Where Can I Find a Data Analyst Internship?

Are you wondering how to land a data analyst job without any professional experience? This article is the answer!

Finding an SQL-related internship – an important part of eventually landing a data analyst job. Internships enrich your CV and, more importantly, help you learn SQL from the practical side. I will tell you where to find data analyst internships and what you should know about them.

That's right! To gain experience, you need experience – especially when you’re entering the labor market or embarking on a new career. How can you get your first professional experience when it seems like most entry-level jobs expect you to already have some? How do you break this vicious cycle and land a data analyst job?

What Do You Get From a Data Analyst Internship?

You have several options for developing your practical data analysis skills. You can practice SQL with some random projects, work as a freelancer, or explore SQL as an intern.

SQL internships are undoubtedly one of the best options to get acquainted with professional data analysis. What sounds better – learning from your mistakes while freelancing or learning the secrets of your future career by working with real professionals?

Data analyst internships have many advantages. (Not every internship is paid, although there are a lot of paid ones out there.) An internship is a long-term investment in yourself and your professional competence. Working in a real environment, with experienced and knowledgeable people, gains you a lot. Here are just a few of the most important advantages:

Teamwork

Interning in a company teaches you how to work in a team. As an intern, you’ll work with specialists who will answer your questions. You will be able to draw on the knowledge and skills of people who have worked in the field for years. This is an incredible opportunity.

Diverse Professional Environment

Even if the company where you intern is small, it has specialists from different areas. You’ll get the opportunity to broaden your horizons and acquire technical, organizational, and communication skills. These are skills you won’t learn at university.

Imagine going on a coffee break with the head of the data analytics department. In those few minutes, you can ask questions about their daily work and how it looks from a practical point of view. Such conversations can be much more valuable than long hours of university lectures.

Become More Employable

Participating in SQL internships allows you to stand out from hundreds of other candidates who have only theoretical skills. Recruiters pay attention to your CV and your professional activity. If you haven’t worked in a specialized position but you have completed several internships, you have a better chance of getting an offer.

Go from Theoretical Knowledge to Practical Skills

SQL courses give you the opportunity to try out new skills. Sometimes, however, a data analyst job requires more than just writing good SQL. Dealing with databases is complex, and the queries you write as a professional don't always look like the ones you write as a learner. Working with experienced people can help you quickly improve your queries. After all, these people have written thousands of SQL queries in their lives and know how to make the job easier!

And Finally: You Can Get a Job!

The last and most important advantage of participating in internships is the prospect of landing a data analyst job. Companies use internships to educate future workers. If you sign up and find that working with databases is for you, you may very well get a job offer from that company. You’ll work with the people who have taught you how to use SQL in the real world. And getting a job is your ultimate goal, right?

Who Can Apply for an SQL Internship?

Even if your knowledge of SQL is at an intermediate level, you can apply for an internship.

Do you need a degree to find a database-related job? Not necessarily. What matters most is your practical skills and your database portfolio, which you can expand by taking on internships.

What to Look for in a Data Analysis Internship

When looking for an internship, you should first consider:

• Where you want to work.
• Which role or job function you’d like.
• If you have a special area of interest.
• How you’d like to develop as an analyst.

Take your internship decision seriously; you want to learn, not be condemned to making coffee for the whole company. A good internship will get you using databases in a real working environment, while a poor internship spends more time on the differences between espresso and latte macchiato.

To avoid poor internships, look for offers from companies with an established record and a good reputation. Some companies search for trainees to get free labor – watch out for these businesses! But if you see that a company has some (mostly positive) reviews on job sites like Glassdoor or Indeed, you’re more likely to find a serious internship there.

Next, get ready to talk to the recruiter dealing with your potential internship. Recruiters guard the company gates. Remember how the Nazguls chased Frodo on Sauron's orders in The Lord of the Rings? I'm not saying that recruiters are cruel, but their job is to find your weaknesses and ultimately decide if it pays to give you a chance.

A recruiter first gets to know you and verifies your skills. I recommend preparing for a technical interviews with these tips. Your chances to land a data analyst job will increase when you prepare diligently, so here are some additional suggestions:

• Try to answer the recruiter's questions specifically and honestly. If you don’t know the answer, admit it. Sincerity is a very important advantage in the workplace. The recruiter will appreciate that you’re open about what you can't do yet. Instead, assure them that you learn quickly and will make up for the shortcomings soon – this is very important in a data analyst job!
• Get to know the company’s vision, mission, activities, and It costs companies a lot to build an image; show that you appreciate their effort and that you have done your homework.
• Some standard questions appear in many recruitment processes. Of course, they vary depending on the position; see our articles that summarize frequently asked interview questions for entry level developers and advanced SQL users. Knowing what to expect and preparing your answers will help you feel more confident and less stressed.

Where to Look for Internships

Now you need to find the right place to do an internship. Here are some websites that can help:

1.Internships.com

This site likely  has an internship in your field of interest; it's billed as the largest internship marketplace online. For example, the phrase 'data analyst internship' in the San Francisco area returns more than 1,700 hits.

This site lists paid and free options in startups, larger companies, and global corporations. It also provides insights for different industries and what kind of positions are occupied by people who have completed a particular type of internship.

2. Glassdoor.com

Glassdoor provides assessments of individual employers and lists jobs and internships. They provide user ratings on specific aspects of working in companies, such as compensation and benefits, culture and values, career opportunities, and work/life balance.

By checking your future internship here, you get specific information from other people who have worked for the company. Even if you’re only using this as a temporary stop on your job journey, it's a good idea to be familiar with potential employers' ratings.

3. Indeed.com

This portal is well known for its job advertisements, but you can also use it to find internships. It also lets you browse employer reviews, which helps you decide if a company is a good fit for you.

For more help finding internships, see our article Top 10 Websites with SQL and Database Jobs. You might find the same internship offer in multiple sites; check each one out – you can learn more about that role from different ads!

Think of choosing an internship as choosing a bank account. You need to consider not only the interest rate your funds will have, but also whether the bank’s customer service and overall reputation is good. After all, this is your career.

On the other hand, don’t stress too much. If your internship doesn’t work out, you can always resign and choose another one.

Prepare Now for an SQL Job

Even if you don't feel too confident in your SQL yet, it’s worth considering an internship. I hope I've helped you see that internships are nothing to be afraid of.

Internships bring benefits – even if you fail to land a job with the company after your internship is completed. Experience gained in working with different companies helps you find your own strengths and areas of interest.

If you feel that it is too early in your SQL journey to look for a job, why not build more experience with our courses? Our SQL Basics course will give you a great foundation. If you want an in-depth look at the whole language, try our flagship SQL A to Z track, which contains seven interactive courses that lead you from basic to advanced concepts.

With SQL internships in your CV, you won't have to worry about having zero experience. You’ll have broken the cycle! You can achieve your goals and move towards success step by step.