How I Got An Internship at Facebook - The Tips And Tricks To Get The MBA Internship You Really Want. All my thoughts and suggestions on how to secure an MBA internship at a top tech company. Be prepared to do a lot of work!

1. How I Got An Internship @ Facebook
Tips & Tricks To Get The Internship You
Really Want!
ilan S Dee
http://www.about.me/ilansdee
Brandeis International Business School
November 2011

2. 1 My Internship Story
2 Perfecting Your Cover Letter & Resumes
3 Searching For Internships
4 Phone Interview Process
5 Everything Else!
Agenda

3. About Me – ilan s. dee
http://www.about.me/ilansdee
▪ 2nd
Year MBA - Brandies International Business School
▪ MBA Intern - Facebook
▪ 5 Years - Cision - Online B2B Software Company
▪ 1 Year - IT Recruitment
▪ 2 Years - Scuba Dive Shop Manager / Instructor – Thailand
▪ Bachelors in Business Computing

4. My Internship Story
Hard Work Pays Off!
▪ Perfect resume and cover letters – 10+ drafts of each
▪ Applied to 120+ internships online
▪ Had interviews with: Amazon [3], ITA Software – Google [2],
Infogroup [2], Endeavor Global [2] & Facebook [2]
▪ Offered positions at: InfoGroup, Endeavor Global & Facebook
▪ Spent 10 weeks interning for Facebook’s Developer Relations
Team in Dublin, Ireland

5. It’s Competitive Internship World
Find A Way To Stand Out
▪ At Facebook EMEA last summer 2,500+ people applied for 19
positions (13 MBA)
▪ You need to:
▪ Stand out from the crowd
▪ Be better prepared than the person sitting next to you
▪ Work harder than the person sitting next to you
▪ Work smarter than the person sitting next to you
▪ Use Brandeis IBS Career Services to help show you the way

6. My Internship Hunting Issues
Why I Choose The Mass Apply Online Route
▪ Limited IBS / Brandeis Alum in my field
▪ Very few people on the same career path – limited resources
▪ Small personal network
▪ Difficult for individuals to stand-out at career fairs
▪ Most career fair employers looking for full-time hires only
▪ Reluctant to “fight” other students to try and get in front of IBS
guest speakers

7. Getting Your Resume Perfect
A GREAT Resume Is Your Formula For Success
▪ Resume is what you are initially judged on. It the only thing
recruiters know / see about you and your skills
▪ You want to display a good match between the job requirements
and your skillset
▪ Recruiters are trained to look at a resume for 60 seconds or less,
to decide if they want to follow up with you
▪ A good resume should
▪ Sell Yourself
▪ Show you are a good fit for the role
▪ Tease the recruiter to want to find out more about you

8. Resume Tips – Personal Summary
The BOOM! Factor
▪ The BOOM! Factor should immediately show a recruiter that you
are a perfect fit for the job and the company culture
▪ Should not include: “I am looking for a career in…” / “changing my
career to..” – They know!! You are applying for that job.
“A technology focused, international management MBA candidate with 7 years’ global
experience. A proven record of success in software product management and
managing multiple projects and teams simultaneously. Adept at understanding and
analyzing new technologies and business processes rapidly, with excellent customer
facing skills”

9. Resume Tips – Bullet Points
Showing Off Achievements
▪ Anyone can say “I did this” or “I did that” on a resume
▪ On a good resume, each action must be accompanied by an
achievement
“Secured record high retention rates on UK legacy solutions, by working with clients
and their account managers, ensuring a profit for the UK business in Q2 2010 for the
first time in 5 quarters.”

10. Strengthen Your Resume
Getting Experience + Keywords
▪ Some companies put resumes through a “matching program” to
look for certain keywords related to the role – MAKE SURE YOU
HAVE THEM IN YOUR RESUME
▪ If you are applying for a marketing job ensure: marketing, 5 p’s etc
are in your resume
▪ Other ways to add experience / keywords:
▪ Brandeis Clubs
▪ Industry Specific Professional Bodies
▪ Volunteer / Charity Work

11. Cover Letters
If You Have An Option To Add A Cover Letter You Should!
▪ Cover letters should be individualized for each individual job – TO
A DEGREE!
▪ Make limited changes for each application / position
▪ Find a unique / different reason why you want to work for them –
try and relate the company to your experiences
▪ Recruiter Name – Not for online applications – only for direct
emails!

12. Finding The Recruiter
The Gateway To Getting An Interview
▪ All major organizations have a:
▪ University Relations Manager
▪ MBA Recruiter
▪ MBA Intern Recruiter (sometimes)
▪ You need to find out who the recruiters are:
▪ Contact them directly will increase your chances of getting a
phone call with them!

13. How To Find Internships
The Best Online Sources For Internships
•Internships are available on a number of job boards:
▪ Indeed.com
▪ Monster.com
▪ Internships.com
•Internships job opportunities can come can come to you:
▪ Through RSS Readers
▪ Internships from Twitter and Job Boards directly into your feed

14. Step-By-Step Guide
1. Login into Google Reader (google.com/reader)
2. Go to www.indeed.com, www.internships.com etc.
3. On site run a search on “intern”
4. Click the RSS feed on each site
5. Should be presented with a choice to add feed to
Google Reader
6. Go to twitter.com
7. Run a search (or multiple boolean searches)
8. Add To RSS Feed

15. Companies With MBA Internships
• 3M
• Accenture
• Adobe
• All State
• Amazon
• Amex
• Amgen
• AOL
• Apple
• Astra Zeneca
• AXA
• BCG
• Blue Shield Of CA
• Bose
• Cars.com
• Charles River Associates
• Cigna
• Deloitte
• Facebook
• Genetech
• Genzyme
• Goldman Sachs
• Hulu
• IBM
• Infogroup
• ITA Software [Google]
• Liberty Mutual
• Lucas Films
• Mckesson
• Medtronic
• One Kings Lane
• Pacific Life
• Pepsico
• Reputation Defdender
• Rosetta
• Starwood
• Survey Monkey
• The Hartford
• Travelers
• Verizon
• Visa
• VMWare

16. F1-Visa Issues
For Foreign Students
•A lot of companies have a “do you now or ever in the future
need sponsorship to work in the USA” checkbox on their
forms
•Will most likely discard your application immediately if you
select “yes”
•Tended to select “no”, as technically F1 Visa covers your
internship

17. LinkedIn Profile
A Key Part Of Your Resume
•Having an excellent LinkedIn Profile is key – many job
boards now allow you to apply online via LinkedIn (saves a
lot of time)
•A LinkedIn Profile should be treated as an extension of
your resume
•Text should be drafted and clear, and all details filled in.
•It should not contain as much detail as your resume, as it
aims to tease potential employees

18. Applying: What It Takes
Internships Start Coming Out From November Onwards
•1-2 hours per day applying for internships
▪ Reviewing 100’s jobs in RSS feeds
▪ Adapting resume “summary” for each job
▪ Adapting cover letter “key points” for each job
▪ Filling out online application forms - TEDIOUS

19. Interview Process
The Steps In Getting A Face-To-Face Interview
•Online Application / Internal Referral
•Phone Interview With Recruiter
▪ Junior member of staff
▪ Assess general fit for the position
▪ Usually has questions from a script
▪ Limited knowledge of detailed subject field
•Phone Interview With 1-2 Managers

20. Recruiter Interview Preparation
• Have a good understanding of what the company does
• Match each point on the job specification to your previous
experience
• Be ready to answer questions on:
▪ Your start dates and availability
▪ Be ready to answer questions on your visa status

21. Manager Phone Interview Preparation
Be Prepared!!
•Know the company / product / service inside out: Use it,
Go through their website, search on Google News,
•Understand their business model, competitors, unique
factors that make it special
•Read the “life at xxx” on the companies career site,
understand the culture
•Match your experiences and background to the job
specification
•Find relevant questions to ask the interviewer : get to know
about the company for the next stage

22. Phone Interviews
How To Achieve Success Over The Phone
•Interview crib sheets: So much information – create bullet
points – for my Facebook interview had the wall & desk
covered with paper
•Practice, practice, practice – builds confidence, ability to
handle curve ball questions better
•Be open, but polite & smile on the phone

23. Skype Video Interviews
A Common Tool In Job Interviews
•Dress professionally
•Ensure good internet connection
•Ensure “decent” background
•Sit up straight – don’t slouch!
•Practice, Practice, Practice

24. Thank You Notes & Emails
Important Part Of The Interview Process
•After every interview, you need to send a thank you email
•Thank you email tips:
▪ Personalize around the discussion you had with them in the interview
▪ Express that “following the interview your desire to work for the company
has increased”
▪ Doh! That one important thing you forgot to say - Opportunity to add in
one additional fact!

25. What I Would Do Differently..
My Lessons Learnt From The Internship Hunt
•Mock phone interviews – to build up my confidence before
the first one
•Every major company has an MBA / intern recruiter. Find
their details. Contact via email directly
•Did limited networking. Should have networked in
conjunction with an online search!