How to hire a program development internship

How to hire a program development internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step program development 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 program development internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new program development internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a program development internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The program development 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

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   Hiring the perfect program development internship also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of program development interns and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Program Development Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Program Development Internship	Computer programmers write and test code that allows computer applications and software programs to function properly. They turn the program designs created by software developers and engineers into instructions that a computer can follow.	$12-20
   Applications Programmer	An application programmer is responsible for creating and designing computer systems and applications according to client specifications and business requirements. Application programmers run quality checks on the draft outputs to ensure its stability and efficiency for high-level performance... Show more	$30-53
   Computer Programmer	A Computer Programmer is a specialist in writing computer programs as well as mobile applications. In addition to writing and testing code written, they are responsible for installing updates for software, debugging or improving functionality, troubleshooting parts of the program that is not functioning, and rewriting code for computer programs to be compatible in different operating systems... Show more	$26-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Customer Service
   • Professional Development
   • Html Css
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Project Management
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Autism
   • Leadership Development
   • PowerPoint
   • Digital Marketing
   • Local Community
   • SQL
   • Program Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
   • Develop windows forms programs to automate manual in-house processes integrate with third party applications using Microsoft VB.Net.
   • Blog on the KIISFM's website, twitter and Facebook pages.
   • Gain knowledge of new programming languages including PHP, HTML, and JavaScript.
   • Contribute design layouts, create illustrations and photo retouching; develop the website with HTML and CSS.
   • Clean CRM database to improve alumni communication network.

   More program development internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the program development internship job description is a good way to get more applicants. A program development internship salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a program development internship in South Carolina may be lower than in New Hampshire, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level program development internship. Additionally, a program development internship with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average program development internship salary

   $16.20hourly

   $33,686 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level program development internship salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average program development internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$39,839	$19
   2	Washington	$39,615	$19
   3	Oregon	$38,765	$19
   4	Massachusetts	$36,908	$18
   5	Maryland	$35,350	$17
   6	Colorado	$35,341	$17
   7	New York	$34,046	$16
   8	Kansas	$34,033	$16
   9	Minnesota	$33,907	$16
   10	Pennsylvania	$33,758	$16
   11	Arizona	$33,674	$16
   12	Texas	$33,640	$16
   13	Virginia	$33,018	$16
   14	Wisconsin	$32,356	$16
   15	Ohio	$31,992	$15
   16	Illinois	$31,845	$15
   17	District of Columbia	$31,834	$15
   18	Nebraska	$31,662	$15
   19	Utah	$31,222	$15
   20	North Carolina	$30,867	$15

   Average program development internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Qorvo	$54,191	$26.05
   2	BWX Technologies	$53,946	$25.94	19
   3	The Aspen Institute	$53,012	$25.49	2
   4	Collins Engineers	$52,046	$25.02	1
   5	Huitt-Zollars	$49,904	$23.99	1
   6	Google	$49,074	$23.59	206
   7	Ralph Appelbaum Associates	$48,811	$23.47
   8	Oracle	$47,894	$23.03	4,588
   9	FireEye	$46,473	$22.34
   10	Merck	$45,654	$21.95	6
   11	Alliant Energy	$45,246	$21.75
   12	Rockwell Automation	$44,994	$21.63	19
   13	Intel	$44,856	$21.57	14
   14	American Enterprise Institute	$43,460	$20.89
   15	Clario	$43,426	$20.88
   16	Design Workshop	$43,420	$20.88	1
   17	Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.	$43,412	$20.87
   18	APCO Worldwide	$43,333	$20.83
   19	EyePoint Pharmaceuticals	$43,097	$20.72
   20	Northrop Grumman	$42,929	$20.64	157

4. Writing a program development internship job description

   A program development internship job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a program development internship job description:

   Program development internship job description example

   The candidate will function as an Application Developer with a focus on Java and web-based software solutions. As part of the development team, the candidate will work to deliver business features for HealthCare domain. The role will involve design and development of software applications using Java, Spring and database technologies. This role is in a high performing team with growth opportunities.
   Duties and Responsibilities include:
   Working closely with internal staff to understand functional software requirement, developing and verifying software solutions to meet immediate technical goals in context of corporate business priorities Understanding and skills in software design and code, including Object Oriented Analysis & Design (OOAD) Knowledge of application design activities, tools and techniques; ability to utilize these to convert business requirements and logical models into technical application designs and code Team player with a proactive attitude, the ability to be productive in a dynamic / collaborative environment and strong oral and written communication skills Work closely with software architects and technical leads on code review and creating unit tests
   Required:
   2+ Years of experience with Java enterprise application development and developing unit tests Hands on experience with Spring framework developing Restful service using JSON or XML. Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills Working experience with SQL and any RDBMS such as Oracle or DB Working experience with Windows/Linux/Unix OS environments Experience with development tools like Eclipse, Git, Gradle/Maven, Sonar, Jenkins, Jira, etc
   Education:
   Requires a BS degree in Computer Science or related discipline
   Labcorp is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer:
   
   As an EOE/AA employer, the organization will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, age, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status.
   
   For more information about how we collect and store your personal data, please see our Privacy Statement.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right program development internship for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with program development interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit program development interns who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your program development internship job on Zippia to find and recruit program development internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting program development 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. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   If your interviews with program development internship applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 program development internship

   Once you've selected the best program development 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new program development internship. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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