No internship this summer? Six alternatives that count
If you have no internship, the best substitutes are things with an outside judge: a hackathon result, an open-source contribution someone merged, research with a supervisor, or a project with real users. A private project nobody has used counts for least.
- Hiring managers ranked hackathons and used projects above personal projects with no users.
- Some employers recruit directly from their own hackathons.
- Research is easier to get than most students think. Many professors and labs hire from a direct email.
- Many students have a summer with no internship. One strong alternative is enough.
How hiring managers read the alternatives
In a long discussion, hiring managers said a typical hobby project reads as one more basic app unless it has real users or solves a real problem. They rated hackathons above personal projects without users. One said they spend 30 to 40 seconds on a resume and open a code repository only when the candidate is borderline.
That gives a simple test for any alternative: can someone other than you vouch for it?
Six alternatives
| Option | Why it counts | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Employer hackathons | Some banks and investment firms use them as their main intern pipeline | The entry test can be as hard as a job screen |
| Open-source contributions | A merged change is public proof | Pick a project with active maintainers |
| Research with a professor or lab | A supervisor can act as a referee | Reply rates to cold emails are low, so send several |
| University build programmes | Structured, with a finished product and a grade | Check whether you can combine one with other work |
| A project with users | Usage is the evidence | Say how many people used it and for what |
| Volunteer technical work | Real requirements from a real organisation | Agree the scope before you start |
Hackathons as a hiring route
Candidates described several employers that run a hackathon and then hire from it: one investment firm's event was called its main source of summer interns, and a bank's coding event shortlisted students who scored full marks on the entry test and passed a recorded video interview. Other firms offered fast-track interviews to winners.
The catch is the gate. One entry test was described as four questions in about two hours, as hard as a large technology firm's screen, and candidates who passed every test case were still turned away.
What about certificates?
Views were mixed and depended on the field. In security, one practitioner credited a single demanding certification that took hundreds of hours, and said entry-level certificates carried little weight locally. For general software roles, replies favoured building and competing over collecting certificates.
Use the time to prepare for the next cycle
Large employers open applications months ahead of the start date, and their first step is usually a timed test or a recorded video interview. A summer without an internship is the easiest time to get good at those.
How to write it up
- Lead with the result. users, a ranking, a merged change, a paper or a measurable improvement.
- Say what you built, not what the team built.
- Keep a short daily log while you work. Students said it made the resume bullets and the interview answers much easier later.
- Be ready to explain every technology you list.
What we're less sure about
The ranking of alternatives comes from a small number of hiring managers in technology, and other fields weigh things differently. forge has very few direct questions on having no internship at all, so this guide leans on the wider evidence about projects and hiring routes.
Related guides
- A first internship with no experience
- What a hiring manager reads on a resume
- Insight and early-identification programmes
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if I did not get an internship?
Choose one alternative with an outside judge: an employer hackathon, an open-source contribution, research with a supervisor, a university build programme or a project with real users.
Do personal projects count as experience?
They count for more when they have users or solve a real problem. Hiring managers said a project with no users reads as a basic exercise.
Are hackathons good for getting hired?
They can be. Some banks and investment firms recruit interns directly from their own hackathons.
Is it bad to have no internship before graduating?
It makes the first screen harder but not impossible. Students were reminded that many people have a summer with no internship.
Are certificates worth it for students?
It depends on the field. A demanding security certification was valued, while for general software roles building and competing were preferred.
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