How to hire a product management internship

How to hire a product management internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step product management internship hiring guide:

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

What does a product management internship do?

Post a product management internship job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your product management internship job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a product management internship for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a product management internship to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a product management internship that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of product management interns and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Product Management Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Product Management Internship		$12-22
   Project Administrator	A project administrator is a professional who assists the project manager in the preparation, reporting, and analysis of projects. Project administrators are given tasks with administrative responsibilities such as managing the budget for supply orders, coordinating meetings with contractors, and doing site visits... Show more	$15-39
   Call Center Manager	Call center managers specialize in overseeing call center operations and agents' performances, ensuring that customers are satisfied. Aside from this, they are mostly involved in hiring and training new agents, shaping them into productive workforce members... Show more	$11-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Management
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Product Development
   • Customer Service
   • Data Analysis
   • Market Research
   • Competitive Analysis
   • SQL
   • Qa Testing
   • Data Management
   • User Experience
   • Market Analysis
   • Python
   • HR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Evaluate and manage financial portfolio risk and margin, monitor and evaluate macroeconomic and financial events relate to the managed portfolio.
   • Used VISIO extensively to create process flow charts and control the project activities.
   • Improve general work flows within several units using Microsoft Visio and flow charts.
   • Participate in marketing project to promote studio activities through social media, such as Facebook.
   • Assist project manager in execution of contractor bid process, RFI management and recording minutes.
   • Focuse on digging business insights and understanding customer behavior from the extracted market data by SQL.

   More product management internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your product management internship job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A product management 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 a product management internship in Kentucky may be lower than in California, and an entry-level product management internship usually earns less than a senior-level product management internship. Additionally, a product management 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 product management internship salary

   $35,073yearly

   $16.86 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level product management internship salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average product management internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$42,872	$21
   2	Wisconsin	$37,791	$18
   3	Michigan	$37,785	$18
   4	Colorado	$36,307	$17
   5	New Jersey	$35,678	$17
   6	Georgia	$33,786	$16
   7	New York	$32,963	$16
   8	South Dakota	$32,858	$16
   9	North Carolina	$32,801	$16
   10	Florida	$32,746	$16
   11	Delaware	$32,641	$16
   12	Minnesota	$32,349	$16
   13	Massachusetts	$32,304	$16
   14	Utah	$31,938	$15
   15	Arizona	$31,819	$15
   16	Texas	$31,549	$15
   17	Illinois	$30,866	$15
   18	Virginia	$30,801	$15
   19	Pennsylvania	$30,467	$15
   20	Maryland	$30,318	$15

   Average product management internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	HP	$60,020	$28.86	44
   2	Siemens Enterprise Communications Inc	$49,773	$23.93
   3	Johnson Controls	$48,894	$23.51	25
   4	Advent Software	$47,870	$23.01
   5	SAP	$47,090	$22.64	41
   6	Formlabs	$44,950	$21.61	2
   7	Quidel	$44,722	$21.50
   8	Ping Identity	$44,656	$21.47	1
   9	Ciena	$44,622	$21.45
   10	USAA	$44,291	$21.29	18
   11	Rockwell Automation	$44,277	$21.29	14
   12	Siemens	$42,863	$20.61	53
   13	Bloom Energy	$42,815	$20.58	6
   14	International Rescue Committee	$42,413	$20.39	2
   15	RingCentral	$42,185	$20.28
   16	Power Integrations	$41,811	$20.10
   17	Bosch USA	$41,703	$20.05	19
   18	HealthTrio	$38,882	$18.69
   19	General Motors	$38,308	$18.42	73
   20	Danfoss	$38,223	$18.38	6

4. Writing a product management internship job description

   A good product management 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 a product management internship job description:

   Product management internship job description example

   Our Product Strategy and Analytics Internship will provide a hands-on experience in a challenging, interesting, and rewarding environment. Qualified interns will experience different functions of our Product Management department, including working on product strategy, product development, and competitive intelligence.
   
   As an intern, you will be provided the opportunity to directly impact GEICO's business metrics by working alongside product managers to develop and execute growth and profitability strategies for our insurance business. You will be responsible for looking creatively at business problems and working on long-term projects throughout the summer. Towards the end of your internship, you will present your findings and recommendations to senior management and officers.
   
   Starting from day one, your work will have an impact, forming the basis for truly transformative solutions. If you have a passion for problem solving and you are
   
   interested in making a real contribution at the 2nd largest auto insurer in the United States, then a GEICO Product Strategy and Analytics Internship within Product Management may be the right fit for you!
   During this paid 10-week summer internship, you will:
   
   * Research creative ways to assess risk
   * Understand and more accurately predict customer behavior and the likelihood of a claim
   * Work on strategic and analytical projects that will impact GEICO's growth and profitability results
   * Query large datasets via SQL/SAS and organize and analyze metrics and key performance indicators in Excel
   * Develop and present projects to senior management
   * Learn how GEICO collaborates with state insurance departments and regulators
   * Meet regularly with Product Managers and Senior Leaders in one-on-one Mentor meetings
   
   Qualifications and Skills
   
   * Currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in one of the following fields of study: Economics, Business, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related major
   * Candidates must be rising seniors by the start of internship with the expected graduation date of December 2023 or May 2024
   * Cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 or higher
   * Excellent communication, problem-solving, and creative thinking abilities
   * Demonstrated analytical, mathematical, and data management skills
   * Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Excel and some additional programming skills
   * Ability to live and work in the Washington DC area this summer. Interns who meet geographical requirement may qualify for housing stipend.
   
   GEICO is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to cultivating an environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all associates and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, disability or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law. GEICO celebrates diversity and believes it is critical to our success. As such, we are committed to recruit, develop and retain the most talented individuals to join our team.
   
   #LI-RD

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right product management internship for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting product management interns requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 product management internship

   Once you've selected the best product management internship candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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 product management internship first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a product management internship?