How to get an internship in cybersecurity in 2024

Are you looking for an edge in your cybersecurity career? One of the best career decisions you can make is choosing an internship and leveraging the experience for the future.

An internship applies classroom education to a real-world setting, helping a real company with its cybersecurity challenges and day-to-day needs. It will help you solidify your knowledge and give you a competitive advantage over your peers with hands-on experience in the industry.

Learn how to get an internship in cybersecurity in this comprehensive guide. Follow these tips and advice to begin your journey in this high-demand field to gain real-world experience.

What is a cybersecurity internship like?

Cybersecurity professionals are responsible for protecting an organization's digital assets and data. A cybersecurity internship is a stepping stone to hone the technical and soft skills you need to succeed in this career.

Internships come in four types:

  • Paid internships: You’re paid a fair wage for entry-level internship positions.
  • Unpaid internships: You are not paid for your work (these are typically shorter duration contracts).
  • For credit: Your internship doesn’t provide a paycheck but gives you college credits.
  • Externships: You job shadow someone already in the industry to learn more about their job and perform simple tasks.

You’ll do entry-level work in your cybersecurity internship, closely supervised with mentorship to help you learn and hone your skills.

Treat your internship professionally; there is no end to what you can learn and who you can meet that will shape your career’s future.

Get the latest insights and advice on starting your cybersecurity career. Subscribe to our newsletter for industry insights and course announcements.

Preparing for a cybersecurity internship

Before applying for a cybersecurity internship, put yourself at an advantage by building relevant skills, crafting a solid resume and cover letter, and cultivating professional connections.

Building relevant cybersecurity skills

Get an edge over the competition by ensuring you have the relevant technical skills for a successful career in cybersecurity.

“From a technical perspective, you do have to understand the basics of tech, of cybersecurity,” says Penny Longman, the Director of Information Security for the Fraser Health Authority.

In her Navigator Series interview, she says having a security specialization or other IT knowledge is also helpful. In addition, she says her organization also values a candidate's soft skills because it’s harder to teach than the technical side, but her team can support an employee in building their soft skills.

Common technical skills you should learn include:

  • Network, application, and information security
  • Cryptography
  • Ethical hacking and penetration testing
  • Incident response
  • Disaster recovery and business continuity
  • End-user education

Here are some resources to help you build your cybersecurity knowledge and skills:

Check out our comprehensive list of other online courses, certifications, and resources to kick-start your cybersecurity career.

Crafting a solid resume and cover letter

Remember, your cover letter and resume are your first point of contact with a potential employer. Tailor them to the specific job you’re applying for to make a strong impression. This will show the employer that you've taken the time to understand their needs.

Here’s our advice on writing a unique cybersecurity job cover letter that stands out.

  • Don’t use the same cover letter for multiple applications (or, if you do, customize it for the employer).
  • Include your contact information.
  • Mention your transferable or soft skills and how they’ll benefit the employer.
  • Proofread!

To help your resume stand out, here are some cybersecurity resume tips:

  • Ensure your resume addresses the primary job responsibilities you’re applying for.
  • Keep it short (1-2 pages maximum).
  • Have your contact information on every page.
  • Don’t include your headshot (this can trigger unconscious bias from the hiring manager).
  • Include portfolio samples or descriptions of related projects.
  • Highlight relevant coursework if you have no real-world examples to share.

Building connections through networking

Another way to learn more about cybersecurity and make connections that you may one day leverage in your career is to network. Join networking associations in your niche to meet with other professionals for knowledge sharing and mentorship.

“Networking is a big thing that I emphasize to people,” says Michaela Clouston, Manager of Enterprise Security Education at the Financial Crimes Unit, BMO.

“...Meet people, understand what they do and why they maybe do it. And that will help you tenfold. Because… it's going to cut down your time to remediate the issue, deal with the situation, or solve the problem at that moment.”

You can connect with professionals in cybersecurity through:

  • LinkedIn (send connection requests to those in your industry you admire or who work in companies you’re interested in).
  • Attend cybersecurity conferences
  • Join online cybersecurity groups (like LinkedIn Groups or other Meet-up.com groups)

Network as authentically as possible to build relationships, not contacts in a database.

George Al-Koura, CISO at Ruby, says to “build friends, not just network.”

“There's a difference between like, ‘I'm going to introduce myself or just add everyone on LinkedIn’ versus like, ‘I'm going to create a substantive relationship with you as someone who I potentially want to work with.’”

Finding internship opportunities

Another way to get the experience you need for a long, successful career in cybersecurity is to get an internship. Here are a few places you can find companies hiring cybersecurity internships:

Online job boards and company websites

The internet can be valuable for learning more about prospective internship programs. Here are a few online job boards and companies with internship programs.

University career centers and job fairs

Educational institutions typically offer career support services and may have connections for internship programs or industry job fairs.

Students in the Lighthouse Labs Cybersecurity Bootcamp get lifetime access to Lighthouse Labs’ Career Services and Huntr, a job application tracker to making job hunting easier.

Career Services Advisors teach and review skills needed for graduates to land a job post-bootcamp, including resume and cover letter development, networking, interviewing skills, and more. In addition, graduates can expect:

  • Bi-weekly group coaching sessions
  • 1:1 career chats
  • Mock behavioral interviews
  • Bi-weekly newsletters.

Talk to your instructors or Career Services team at your school or bootcamp to learn more about the career or cybersecurity internship services they provide.

Cybersecurity conferences and meetups

You may discover internship or job opportunities through connections you’ve met networking. Keep a database or list of interesting people and their contact information. When it comes time to find an internship, job, or career move, you can contact these connections to see if they have any openings at their company. If they have their finger on the pulse of the industry, they may also be able to direct you to other companies who are hiring too.

Lighthouse Labs and Riipen partnership

Lighthouse Labs recently partnered with Riipen to create ICT Ignite. This program connects employers with cybersecurity internships or projects with job-ready Cybersecurity Bootcamp graduates.

As a cybersecurity graduate, you’ll get set up with a 60-hour project-based internship for a Canadian employer, working on projects like security policy development or cybersecurity for a climate organization. Each project-based internship typically lasts 2-4 weeks, is completed remotely, and equips you with the practical skills you need to excel in today’s job market.

Here’s how valuable this employer found their intern: “The Lighthouse Labs learners performed well above my expectations. They were very professional and diligent with their assigned roles. They took ownership of the project and uncovered items and issues that I did not know existed.”

Learn more about the ICT Ignite program.

Acing the interview process

Once you’ve submitted your eye-catching resume and cover letter, you’ll get a call for an interview (or multiple interviews) if you make the employer's shortlist. Here are some tips for preparing to ace the interview process:

Prepare for common interview questions

Review common cybersecurity interview questions and prepare responses. It's equally important to research the company so that you can confidently respond when they ask what you know about their business and tie interview answers to their specific challenges.

Here are eight questions you may be asked during your interview:

  1. Explain the difference between a threat, vulnerability, and risk.
  2. What common cyber threats do you see as potential risks to our organization?
  3. If you detect a data breach or hack, explain your indecent response strategy (during and outside business hours).
  4. How would you explain the threat and prevention of phishing scams to our staff?
  5. What challenges do you expect the cybersecurity industry to face in the future?
  6. Have you used AI in cybersecurity? Explain how you’ve used it.
  7. How do you stay on top of emerging technologies and threats in cybersecurity?
  8. Tell us about when you played a leadership role and how you approached it.

Get these answers and tips for responding to 42 more cybersecurity interview questions on our blog.

Showcasing your skills and knowledge

You could say anything you want in your resume, but a potential employer will look for proof of your cybersecurity skills. This is where having a portfolio of samples and project descriptions will be helpful. If you’re new to the industry and don’t have any real-world examples to share (or your work has been proprietary), you can include related school projects.

Some employers may want to test your knowledge through coding tests or ask you to discuss your approach to problem-solving scenarios.

Follow-up and professionalism

Your interview isn’t over when you leave the room. Your professionalism and follow-up afterward are just as important as the interview itself. Before you leave the interview, ask the hiring manager for their business card or contact information.

Send your interviewer a thank you email shortly after your interview. Then, follow up with the hiring manager three to five business days later to see if they’ve made a hiring decision regarding the role. This shows initiative and that you’re actively still interested in the role.

Making the most of your internship

Congratulations! You’ve landed a cybersecurity internship.

This is an excellent opportunity to expand your skills and experience, so treat it like a long-term career position. Here are three more tips for making the most of this valuable career and learning opportunity.

Set goals and expectations

Talk with your supervisor or employer about goals and expectations for the internship. They may have goals and deliverables they expect you to complete, and you may have goals you want to achieve.

Your goals may include learning a specific new skill or software, being introduced to other industry connections, or getting samples you can share with future potential employers.

Build professional relationships

Throughout your internship, seize opportunities to build professional relationships within your company and the wider cybersecurity community. It will be important to uphold your professionalism, eagerness to learn, and humility.

Remember, some cybersecurity interns get hired by their internship companies after graduation. Make a good impression (show up on time, be eager to learn, and put in your best effort), and you may be offered a more permanent position if it becomes available.

Continuously learn and expand your knowledge.

As you’ll quickly learn, the world of cybersecurity moves fast, with emerging threats and technologies constantly reshaping how you perform your job. This is why ongoing skills development and upskilling or reskilling is essential to staying up-to-date and performing your job optimally.

Upskilling in related specialties (Information security, coding or data science) can also help you expand your knowledge and become a more valuable team member.

Here are a few courses to consider:


Start a rewarding cybersecurity career

After getting a strong foundational knowledge in cybersecurity, an internship is your next step toward a rewarding career path in cybersecurity. Treat your cybersecurity internship professionally and learn as much as possible throughout the experience. Focus on creating relationships with those around you in the industry and your internship company; they may become valuable to your future career path.

Take those proactive steps and remain consistent in your efforts as you pursue your cybersecurity career.

Enroll in Lighthouse Labs' Cybersecurity Bootcamp and become a cybersecurity professional. Gain practical skills and real-world experience to stand out in the job market.