Internship guides for business students
Short, practical guides that end with something you can do today.
These guides answer the questions business students ask most during internship recruiting: when to apply, how to write a resume and cover letter with little experience, how to prepare for interviews, how to network, and how to turn a summer internship into a full-time offer.
Each guide is short and practical and ends with something you can do today. They are written for undergraduates in business majors — accounting, finance, marketing, analytics and the rest — and link to the internships and certifications for your field when that helps.
New to recruiting? Start with when to apply, then the resume guide, then search internships near you.
Career guides
- Free Certifications for Business Students — Every free and free-to-audit certification in our catalog, grouped by business major, with what each one teaches and how long it takes.
- When to Apply for Business Internships, by Major — Recruiting timelines for 14 business majors — when accounting, finance, marketing and other internships typically open, and what to do each year.
- How to Write a Business Internship Resume — A one-page resume structure for business students, with resume keywords for 14 majors and examples of bullets that show results.
- How to Get a Business Internship With No Experience — Seven practical ways business students build experience before their first internship — most of them free.
- Business Internship Interview Questions and How to Prepare — The questions business internship interviews usually ask — behavioral, motivational and technical — and a simple way to prepare your answers.
- How to Network for a Business Internship — How business students find people to talk to, what to write to them, and how an informational interview turns into a referral.
- Internship Cover Letter for Business Students, With an Example — A simple four-paragraph structure for a business internship cover letter, with what to put in each part and the mistakes that get letters skipped.
- How to Get a Return Offer From Your Internship — What managers look for when deciding on return offers, and what to do in the first week, the middle and the last week of your internship.
- Paid vs. Unpaid Internships: What Business Students Should Know — When an unpaid internship is legal in the US, the questions to ask before accepting one, and how to find paid business internships.
Questions students ask
How do I get a business internship with no experience?
Build evidence instead: a free job simulation, one certification that matches your target role, a leadership role in a student organization, and a small project you can explain. Our no-experience guide lists seven ways.
How many internships should I apply to?
There is no magic number, but students commonly apply to dozens over a season. Focus on roles that fit your major and start early; applications sent in the first weeks a posting is open usually do better.
Do I need a cover letter for an internship?
Only when the posting asks for one or allows it. When it does, a short, specific letter helps. Our cover letter guide has a structure and an example.