Beginning your internship search can be daunting, especially in this economic environment. It may feel like everyone else knows the secret to landing an internship. You may not even know where to start. Learn how to doctor your resume and cover letter, apply for jobs, thrive throughout the interview process, handle rejection from students who felt everything you’re feeling right now, and make it through.
I spoke to two Ohio State students who have secured internships for summer 2026. They detailed their experiences, including all of the struggles and setbacks.
Alyse Stutz landed an internship with Fischer Homes in Columbus. Stutz is a junior business major with a specialization in marketing. She is pursuing an integrative approach to her health and wellness minor. With the knowledge she is gaining from her coursework, Stutz plans to enter the medical sales field.
Stutz will be a new home sales consultant intern at Fischer Homes, which builds new homes across the United States. While real estate is not the industry Stutz imagined for herself, she is excited about the sales experience she will gain. Stutz advises students beginning their internship search to cast a broad net. It is important to have an open mind when it comes to industry. Even if it isn’t exactly what you pictured, you will still learn valuable skills.
“Apply for the big companies, but don’t sit there and bank on them,” Stutz says. “Have big goals, but don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Stutz introduced herself to Fischer Homes at Ohio State’s career fair. While volunteering for her student organization, Women in Business, Stutz ushered the Fischer Homes representative to their table. She was able to make a connection with the company before the career fair even started.
“I signed up for an interview slot and met with them the next day,” Stutz says.
Stutz prepared for her interview by researching the company. She familiarized herself with their work and values so she could tailor her answers to their organization. Stutz’s interview with Fischer Homes differed from other interviews she’d experienced. They were calm and casual.
“It was like a breath of fresh air compared to my other interview earlier that day,” Stutz says.
Fischer Homes asked Stutz two questions.
“They put my resume in front of me and asked me to walk them through it,” Stutz says.
While doing this, Stutz emphasized the personal growth her experiences sparked. She talked about lessons she learned from each section of her resume, including education, student organizations, and prior professional experience.
“Then they asked me: ‘Why would we pick you out of everyone else we are interviewing?’ That one was a little tougher to answer,” Stutz says.
These simple questions can be the hardest to answer. Why would they pick me? It is important to have defining experiences in the back of your mind. For example, if you handled a crisis at your previous job, what did you take away from that?
Stutz said she applied for over 80 internships. She used Handshake and LinkedIn, but the best results came from meeting people in person. She received rejections or no response from many companies before finding the perfect place for her.
“For every rejection I got, I would just apply to another one,” Stutz says. “Don’t let rejections hold you back; use them as fuel instead.”
Next, I spoke to Skyleigh Young, a junior at Ohio State, about her journey finding an internship for summer 2026. Young is majoring in strategic communications and pursuing a certificate in strategic sales. This summer, she will be a marketing intern at Aureus Ox, a crypto/blockchain tech company.
Young began her internship search in October of 2025, applying to an estimated 100 companies through Handshake. Young mentioned that she tailored her resume for the industry to which she was applying.
“For internships in the beauty industry, I would make my resume more artistic and emphasize my beauty experience,” Young says. “For data companies, like the internship I landed, I made my resume more straightforward.”
Young wrote a new cover letter for each internship she applied to. While not every company asks for a cover letter, Young advises students who are applying for internships to always include one. She originally did not submit a cover letter to the internship she landed, but her interviewer asked for one after.
Young found and interviewed for this opportunity entirely online. Her interview was about 30 minutes. They asked her questions about where she sees herself in the future, and what she wants for her career. They asked her why she is interested in the data industry. At the end of the interview, she knew she had gotten the job.
Young thinks her intense coursework and previous internship experience are what helped her land her summer 2026 internship.
Young said that facing rejection was the hardest part. She began to question what she was doing wrong.
“Just keep your hopes up!” Young says. “It’s going to be hard, and you’re going to get a lot of rejections, but you will get the right job. It takes time.”
Ultimately, there is no secret formula to landing an internship. Both Stutz and Young faced rejections and moments of doubt, but their persistence, perseverance, and preparation got them through. They committed to putting themselves out there until the right opportunity came along.
As you begin your own search, remember that every application, interview, and even rejection, is a step forward. The process feels overwhelming now, but like the students who came before you, you will find your place. You just have to keep going.