The first step to finding your dream internship is figuring out what your dream internship looks like. Answer the following questions about your ideal role:

• What is the title? (e.g. Software Engineering Intern, Machine Learning Intern, Web Development Intern, …)
• Where is it located?
• Is it at a specific company?
• How much does it pay?
• What size is the company (e.g. startup, small, midsize, corporation)?
• Will you be working full or part-time?
• Will you be working on an existing team or with other interns?
• Is your primary goal to learn or make money?
• Does the internship include a relocation/housing stipend?

We've included a document for you to fill out for each of these questions. We encourage you to reference your answers when applying to jobs to make sure that they align with your goals. 

Skills You'll Need For Your Dream Role

Next, look up the title of your dream internship (e.g. Software Engineering Intern Adobe, Machine Learning Intern Boston) and read the description. If there isn’t a posting, change your search or find the listing from previous years. Write down both the hard and soft skills listed (e.g. team player, willing to learn, Java, GitHub, …). Do you have these skills? Next to each skill, write an example of how you used that skill recently. This list will form your roadmap as well as help you build your resume, answer behavioral questions, and pick personal projects. But, more on that later.

This exercise should get you brainstorming about your strengths and areas you need to learn more about. In the next section you will analyze how your past experience fits into your dream role.