How to hire a software engineering internship

How to hire a software engineering internship, step by step

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

What does a software engineering internship do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the software engineering internship you need to hire. Certain software engineering internship roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 software engineering 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 software engineering internship that fits the bill.

   This list presents software engineering internship salaries for various positions.

   Type of Software Engineering Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Software Engineering Internship	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$14-35
   Research And Development Internship	When it comes to Research and Development Internship, the duties will vary according to the organization or company. Most of the time, the responsibilities will revolve around observing the industry, taking part in the research and analysis, lend a helping hand in experiments and surveys, explore theories and attempt to create a model of out it, present findings for evaluation, and develop more innovative designs and systems... Show more	$14-22
   Software Analyst	A software analyst is responsible for creating and designing software programs and applications, as well as modifying existing ones for optimization according to business requirements. Software analysts work with the technical team to draw system codes, analyze programming languages, and ensure the stability and efficiency of software navigation by running multiple quality checks to the system... Show more	$29-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Python
   • Object Oriented Programming
   • Software Development
   • Cloud
   • Emerging Technologies
   • Linux
   • C
   • C++
   • GIT
   • Key Management
   • Android
   • UI
   • AWS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and coordinate a team of Asp.net developers to deploy and deliver successful applications.
   • Establish and achieve goals using sprint scrum methodologies and contribute to the retrospective meetings
   • Manage various 3D-modeling, visualization and animation projects to create a comprehensive and efficient software package for large-scale 3D animation projects.
   • Develop a full web application in MySQL, PHP, and JavaScript, and deploy it using RightScale and AWS.
   • Port C++ system across compilers.
   • Utilize design input and activities to create HTML, CSS and JavaScript code for the Watson web-interfaces.

   More software engineering internship duties

3. Make a budget

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

   $47,164yearly

   $22.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level software engineering internship salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average software engineering internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$68,883	$33
   2	Massachusetts	$68,094	$33
   3	Connecticut	$63,138	$30
   4	Washington	$62,384	$30
   5	Rhode Island	$61,070	$29
   6	Pennsylvania	$60,437	$29
   7	Oregon	$59,811	$29
   8	New York	$59,060	$28
   9	New Hampshire	$58,023	$28
   10	District of Columbia	$57,452	$28
   11	North Carolina	$56,158	$27
   12	Wisconsin	$54,628	$26
   13	Indiana	$54,525	$26
   14	Georgia	$53,125	$26
   15	Nevada	$52,428	$25
   16	Arizona	$52,145	$25
   17	Maryland	$51,356	$25
   18	Illinois	$51,319	$25
   19	Minnesota	$51,231	$25
   20	Montana	$49,630	$24

   Average software engineering internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$108,154	$52.00	3,513
   2	Apple	$107,395	$51.63	502
   3	Microsoft	$95,733	$46.03	531
   4	KLA	$91,579	$44.03	41
   5	Qorvo	$89,211	$42.89
   6	Cradlepoint	$87,502	$42.07
   7	Cisco	$87,081	$41.87	498
   8	Synopsys	$82,901	$39.86	1
   9	Persistent Systems	$82,261	$39.55	5
   10	Achronix	$81,136	$39.01
   11	Smartsheet	$74,495	$35.81	1
   12	Google	$73,955	$35.56	896
   13	Amazon	$73,779	$35.47	1,027
   14	Astronics	$72,736	$34.97	4
   15	Tableau	$71,465	$34.36
   16	Juniper Networks	$71,330	$34.29
   17	Atos	$70,082	$33.69	2
   18	Data	$69,704	$33.51	6
   19	PDT Partners	$69,015	$33.18	8
   20	Neuralink IT Solutions	$67,627	$32.51	27

4. Writing a software engineering internship job description

   A good software 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 a software engineering internship job description:

   Software engineering internship job description example

   Leidos has a job opening beginning in the Winter/Spring or Summer/Fall for Software Engineer Intern/Co-Op onsite in Reston, VA. US Citizenship is Required.
   
   Work will consist of a wide range of project tasks to include: web application design and development, mobile app design and development, securing application components including communications, multi-factor authentication, penetration testing, and static/dynamic code analysis. Tasks also include integration and interface development of various security products, integration and interface development of various analytic products, implementation of automated behavioral analysis tools to monitor network traffic, integration of mobile capabilities for logistics, modernization of web-based user interfaces.
   PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
   Tasks that Students will perform:
   Receive assignments in the form of objectives and establishes goals to meet outlined objectives.Perform software analysis, design, development and test of specific requirements related to Windows, Linux, and mobile operating systems.Determine system and software specifications and architecture to meet customer requirements.
   
   BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
   US CITIZENSHIP IS REQUIREDCurrent enrollment in an accredited college or university, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or directly related field.The student must be willing/able to take a semester off to work through the Fall 2022 (June-December 2022) or Spring 2023 (January-June 2023) or semester.Minimum 3.0 GPA.Knowledge of Java, Javascript, web frameworks such as Node.js, Vue.js or React Native to build modern, dynamic user interfaces, communication protocols, and/or webservices Experience with Virtual MachinesExperience with Jira and/or GitLabSkills should include knowledge of web services, SOA, IoT, encryption, security, cloud services, and communications.Proficiency in computer applications, languages, technologies, set-up and configurations, trouble shooting, and system design.Eligibility to obtain a Top Secret Security clearance. (US Citizenship required)
   
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
   Familiarity with software security requirements, Information Assurance policies and mobile technologies.
   
   Pay Range:
   Pay Range $42,250.00 - $65,000.00 - $87,750.00
   
   The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find software 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 software engineering interns they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level software 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 software engineering internship job on Zippia to find and recruit software engineering 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

   To successfully recruit software 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.

   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.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview software engineering internship candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 software engineering internship

   Once you've selected the best software engineering 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.

   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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