How I got my dream internship as a front-end developer

Are you struggling to land your dream internship as a front-end developer? In this blog, I share how I finally secured my internship by stepping out of my comfort zone and building valuable connections in the industry. If you're ready to hear the tips and strategies that helped me succeed, keep reading!

Before going forward, let me introduce myself. My name is Rakesh, and I am passionate about crafting stunning user interfaces using the latest technologies.

Why do I need an internship in the first place?

I was determined to find a place where I could hone my skills and gain hands-on experience in the field of front-end development.

And I was learning stuff for a while, but the problem is motivation. Yes, motivation is needed to build new projects, and the hardest thing is getting project ideas. Some people build clones, which are available on YouTube. I'm not saying building clones is a bad thing, but I don't like to build things that are already there, even though they help you learn some concepts and give you hands-on experience. So I thought of doing an internship at a startup. Some of you might wonder why I wanted to do an internship at a startup. The reason is that I can learn so many things at once.

I also choose the typical route for applying.

Like everyone else, I also started applying for internships at platforms like Internshala, AngelList (now Wellfound), LinkedIn, etc.

I did get the leads from the Internshala platform. Typically, they give you an assignment, and you need to finish it. After evaluating the assignment, they will reach out to you for an interview. I have done a couple of assignments too. Fortunately, I gave two interviews; both of them went well, but I didn't get the internship. I got emails saying that, unfortunately, you have not been selected, we found an experienced candidate for this role. But I never stopped applying. I also tried applying through LinkedIn, but the internships I saw there were similar to those where they train you, give you an internship, and then charge you for it, which is bad and I would not recommend anyone apply for such internships.

After months of searching, I thought this won't work because I don't have any previous experience, so it would be difficult to get in.


Without wasting any time, I started reaching out to people on LinkedIn who are currently working as frontend developers with my resume and a cover letter explaining why I was interested in their company and how I believed I could contribute to their team.

After a couple of cold DMs, I got a lead from a CTO. So I had a call with him; he is so cool, and in the end, he gave me one assignment. The assignment is so simple: I have to implement the cart feature as we see in e-commerce, and the good part is he wanted to add this feature to my existing project. After two days, I finished that feature implementation and tested it with friends; trust me, I got some good feedback from friends.

Finally, I got the internship!

Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to encourage anyone who is struggling to find their dream internship/job to keep trying and grinding. Don't be afraid to reach out to people in the industry and build connections. You never know where it might lead you.

Good luck!

Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope my story has inspired and motivated you to keep pushing forward in your career journey. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below. You can find me on Twitter and Medium.