Guide to MBA Internships in the Washington DC Metro

MBA internships can be just as important as a job for business school students. This makes a lot of sense — your mba internship will play a huge role in whatever job you end up landing post graduation. 

Whereas many MBAs may only have experience in classrooms or in case competitions, internships are the real deal. They are test runs for companies — a three-month trial where graduate students gain real-world experience by working on major projects with paid professionals in actual industries.

If you succeed in your internship responsibilities, projects and goals, there’s a good chance you’ll be rewarded with a job. According to quintcareers.com, several studies show that organizations that offer MBA internships strongly prefer hiring their interns.

The article describes one study that found that not only did employers say they hired more than half of their MBA interns, but they also paid those they hired a higher salary than other new hires.

Another study of employers who offer MBA internships found that almost three-quarters said they first interview previous MBA interns for new positions before opening the position to other candidates.

A third study of MBA candidates found that almost 90 percent of interns were offered full-time positions with their employers, further stating that the internship helped them make key networking contacts and find a mentor.

What things should I consider when starting to think about mba internships?

There are plenty of things to consider about an internship when beginning your search: how do you see your career evolving, which industry do you want to dive into, what type of company do you want to work for, and which city do you want to intern in? Do some soul searching and ask yourself where you’d like your career to go. An internship is the first step.

• Career: Are you trying to get in accounting, consulting, analysis, management, IT, law, marketing, operations, research or sales? There are plenty of roles for someone holding an MBA from a good business school — which will it be for you?
• Industry: MBA internships span a plethora of industries and fields ranging from the obvious (accounting, consulting, financial services, retail), the adventurous (entertainment, technology, healthcare), and everything in between (manufacturing, non-profits, government)
• Type: Will you want to intern for a non-profit, for a start-up, for a large corporation or for the government?
• Location: How far are you willing to move? Are you willing to move to a new metro to pursue a dream job in an ideal industry? For example, it makes sense to move to LA for an internship in entertainment, to New York for finance, or to Washington DC for a job in the public-sector.

Where can I find an mba internship?

If you’re looking to land an internship, you’ll oftentimes need to start planning in the late fall when top MBA employers begin their internship hiring process. In a recent post, we outlined a few different ways to find an internship, including:

• On-campus career fairs and networking events: These types of events offer students the opportunity to meet potential networking contacts.
• Former colleagues, fellow students and MBA alumni: Contacting someone with a shared background or interest can get you great internship leads. What internship did they apply for when they were in your shoes? Could they help introduce you to their former supervisor? What was the interview process like? Inside information like this can give you an advantage over the competition.
• Career Services: Business schools are creating new internship opportunities for their students. In fact, Yale University recently spent $100,000 creating in-house internships. This makes sense: your school needs you to succeed. Lean on the career-services folks at your school to help you with whatever you need.
• The Internet: There are plenty of websites that list internship opportunities of all varieties.

regions: Washington, DC

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