How to hire an engineering internship

How to hire an engineering internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step engineering internship hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an engineering internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new engineering internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an engineering internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The engineering internship hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An engineering internship's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, engineering interns from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of engineering interns.

   Type of Engineering Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Engineering Internship	Civil engineering technicians help civil engineers to plan, design, and build highways, bridges, utilities, and other infrastructure projects. They also help to plan, design, and build commercial, industrial, residential, and land development projects.	$12-30
   Co-Operations Engineer	A Co-Operations Engineer ensures that operations-related activities are performed in compliance with company standards and regulations. They optimize the overall efficiency of business.	$14-27
   Student Engineer	A student engineer is an individual who trains to become a full pledge professional engineer by gaining working experience in the field of engineering. By using their knowledge in the principles of science and mathematics, student engineers should help other professionals develop economical solutions and solve technical problems... Show more	$25-45

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Engineering Intern
   • Python
   • C++
   • Java
   • PowerPoint
   • Solidworks
   • Work Ethic
   • Data Analysis
   • Linux
   • Project Management
   • Data Collection
   • SQL
   • Strong Analytical
   • Windows

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage various developing product samples, trial weaves and handlooms within PLM systems.
   • Assist manufacturing in debugging, RMA, and manufacturing process issues to achieve volume testing goals.
   • Maintain BOM (bill of materials) and manage the team in maintaining coordination between the customer requirements.
   • Assist in managing the finances of the company using python programming language to calculate the day to day profit.
   • Develop Perl and TCL scripts to automate existing chip verification infrastructure.
   • Programme VBA tool to organize and manage operator-supply production data into a comprehensive data set.

   More engineering internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your engineering internship job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An engineering internship salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an engineering internship in Wisconsin may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineering internship usually earns less than a senior-level engineering internship. Additionally, an engineering internship with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average engineering internship salary

   $41,918yearly

   $20.15 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level engineering internship salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average engineering internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$60,496	$29
   2	California	$59,577	$29
   3	Oklahoma	$52,251	$25
   4	Arizona	$50,206	$24
   5	Louisiana	$48,974	$24
   6	Oregon	$47,487	$23
   7	Washington	$47,484	$23
   8	Florida	$47,368	$23
   9	Ohio	$46,780	$22
   10	North Carolina	$45,571	$22
   11	New Mexico	$45,029	$22
   12	Illinois	$44,465	$21
   13	Pennsylvania	$43,524	$21
   14	New York	$42,764	$21
   15	Colorado	$42,661	$21
   16	Iowa	$41,668	$20
   17	Utah	$41,271	$20
   18	North Dakota	$39,664	$19
   19	Texas	$39,227	$19
   20	Georgia	$38,889	$19

   Average engineering internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cisco	$83,299	$40.05	277
   2	Qorvo	$70,768	$34.02
   3	Achronix	$68,628	$32.99
   4	City Of San Mateo	$65,190	$31.34
   5	City of Cincinnati	$64,446	$30.98	1
   6	OCC	$62,786	$30.19	2
   7	Stanley Consultants	$62,734	$30.16	7
   8	Hensel Phelps	$61,255	$29.45	1
   9	Granite Construction	$60,748	$29.21	29
   10	City of Anaheim	$60,697	$29.18
   11	Nabors Industries	$60,481	$29.08
   12	Transphorm	$59,880	$28.79
   13	Google	$59,037	$28.38	105
   14	TriMet	$58,970	$28.35
   15	Algolia	$58,777	$28.26
   16	Cyient	$58,770	$28.25
   17	Schneider Electric Industrial Services	$58,289	$28.02	15
   18	Wayfair	$58,088	$27.93	5
   19	FireEye	$57,434	$27.61
   20	Silicon Labs	$56,937	$27.37

4. Writing an engineering internship job description

   A good engineering internship job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an engineering internship job description:

   Engineering internship job description example

   We are seeking highly motivated university students to learn and contribute hands-on while working on our engineering teams during Summer 2023. Current student pursing a BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering or a related field and graduating December 2023 and beyond are encouraged to apply.
   We are recruiting for the following areas:
   
   Electronic Design Engineering - Electronic Design Engineers are responsible for all aspects of digital design in NAND flash memory, focusing on micro architecture, RTL verification, logic synthesis, and timing analysis to deliver a design meeting target power, performance, and area goals. Join the team that designs circuits for NAND flash memory, including digital circuits and/or analog circuits; perform block level and full chip circuit simulation to meet all performance specifications; conduct silicon debugging and evaluation with micro-probing; collaborate with characterization engineers to fully characterize silicon; and partner with other designers to develop solutions for silicon issues.
   
   ASIC Engineering - ASIC Engineers help oversee the definition, design, verification, and documentation for ASIC development. The various roles help determine architecture design, logic design and system simulation; define module interfaces/formats for simulation; evaluate all aspects of the process flow from high level design to synthesis, place and route, and timing and power use; and analyze equipment to establish operation data, conducts experimental tests and evaluates results.
   
   Hardware Development Engineering - Hardware Engineers focus on achieving higher capacity and highly reliable magnetic recording systems. In the roles you can help provide analysis related to the design, development, and implementation of hardware for products; develop test strategies, devices, and systems; and perform stress and performance tests on a variety of computer hardware including circuit boards, processors, and wiring.
   
   Firmware Engineering - Firmware Engineer supports analysis, design, programming, debugging and software modification. Team members are responsible for code for firmware (IC embedded code) applications. Work often involves analog and digital hardware and software operating systems. Positions require knowledge and exposure to hardware design. Typically programs in machine language, assembly language and high level languages (e.g., C, C++).
   
   Systems Design & Integration Engineering - Systems Design & Integration Engineers design, define and implement complex system requirements for customers and/or prepares studies and analyzes existing systems. In this role you can help determine system specifications, input/output processes, and working parameters for hardware/software compatibility. Be part of the team that coordinates design of subsystems and integration of total system; identifies, analyzes, and resolves program support deficiencies; and develops and recommends corrective actions.
   
   Mechanical Design Engineering - Mechanical Design Engineers focus on designing and analyzing mechanical systems, equipment, and packaging. Join the team that conducts feasibility studies and testing on new and modified designs; prepare detailed design, design testing and prototype fabrication; and provides design information to drafting for packaging documentation.
   
   Equipment Engineering - Equipment Engineers valuate, select, and order equipment that is most appropriate and cost effective for the manufacture of company products. You can help oversee the installation, modification, upgrade, and maintenance of manufacturing equipment. Day-to-day responsibilities can include, maintaining current records on equipment manufacturers' technical notices, upgrades, and safety issues; studying equipment performance and reliability; establishing programs and solutions for increasing uptime and for equipment problems that affect the manufacturing process; providing technical support to the manufacturing equipment repair and process engineering organizations; and defining and writing preventative maintenance schedules.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find engineering interns for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any engineering interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level engineering interns with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your engineering internship job on Zippia to find and recruit engineering internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit engineering interns, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new engineering internship

   Once you have selected a candidate for the engineering internship position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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