help, and most of them were likely interns once. With plenty of weeks before your application deadline, ask them to look over your resume and/or CV. They can also give you advice for the interview and may have connections with local or government labs.

Networking is a crucial part of growing as a student and in your career, whether you go into academia or industry. The internship opportunity I was offered a few years ago from a private lab was only possible because of one of my professors got to know the lab's owner at a conference.

9. Stand Out From Competition

Here is where I throw at you the constantly repeated: 'find what makes you unique'. As cliche as it is, it's true. If you have an obscure hobby or a particular interest in anything from working on cars to studying frogs or playing a sport, find a way to work it into your application. This will help you stand out from others and make both your application and interview memorable for the recruiter.

In interviews, when asked to talk about myself, I'd usually mention that I've played the cello for over a decade, spent time studying plasma reactions during undergrad and grad school, and that I'm a fan of classic artists like Jimi Hendrix.

Having at least one hobby or skill that you can refer to in an interview is important because you can lead the conversation toward how the skills you learn or practice in your hobby make you a valuable candidate for the position.

10. Don't Be Afraid of 'No'

A bit of tough love for you here. Rejection can and will happen to you. It all comes down to how you handle it and what you do with it. You can either take the hit and lay down, or dust yourself off and use the rejection to strengthen yourself.

It's perfectly okay and normal to be upset or experience feelings of anxiety during applications, interviews and rejections. Take note of how you are feeling and work towards processing the rejection(s). Pushing forward without processing may cause additional stress, and I recommend seeking help if needed.

A few summers ago, I applied for over 40 internships over the period of a few weeks. The positions included those at national labs and government labs. Although I was fortunate to interview for about 5 of those positions, I was not selected for any of them. This was discouraging and I started to feel a growing imposter syndrome and question whether I would be able to find a job after graduation.

During the time of all those rejections, I heard of an opportunity from my professors about a private laboratory seeking an intern. This is the same position mentioned earlier in tip 8. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and because I had taken the time to get to know my professors during research outside of classes, I was recommended to the private lab for the position.

If you are declined for a position or opportunity, respond to the notice the same or next day and thank them for their consideration. If they are able to provide feedback, listen and take note. We are all continually learning about ourselves; our strengths and weaknesses.

Continue searching and don't give up.

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to contact Chemistry Weekly at ChemistryWeeklyNews@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

Disclosure

The information above is based on my own beliefs, opinion and experiences. In no way does this blog represent or reflect the schools I have been to or the companies that I work and/or have worked for. I am not responsible or liable for any events that occur as a result of this information.