Get the Cool Interns
An award like this doesn’t happen by accident. Facebook has worked hard at creating a positive culture and actively seeking out the best of the best. That’s where this new breed of intern comes in, and they’re rarely getting the coffee. In fact, the interns at Facebook consistently pay the highest in the country, often starting programming interns at over $70k.
Companies like Facebook hit the ground running. They are a steadily growing, fast-paced company that needs intelligent and adaptable employees. These recruits aren’t a dime a dozen and Facebook knows and appreciates that.
Lori Goler, Facebook’s VP of people and recruiting, said, “We strive to make Facebook a place where everyone is able to have an impact doing what they love. Receiving this award is a testament to the culture of builders we’ve worked hard to create.” It’s a beautiful thing when employer and employee know their worth. And what exactly is their worth?
The average software engineer intern at Facebook makes about $5,600 a month, that’s a whopping $67,000 a year! With the national average of employees at approximately $43,000, these interns are making far more than the average American worker. And it’s not all about the pay, Facebook employees enjoy great perks like daycare, paid vacations, and bonuses for new parents. So when did interns start making so much?
Until recently, most internships were seen as an exchange of services for real world experience and the opportunity for a future full-time position. These intelligent and adaptable software engineering graduates are so highly sought after that companies are doling out the dough to get them hired.
Companies like Amazon and Google are also taking this aggressive approach of highly competitive salaries for their interns just to get this young talent in the door. This group of graduates are in-demand because of their ability to move with the changing world of technology; they can code, design and everything in between. As a generation that has been brought up with technology, Millennials’ second language is HTML.
These rapidly growing online companies are actively seeking out talented new employees to keep up with that growth. Recruiters are ready to snatch up interns with large sign-on bonuses, attractive perks and moving allowances.
“We noticed there’s a significant tech presence on the list this year, which may be attributed to the competitive environment that surrounds recruiting and retaining top talent in this industry,” Glassdoor spokesperson Samantha Zupan said.
When hiring in the tech sphere, it’s important to know what you’re dealing with. It’s a competitive game right now to obtain the right people to guide their company through the ever changing world of technology. Tech jobs site Dice.com reports a 38 percent jump in postings by employers over the past year, and listings for tech positions at TheLadders, another jobs site, are up 65 percent.
“A year ago engineers were getting one offer and taking it,” TheLadders CEO Marc Cenedella said. “Now we’re seeing engineers with two, three, or four offers.”
The changes that technology brought into the workplace has changed the way companies recruit. With so many tech positions in need of filling, job seekers with the right qualifications are in a position of power. These offers are there for the picking, and branding has never been more important. The new cool interns are obviously going to make the money that they want; what they’re looking for is a genuinely great place to work. There has to be a conscious effort on behalf of the company and their recruiters to make both their positions and their company itself appealing and marketable.