Post Job

What is a business internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Experts
Kim Chatani,
Jana Carpenter
introduction image

A business internship allows college students or recent graduates to gain experience and learn about the business world. Interns work alongside professionals in departments, such as finance, marketing, or human resources, to develop skills and knowledge relevant to career goals. They assist with day-to-day tasks, research projects, or special initiatives while receiving mentorship from experienced staff. A business internship helps build networks, enhance resumes, and gain insight into potential career paths.

What general advice would you give to a Business Internship?

Kim Chatani

Assistant Professor, Concordia University Irvine

The career path for graduating students is full of unpredictability, as we have seen during this COVID 19 pandemic. In addition to academic excellence, graduates will face challenges that will test their core principles and beliefs. My advice is to view each challenge you meet with a long-term perspective while addressing the immediate concerns in a balanced way. Your career will span decades, and what you may face during the first several years will only be a fraction of your professional career. View how your immediate decision may impact you in the long-term.
ScoreBusiness InternshipUS Average
Salary
2.8

Avg. Salary $35,282

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.8

Growth Rate 11%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 8.83%

Black or African American 6.36%

Hispanic or Latino 9.39%

Unknown 4.56%

White 70.43%

Gender

female 45.04%

male 54.96%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress Level
6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
2.2

Work Life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Business Internship?

Pros

Cons

  • Unpaid or low pay

  • Tedious tasks

  • Office politics

  • Potentially limited growth opportunities

  • Workload may be overwhelming at times

Newest jobs for Business Internship in Ashburn, VA

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

Business Internship career paths

Key steps to become a business internship

  1. Explore business internship education requirements

    Most common business internship degrees

    Bachelor's

    74.0 %

    Master's

    11.5 %

    Associate

    8.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific business internship skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service8.07%
    Power Bi6.85%
    Visualization6.60%
    Data Analysis5.58%
    Project Management5.25%
  3. Research business internship duties and responsibilities

    • Manage BDC department and handle all inbound and outbound traffic from phone and internet leads.
    • Develop multiple macros in VBA to automate processes that allow reports to run more efficiently.
    • Manage a handful of the company's YouTube accounts in regards to judging if copyright infringement have been compromise.
    • Develop a database tool with VBA and SQL to automate the importing, archiving, and storing of client data.
  4. Prepare your business internship resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business internship resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Business Internship Resume templates

    Build a professional Business Internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Business Internship resume.
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
    Business Internship Resume
  5. Apply for business internship jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a business internship job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Business Internship Job

Zippi

Are you a Business Internship?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average business internship salary

The average Business Internship salary in the United States is $35,282 per year or $17 per hour. Business internship salaries range between $27,000 and $44,000 per year.

Average Business Internship Salary
$35,282 Yearly
$16.96 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

How do business interns rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Business Internship reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Cons

Nasty people calling in with a bad attitude. Favoritism is so blatantly obvious it's painful. The under tone of racism of higher management.


Working as a Business Internship? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Search for business internship jobs

Business Internship jobs by state

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse business and financial jobs