How I got my Product Marketing internship at LinkedIn

How I got my Product Marketing internship at LinkedIn


๐ŸŒŸ My Experience Interviewing at LinkedIn ๐ŸŒŸ

Recently, I've been getting a lot of messages from current business students interested in applying for LinkedIn's summer internships this coming recruiting season. I know firsthand how tough it can be to be on the internship hunt, and I felt like I haven't been able to be as helpful as I would like to be. To be a resource to all students out there looking into an internship at LinkedIn, I thought I'd write an article that broke down the entire process from applying, preparing, interviewing, and getting the offer! I hope this helps anyone interested in working at this company :)

PS: I have bolded any "tips" I have in case you'd like to skim through them!

1) Applying

LinkedIn is a company that does not do on-campus recruiting, so you'll need to stay up to date via LinkedIn Student Careers. I believe they start to add on intern positions during November - February, so keep checking back occasionally. Since I am a business major, I was looking for non-technical roles. I remember when I initially started my search on the website, only technical roles were up. Every once in a while, I would check back and new roles would be added. By late January/early February, intern roles for Sales, Marketing, HR, and Communications had been added.

I applied for the general "Marketing Intern" position. (They place you on a specific team after you get your offer, keep reading for more details.) I read the job description, responsibilities, and qualifications needed for this role inside out. Then, I crafted my resume to make sure it was specific for this position - including experience, skills, and courses that were relevant.

Try to avoid using a generic resume, always tailor your resume for the role you are applying to.

It will maximize your chances of getting your resume in the hands of an actual recruiter. It becomes really easy to use the same resume for every position you apply to, especially when you're applying to multiple companies at the same time. As for my cover letter, I tried to be a little more creative and went for an unconventional approach. I wrote it in a conversational tone, really trying to let my personality shine through my writing style and voice. (I'm not sure if this played a big part in getting my offer, but hey, I did make it through the screening!)

2) Preparing for the interview

After sending in my resume/CV, I got an email about 3-4 weeks later with an invitation for a recruiter phone call. LI recruiters are super friendly and conversational, so as cliche as it sounds - just be yourself.

Culture is huge at LI - we as a company really value personality and passion for our vision. Talk about your experiences, what you learned, your strengths/weaknesses, and why LI appeals to you out of any other company. Especially if you live in the Bay, you live in the heart where every big company is. What makes LI special and why do you think you belong here? Have this answer ready to go! Be sincere and that's the biggest piece of advice I can give.

Do your research on LI's business lines, values, and culture pillars it'll help a lot during your conversations with managers and recruiters.

3) Interviewing

After the first call, I got another phone call informing me I had made it past the first round! This call consisted of a couple more questions to assess some additional information about me. From there, the recruiter walked me through the next steps regarding the next set of interviews - 2, back to back interviews with current managers in marketing.

The recruiters do a really great job of giving you the information that you will need to prepare for the next set of interviews. These are mostly behavioral, but you might get a case question (I did). Nothing you need to study for too much, but definitely know general business frameworks and walk the interviewer through your thinking process from beginning to end. As for behavioral questions, again:

Really know why you want to be at this company and what drives you to work hard. Always have some questions to ask at the end.

It shows that you have done your research on the company and that you really care!

4) Offer call

About 1 week after the 2 interviews, I got a call from my recruiter with an offer! (Definitely a very exciting moment and I still remember the exact details of mine). One of the questions I've been getting this summer is "How did you get an internship in Product Marketing specifically?" Product Marketing has become a very popular and intriguing role in the tech industry recently. I work within LinkedIn Talent Solutions, on the PMM (Product Marketing Manager) team for specific products in LTS.

Throughout your interviews, you will have the chance to talk about what interests you, what you consider your strengths to be, and what you would like to learn and work on. Based on your current skill set, areas you want to improve, and what you are passionate about, you will be placed on a team a month (or so) prior to your start date. You can be placed on a team within any one of LinkedIn's business lines, on a different marketing team. It really does depend on where there is a spot and where you fit in. But regardless of where you end up, there are multiple opportunities to learn, grow, and leave an impact. The program also does do a great job with giving you a manager and mentor to help guide your professional growth over the 12 weeks.

It's been 9 weeks for me so far and I can confidently say this internship has helped me refine and grow my skill set, and really help me learn what I'm passionate about in the tech world (fortunate to say, it's Product Marketing!) I highly recommend this company and intern program for any student who wants to be a part of something bigger and really have a summer filled with growth. I feel so fortunate to have been here and can't wait to spend the next 3 weeks here as well!

If you have any more questions, feel free to reach me via the comment section below. Hope this helped and good luck to everyone on their internship/job search this coming recruiting season!

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