How to land a cybersecurity internship—and why you need to start looking now

More than just a way to gain experience and fill out your resume, summer internships often become job opportunities at these companies and organizations after you graduate from graduate school. And students who have just started a master’s degree in cybersecurity should already be looking for a summer internship.

“September, October, a lot of company budgets get set, and every year it seems to be earlier and earlier in the school year when companies or agencies are looking for interns,” says Josh Pauli, department head for cyber, intel and info operations at the College of Applied Sciences and Technology from the University of Arizona.

For students pursuing a master’s degree in cybersecurity, these summer internship opportunities may be enough across the board, according to Jimmie Lenz, director of the Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity and Master of Engineering in Fintech programs at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. “We have people who work for government agencies in the summer, we have people who work for some of the big private companies.”

As the field of cybersecurity continues to grow at an astronomical rate – Cybersecurity Ventures, a researcher and publisher covering the international cyber economy, estimates that there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2025 – how can a cybersecurity master’s student get a summer internship, and what should you pay attention to? Here’s what two experts said Wealth.

If considering a summer internship, Lenz says applicants should try to identify what area of ​​cybersecurity they would like to work in and then apply for positions in that concentration. Still, he recommends not limiting yourself to just one area of ​​cybersecurity.

“You can get on at many different points,” says Lenz. “Maybe you want to be one [chief information security officer] in an energy company, but don’t just limit yourself to energy companies. Look at all sorts of companies because you don’t know where internships are available.”

Similarly, you might want to apply for multiple internships, even if it looks like you’re a steal on an internship with your dream employer, Pauli recommends.

“Be really honest with yourself about the kind of work you think you want to do,” says Pauli. “What are the top three or four areas of cybersecurity that you want to do? Not what necessarily grabs the headlines, or what your classmates want to do, or what you think are the highest demands, but the actual work that you would enjoy.”

Second, it is important to find an internship with the type of employer you want to work for. Do you want the stability of a role in government or an established company? Do you like the risks and potential rewards of working for a startup? What about in-person, remote, or hybrid work? In any case, Pauli recommends that students start applying for an internship shortly after the start of the first fall semester.

Networking can be the key to an internship. Seminar speakers and graduation courses, along with exposure to a cybersecurity program alumni, can provide networking opportunities that students can take advantage of, Lenz says. These contacts can help students better understand what internships are available—since some internships are not publicly advertised—and learn more about what those roles entail.

So what do employers look for in their internship candidates? According to Lenz, companies and organizations want interns who understand cybersecurity in both a macro and micro sense.

“I’m hearing more and more about it [the] Industry that technical experience is great, but if you don’t understand the legal, political and regulatory aspects of things well, it will hinder your advancement,” says Lenz. “If you understand these things well, it will speed up your progress.”

While some employers are looking for candidates with a broad knowledge of cybersecurity, others are looking for interns with a wealth of expertise, Pauli adds. “Some places are looking for industry certifications; Some are looking for very, very specialized courses, maybe in a technical area.”

When applying for an internship, Lenz attaches great importance to a professional-looking CV. Applicants should tailor their resume or curriculum vitae (CV) to the needs of a company or organization, he adds.

“Students often confuse the resume they used to apply to graduate school [with] the CV with which they should apply,” says Lenz. “Make sure your resume matches the role. You shouldn’t have the same resume for every job you apply for. They want to highlight what they’re hiring for.”

While the cybersecurity internship market is competitive, Lenz said 100% of his cybersecurity masters students internd at Duke this summer.

“You see the numbers out there, the number of cybersecurity professional jobs and the projected number of cybersecurity professional jobs continues to grow,” says Lenz. “Demand continues to grow and I don’t see any let-up [soon].”

Anecdotally, Lenz says it’s very common for employers to offer their summer interns a job before they graduate. But just because an employer offers you a job offer doesn’t mean you have to accept it. And even a bad internship experience has value, adds Pauli.

“It’s a perfect 100-day test drive,” says Pauli. “They can test you, and you can test them as an organization. The majority of [job] Internships are the result of a positively experienced internship. It’s a huge step. That’s a big differentiator for a student.”

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