Suggest ways to approach Tech firms for an internship

[BreadPakoda]

Hi guys,

I am a first year student at a US Business School looking for a Product Management summer internship (have pre-MBA strategy consulting work ex), preferably in the West Coast.

What are the best practices to approach Tech firms?

So far, I have been applying through company websites and sending LinkedIn requests to start conversations. I still have about 2.5 months to find a good internship.
Thanks!

 

[Slog]

On campus tech recruiting not good for your school?

I would say reach out to alums and also people in the tech industry already who have similar background to you ( undergrad, nationality, City etc)

 

[BreadPakoda]

On campus tech recruiting not good for your school?

I would say reach out to alums and also people in the tech industry already who have similar background to you ( undergrad, nationality, City etc)

Tech startups don’t come on campus out here.

 

[Buffet]

Alumni network

Ask some people out for coffee and have a good conversation. Don't directly ask them for internship. Ask them what you should do to find a good internship. Ask for their input. People help more when they don't feel pressured.

Reseach some firms deeply, approach them and show how you can add value.

 

[sjahmed23]

What do you have on your resume? Do you have projects on there that show you did something out of the box and improved something one way or another (numbers, numbers, numbers).

Do you have any sort of experience? Usually for interns its best to have some sort of extracurricular activity, anything that will make you stand out because you are competing with thousands for the same job.

 

[BreadPakoda]

What do you have on your resume? Do you have projects on there that show you did something out of the box and improved something one way or another (numbers, numbers, numbers).

Do you have any sort of experience? Usually for interns its best to have some sort of extracurricular activity, anything that will make you stand out because you are competing with thousands for the same job.

I have a pre-MBA tech internship in a growth role.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Alumni network

Ask some people out for coffee and have a good conversation. Don't directly ask them for internship. Ask them what you should do to find a good internship. Ask for their input. People help more when they don't feel pressured.

Reseach some firms deeply, approach them and show how you can add value.

Thanks.
I’ve heard this multiple times and still tend to forget this basic tip. This is definitely a mistake I’m making.

 

[mustang]

Thanks.
I’ve heard this multiple times and still tend to forget this basic tip. This is definitely a mistake I’m making.

+1 for alumni network. Reach out to alumni who went from consulting into product management if you can and ask for their career advice. See how they made the shift. Are you in any of the UC system schools by any chance? If yes then your alumni base could be large enough to have enough people fitting that profile.

Have strong reasons for getting into product management. I'm sure you would have done the basic diligence of reading Gayle Lakman type books and related podcasts by now to have an opinion on what makes a good product.

Understand that getting a shot through conversation or phone interview is 25% of the battle. Converting that into a slam-dunk is a bigger challenge. Take notes and show what among your prior work are solid transferable skills for product management. Also understand that every b-school consultant like yourself is looking to make the similar jump so see how you can make yourself unique. Were you an MBB consultant? Then your firm's brand could be helpful for you. Try not to be too picky for your first PM role - you are just breaking in.

My profile
Undergrad from east coast, MBB strategy consulting, MBA from a top 2 school in the country, my own tech firm that I built to grow without any outside funding (investor preferred shares will kill my financial alpha), moderate exit of my company, now senior role in a mid-market PE firm - investing and taking board roles. My transition into the tech side of things post b-school (when coming from a strategy+finance career) was initially challenging but very doable. I'm more hands on and taught myself to code etc.

You can do this - only a question of applying yourself and being disciplined. Good luck!

 

[BreadPakoda]

+1 for alumni network. Reach out to alumni who went from consulting into product management if you can and ask for their career advice. See how they made the shift. Are you in any of the UC system schools by any chance? If yes then your alumni base could be large enough to have enough people fitting that profile.

Have strong reasons for getting into product management. I'm sure you would have done the basic diligence of reading Gayle Lakman type books and related podcasts by now to have an opinion on what makes a good product.

Understand that getting a shot through conversation or phone interview is 25% of the battle. Converting that into a slam-dunk is a bigger challenge. Take notes and show what among your prior work are solid transferable skills for product management. Also understand that every b-school consultant like yourself is looking to make the similar jump so see how you can make yourself unique. Were you an MBB consultant? Then your firm's brand could be helpful for you. Try not to be too picky for your first PM role - you are just breaking in.

My profile
Undergrad from east coast, MBB strategy consulting, MBA from a top 2 school in the country, my own tech firm that I built to grow without any outside funding (investor preferred shares will kill my financial alpha), moderate exit of my company, now senior role in a mid-market PE firm - investing and taking board roles. My transition into the tech side of things post b-school (when coming from a strategy+finance career) was initially challenging but very doable. I'm more hands on and taught myself to code etc.

You can do this - only a question of applying yourself and being disciplined. Good luck!

Thank you for the advice. Noted.

You have a very impressive profile! I'm doing my MBA at a top 7 B-School and no, I wasn't an MBB consultant, although I had an offer from BCG but I didn't see a reason to join as I had received the B-School acceptance by then.

 

[mustang]

Thank you for the advice. Noted.

You have a very impressive profile! I'm doing my MBA at a top 7 B-School and no, I wasn't an MBB consultant, although I had an offer from BCG but I didn't see a reason to join as I had received the B-School acceptance by then.

Sure thing. I also had active deployment with combat experience interspersed into it. So I'm sure as a veteran I had some edge over others when it came to job prospects. I spend good bit of time lending time for career advice to fellow Hispanics and South Asians (especially if veterans). High time more folks from our communities get into senior roles.

That being said, I think you can do it too (Anderson and Haas are great feeder schools into PM roles if you are finding yourself in the left coast). Without active hands on tech experience - biggest point to prove for your profile would be convincing your interviewers that you can walk the talk with engineers and get them to respect you. This is usually a big hurdle for PM aspirants from non-tech backgrounds. Make sure you shore up on tech/engineering stuff and can walk the talk if need be. You don't have to know programming but showing strong familiarity with tech stacks and tech strategy is important for your profile.

Keep this thread active and post updates. I will try to make time and follow up. Good luck man!

 

[CricketDon]

I’m actually work very closest with minorities trying to get into big tech and business. Ive been selected to also travel to San Francisco this September to meet big tech companies and discuss diversity and equal opportunities. Let me know if you want some help or just some answers I’d give it a go

 

[Gharib Aadmi]

Mass Apply.

I don't have specific advice about Tech Internship. However in general, when applying for internships, you need to approach it like guys use Tinder. Apply for anything that remotely interests you, and be picky later. So in an ideal situation you can have multiple options of internships that you like, and you can be picky in choosing which one you accept. However if you are not so fortunate, and only get the one that you now think is "Meh", at that point "Meh" can start looking good. And "Meh" is better than nothing.

So in your case continue what you are already doing and apply from the website and LinkedIn. And what others have suggested utilize the alumni connections.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Sure thing. I also had active deployment with combat experience interspersed into it. So I'm sure as a veteran I had some edge over others when it came to job prospects. I spend good bit of time lending time for career advice to fellow Hispanics and South Asians (especially if veterans). High time more folks from our communities get into senior roles.

That being said, I think you can do it too (Anderson and Haas are great feeder schools into PM roles if you are finding yourself in the left coast). Without active hands on tech experience - biggest point to prove for your profile would be convincing your interviewers that you can walk the talk with engineers and get them to respect you. This is usually a big hurdle for PM aspirants from non-tech backgrounds. Make sure you shore up on tech/engineering stuff and can walk the talk if need be. You don't have to know programming but showing strong familiarity with tech stacks and tech strategy is important for your profile.

Keep this thread active and post updates. I will try to make time and follow up. Good luck man!

Thanks. I am, in fact, learning Python right now. I have an engineering degree too, but never did an engineering job.

Mass Apply.

I don't have specific advice about Tech Internship. However in general, when applying for internships, you need to approach it like guys use Tinder. Apply for anything that remotely interests you, and be picky later. So in an ideal situation you can have multiple options of internships that you like, and you can be picky in choosing which one you accept. However if you are not so fortunate, and only get the one that you now think is "Meh", at that point "Meh" can start looking good. And "Meh" is better than nothing.

So in your case continue what you are already doing and apply from the website and LinkedIn. And what others have suggested utilize the alumni connections.

Thanks for the advice. I'm currently focusing mostly on Fintechs (advised mostly FIs as a Consultant) but also trying my best to apply to as many firms outside Fintech as I can, although tailoring the cover letter takes a lot of my time.

 

[BreadPakoda]

News flash: I got a Product Management offer at a big tech

Thanks for the help guys.

I am still working hard to network with people at other tech firms. Want to expand my network and learn more about the work and culture at these firms.

 

[sweep_shot]

News flash: I got a Product Management offer at a big tech

Thanks for the help guys.

I am still working hard to network with people at other tech firms. Want to expand my network and learn more about the work and culture at these firms.

Congratulations!

All the best.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Congratulations!

All the best.

Thank you.

I’m actually work very closest with minorities trying to get into big tech and business. Ive been selected to also travel to San Francisco this September to meet big tech companies and discuss diversity and equal opportunities. Let me know if you want some help or just some answers I’d give it a go

Thanks a lot. Will surely reach out to you.