Internships usually go to students who apply early, contact the right person directly and make it easy for a busy manager to say yes. That takes three things: a one-page CV aimed at one function, a short message to the person who would supervise you, and two or three pieces of coursework that prove you can do the work.
Where internships are found
Advertised openings are only part of the market. Check, in roughly this order:
- Your university career office and department faculty, who often hear about openings first
- Career pages of multinationals and large local groups that run structured programmes
- LinkedIn Jobs with the Internship filter, and the local boards in our list of job sites in Bangladesh
- Startups, NGOs, research centres and agencies that rarely advertise but will take a capable intern when asked
A short CV for one target
Keep the CV to one page and point it at one function, such as marketing, finance, software, HR or supply chain. Put the most relevant coursework and projects first.
- Example: "Analysed 400 customer survey responses for a marketing research course; presented three pricing recommendations to the course panel."
- Example: "Built a stock-tracking web app in Django for the campus canteen; used daily by two staff members for one semester."
Applying to two different functions? Keep two versions rather than one vague CV.
Writing directly to managers
A direct message often works better than an online form, because it reaches the person whose workload you can reduce. Keep it under 120 words:
- Who you are, with degree, year and university
- Why this team, mentioning a product, report or campaign you noticed
- What you can do, with one link as proof
- A clear request, such as a two- or three-month internship, with your available dates
Send it by email or LinkedIn, follow up once after about a week, then move on. Our cover letter and SOP writing service can prepare a matching cover letter.
A small coursework portfolio
Choose two to four pieces that match the role: a case study report, a financial model, a design file, a code repository or a research poster. Share them through view-only links or a simple personal page, and remove marks and lecturer comments unless they help.
When to apply
Start two to four months before you are free. Large international firms often recruit for summer internships much earlier, sometimes the previous autumn. If your degree requires an internship in the final semester, start contacting organizations a full semester ahead.
FAQ
Is an unpaid internship worth putting on my CV?
Yes. List it like any other role, with what you did and produced. When choosing between offers, the one with real tasks and a named supervisor is usually worth more than the bigger brand name.
How many internship applications should I send?
Targeted applications with a direct message to the team tend to get more replies than mass applying with one generic CV.
Can I ask for an internship at a company that is not hiring?
Yes. Offer a defined project with a start and end date; smaller firms in particular respond well to a clear, useful proposal.