How to Get an Internship at Artsy—Part III

Part III—Prep Like You Already Work Here

One of the biggest mistakes a candidate can make is to assume that the hiring process is out of their hands. While there are some things you won’t be able to control, focusing on making sure you are as prepared as you can be—ready to present your best self—will often make all the difference.

First, don’t make the mistake of thinking that the hiring process for an internship will be easy. Artsy treats our interns like full-time team members, and we invest an equal amount of energy in selecting them. So, treat your internship application like it’s for a full-time role. This starts with nailing the details, but it also means committing to a thorough, sometimes intense, process.

Second, do your research. You’ve already spent some great energy getting to know your narrative; now, invest some time to get to know Artsy. Before your interview, find out as much as you can about:

ARTSY'S BUSINESS MODEL

Find out the best you can what Artsy does, whom we work with in the art world (and out of it), what we offer to our users and partners, what challenges we might be facing, even what we could be doing better. Knowing how the work of your internship will fit into the larger picture of Artsy will set you up for some really productive interviews.

ARTSY'S HISTORY

All it takes is some quick Googling. Our company has changed enormously over the past several years, and digging into our past will give you a better idea of what Artsy is like today. Plus, this shows proactivity and curiosity about the company.

ARTSY'S MISSION

It’s plastered all over our site. Artsy’s mission is of fundamental importance to the work that we do and the community of individuals coming together to do it. Do some thinking about why it speaks to you and how it relates to the internship you’re applying for.

ARTSY'S OPEN-SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS

Our Engineering Team has a long history of contributing to open source, a tradition of open discourse that has permeated the rest of our company culture. Aspiring engineers might also check out our team members' Twitter accounts (like those of dB, Orta, or Ash).

YOUR INTERVIEWERS 

We will always let you know ahead of time which team members you’ll be speaking with. Make use of the amazing resource that LinkedIn is and look them up! Figure out if you have common ground with them, identify questions you have about their background, get a sense for what you think they might be interested to focus on.

THE ROLE

It’s essential to have an idea of what you’d actually be doing on a daily basis (and if that’s unclear, ask!). Otherwise, you risk looking uninformed and unprepared.

Ultimately, you want to be able to say smart things and ask smart questions, and that starts with knowing your stuff.

Finally, take care of yourself. Get enough sleep the night before you visit Artsy; make sure you’ve eaten before an afternoon of interviews; dress comfortably and confidently; ensure you have enough energy to be enthusiastic (in your own way).

While we can’t guarantee following each of these steps will land you the internship of your dreams, these suggestions emerged from the successful applications of current and past Artsy interns. Plus, practice makes perfect—the more you develop the habits outlined in these posts, the stronger your application will become. So, enough from us—now it’s on you. We look forward to receiving your application.