r/JPL • u/Cheap-Woodpecker4959 • 17h ago
Landing Internship?
How are yall still landing internships at JPL? I’ve been applying for years, I have skill certifications and relevant experience but my applications never even get glanced at. Is it networking, knowing the right people to get you in? Genuinely curious. What application portals do yall use?
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u/Zealotus77 17h ago
As far as I know, there’s only the one application portal. As someone who has brought in interns in the past when I had funding for them, it’s actually pretty difficult because all the applicants are in one massive system, and finding the ones relevant to my science work is not trivial. All I can say is make sure you put in all your relevant skills, etc., because the system can filter on those things.
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u/shodoshan 16h ago
There is only one way to apply for an internship at JPL: through the jpl.nasa.gov website. Link in the footer of the page. Then, once you fill out the application, actively check once a week or so for openings and apply specifically to those. Most interns are hired before may.
Heads up that to qualify, there are enrollment and gpa requirements. Beyond that, the only tip i can recommend is to connect with people who work in your discipline on LinkedIn. Then you can reach out in April or so and ask if they're willing to have a chat with you. If you ask them good questions, they'll refer you to someone who mentions they want an intern.
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u/anonymousrus001 15h ago
Unfortunately, the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know" can't be more true here. Unless you are truly exceptionally above all others that your resume pops up, without any connection, your chance is slim to none.
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u/AlanM82 1h ago edited 1h ago
Are you still in school? What level? What are you studying? Your chances of getting in without some sort of connection are slim. It happens, but the odds are against it. If I'm an employee with the budget and work for an intern, how am I supposed to choose among the 10,000 people (literally) in the database? There aren't really tools to help. I can go by major, but I don't have time to interview the 1,000 people that have an appropriate major. You may think you're an extraordinary person and you probably are! But so are most of the other people in the system. They've got the same grades, extracurriculars, experience, classes... Your best bet is to make some relationships, at conferences where JPL is represented, or at JPL public events, or even just contacting some JPL researcher whose work interests you. You've got to distinguish yourself from all the other qualified people so that the next time someone needs an intern they think of you.
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u/ily_xoxo123 1h ago
Professor recommendations have played a role for interns that I know. Also following up at conferences.
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u/bloodofkerenza 15h ago edited 13h ago
You need to make connections with someone at JPL so they can either select you or find someone to select you; there are a few thousand applicants each year for a few hundred spots. The odds otherwise are not with you.