Generic motivation statements
A motivation statement that could be copy-pasted into any application, for any company, signals low effort and weak research. Reviewers can tell the difference between a generic answer and one that reflects genuine interest in the specific program.
Be specific about why this particular internship, in this particular field, at this particular stage of your development, makes sense for you right now.
Broken or outdated links
GitHub links that lead to empty profiles, portfolio sites that fail to load, or LinkedIn profiles with no real information all create unnecessary doubt before a reviewer even reaches your actual skills.
Before submitting any application, click every link yourself from an incognito browser to confirm everything works and looks current.
- Test every link before submitting.
- Make sure your GitHub has at least two to three real, documented projects.
- Update your portfolio summary so it reflects your current focus, not an outdated version of your interests.
Underselling real experience
Many students undersell coursework projects, hackathon work, or personal side projects because they assume it does not count as real experience. Reviewers care about what you built and what you learned, not whether it was a paid job.
Describe your projects with the same seriousness you would describe professional work.
Applying without reading the role description carefully
Applications that clearly do not match the stated requirements, or that ignore specific instructions in the application form, are an easy way to get filtered out early.
Read the internship description carefully, tailor your answers to the specific role, and follow every instruction in the application exactly as written.
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