I’m a college junior (math-econ) planning to take the spring semester off to work full-time at a startup, ideally in Chicago, January through May and possibly into the summer. My background is in data analysis (Python, SQL, R, Tableau, Excel) and government/economic development. I owned the data work for multiple projects and I want to move into a hands-on analytics role.
Most small startups I look at don’t post internships, so I’m trying to understand how the hiring actually works from the other side. For founders and early employees:
- When you’ve taken on an intern, how did you find them?
- What would make you take a cold email from a student seriously?
- Should I send a concrete project pitch, or ask for a short conversation where I learn about the person’s role first?
I’d also like to hear what mistakes students make when approaching startups.
