WANTED: Startup Interns

It's summer time and the livin' is easy. That's how it's supposed to be for a student, right? It's the season of beach excursions, aloe vera massages, and barbecues for the 20-somethings, but for an undergraduate or graduate student attempting to venture off into the real world, it's a hard knocked life.

Finding a job in this economy is nearly inconceivable, which is why internships are so essential to creating a robust resume. They allow for students to garner up enough experience to make them appear to be more viable candidates than the average graduate. They learn invaluable lessons, get used to the nine to five lifestyle, and become more self-confident, motivated to pursue the career they always dreamed of. An internship could be the very key to success, but that's only if you have one.

When it comes to internships, startups are the way to go. From personal experience, I know just how beneficial of a choice they are. The ability to watch a company rise from the dust into a full-fledged business and knowing that you were a part of the foundation of that success is superior to any other opportunity that may arise. It's a once in a lifetime chance to be included in something that could shake up the current state of technology, information, marketing, etc. It's a way to put your foot in the door and then nudge it even more. Serving coffee is not in the job description, but taking on a multitude of hats is. If you are interested in a challenge, then choose a startup.

As it is, searching for an internship is a lengthy task. It takes hours of scouring the Internet and constant visits to career fairs, but I want to make your life a little easier. I have called on the D.C. Tech community to see which startups are currently in need of interns. The response was overwhelming. There are currently so many job opportunities that I can't even fathom as to why students have not jumped on the chance to intern with businesses so fresh, new, and fast growing. Perhaps it's the lack of exposure at colleges, but startups need their chance in the spotlight too.

It's a win-win operation they're running. You get the exemplary skills only found in startup land and they get an apprentice to give them a hand. Thus, without further ado, I present to you the eight startups looking for people like you (including us!).

Developer/engineer and front end developer/user experience/user interface interns: The developer/engineer interns should have experience in Ruby or JavaScript, tinkerers attitudes, and ability to work effectively in an open, fluid, extremely fast-paced environment. With multiple positions available, techies have a great way to enter into the startup world with an up and coming venture. The front end developer/user experience/user interface interns will be expected to support and contribute to development of our seamless, memorable user experience (from wireframes to mockup to code). You should have experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. As a 2012 graduate of the 500 Startups accelerator program in Mountain View, California, the experience will be nothing short of great for your resume.

Politics intern: Can you name the SCOTUS Chief Justice? Do you know who your Senators are? We want you! Help our politics reporter cover all the news at the intersection of politics and technology, whether that means researching, writing, or attending events on the Hill.

Edu intern: I laugh, a lot. This is not an exaggeration. Some describe me as a hyena. If you can handle the occasional giggle and enjoy sarcastic banter, then you're the one for me. I'm looking for the Joey to my Chandler. My main criteria circulate around great knowledge of D.C. area schools (including Virginia and Maryland), preferably a student ambassador. If you are involved in your university (through student government or a club of sorts), know a great majority of the student body, have connections to your school's administration, and are fluent in social media, then you are perfect for the job. If you can't come in, no need to worry, I could always use someone that can telecommute. One other slight thing to mention, I sing and I sing a lot. Get ready for some 90s music jam sessions.

Tech intern: I am a one man wolf pack that wants to grow my pack by three. I'm looking for an intern with a zest for technology, an insatiable curiosity for the startup world, and a strong opinion that they wouldn't mind expressing in the form of bitter online diatribe (just kidding...not really.) Requirements: 1. Ability to write cogent sentences in English (I can train you from there) 2. Ability to not fall apart when meeting CEOs and shaking hands with awesome members of the tech community (if you puke on LivingSocial's CEO, you're out) 3. A passion for Disney movies (if you can't sing Lion King songs with me, don't bother applying) 4. Most importantly of all, a sense of humor, because I refuse to have a buzzkill on my editorial team. I'm serious, if you don't laugh at all of my jokes, there will be hell to pay.

Marketing intern: I'm the networking pro in need of a sidekick. If you love social media, enjoy going to events and hobnobbing with the big wigs in the business, then could you be my plus one? If you know multimedia stuff like video editing, that would be cool, but not required.

Social media intern: Whatever happened to the days when you could write to folks via telegraph or carrier pigeon and it was ok to take a week or two (or more…) to respond? Ahh… the good ol’ days. Wait, who are we kidding? Those days sucked precisely because you had to wait a week or two for people to respond or to hear any new news. We’re looking for a couple of folks to work closely with our co-founder, Bobby Saini, who previously helped RDB (the hottest musical group and record label in all of South Asia) skyrocket to international acclaim, much of it online. Some days you might be monitoring the Twitter-sphere for posts about mobile security and privacy, other days you might be managing our Facebook page or product support page, and still other days you might be helping write wickedly smart ‘n sassy things for our founders to say on their personal/work Twitter and Facebook. Actually, you may even end up doing a lot more like helping out with pushing content online, putting together videos, tracking web statistics, aggregating key industry posts, and more. And yes, we promise, no telegraphs will be involved…now pigeons on the other hand…well that Twitter logo does kind of look like a pigeon, doesn’t it?

iOS dev, Android dev, and marketing interns: Are you fluent in Objective-C, a techie nerd with a competitive edge? Are you a full staff dev guru? We could use some interns that are willing to go the full nine yards, even the 100 yards to make that touchdown. We need hungry interns ready to take on something that is transforming the way people interact. As a marketing intern, if you can handle social media, are a huge sports fan, and know the ins and outs of networking, then we are looking for you. Strong skills and talents in corn hole and beer pong are a plus. Those not competitive need not apply (we are a sports oriented startup, guys...).

Writer and graphic design interns: We are on the lookout for fun, active interns with a sense of humor that reflects on print that wants to contribute ideas on how to make Markerly a tool for students, as well as blog about Markerly articles that are contributed around 4x a week. You need to have a strong writing background and ability to adapt quickly. We are also looking for a graphic design intern for 10-15 hours a week. If you think you can re-skin Markerly and make it more aesthetically pleasing then you should definitely apply! It's a great opportunity for anyone that has tons of talent and wants to make a name for themselves. Huge benefit is that both of these positions can be paid or done in exchange for college credit. These aren't "get my coffee" type of positions, we want you to feel like a part of the team. We want you to be our brand ambassador and integrate Markerly into your online study routine, providing us with feedback on how to make it a more useful tool. UI is the focus, but understanding UX is important as well. Ideal candidates would be able to work solo or with a team, continually bring designs to the table to enhance aesthetics, have an outstanding portfolio, understand how Markerly works, pay strong attention to detail, and HTML, CSS, and Javascript experience.

CS interns: We would love to find a few interns with a computer science background who have experience in web design, web development, or graphic design. While it would be nice to find someone who has experience developing in c# .NET, it isn't a deal breaker. If you are a student looking for college credit and an unique experience, this is the job for you. One huge advantage to this internship is that we could help to teach you to code as well. That's a class plus an internship, awesome?! As long as you are motivated individuals and have an entrepreneurial spirit, we want you! We understand that summer is a busy time (with all the beach visits and all), so a lot of our work is done through telecommunication and google hangout meetings to make your life easier. So join us for the rollercoaster of a lifetime. It's time to put your nerdy background to work!

Web designer, web developer, and marketing interns: If you are a web designer with a UI/UX focus, we could use your help planning and designing the newest version of our product. You don't necessarily need to code, the emphasis will be on wireframes and the UI/UX layout, but if you can code that's great too! You will be working directly with our CEO to translate our vision into a reality, a high and mighty job that will give you the knowledge you need to further your career. If you are a web developer with a PHP/MySQL focus, we want you for support client installs to aid in the next form of our FitFeud. You are one of the few with ability to further the future of our company. Front-end dev skills (HTML/CSS) are a bonus, but the focus is on server-side development as you work alongside our lead developer. When it comes to marketing, you will be with the man in charge, our CEO. You will be exposed to a variety of marketing efforts, from Google PPC ad management, SEO, online funnel optimization, blogging, and copywriting. It's an exciting experience to watch a startup grow and with the added incentive of pay and potential for a full-time position, this one's a no brainer. So, if you are available form mid-July through November, then apply now!

Social media intern and developer for hire: Can you write? We need writers. Can you research? We need researchers. Are you enthusiastic, a social networker extraordinaire, ability to pay close attention to detail? Sweet, we need you. Knowledge of Photoshop, RSS, social networking/bookmarking, and media monitoring services is helpful too, but not required. Check out our AWESOME infographic for the dirty on our developer job.