Career paths

Insider information about the coveted Facebook internship

This is one of the most coveted internships out there - what is it really like?

This internship program is extremely important to Facebook, over and above some other job types. The company pays careful attention to see who has the chops to ultimately join their engineering team full time. Here's how it works.

The Basics

The program is super well-organized...

Software Engineering Interns have a well thought-out plan for their stay and get a ton of support and activities planned out for their summer internship. Each intern has an equal opportunity to embrace project work, professional development, and tons of fun activities.

...and super well-located

Most of the internships are in San Francisco/Menlo Park (MPK, Bay Area, Main Campus), Seattle, and New York. However, all interns travel to MPK for orientation. (Don't worry - if you're in Austin, Los Angeles, or San Diego you can still participate, Facebook will fly you out)

Each intern has a direct manager and a team manager.

You can expect daily 1:1 meetings with your direct manager and less frequent (3 times or less/ week) meetings with your team manager. Mentorship is a huge priority here.

The Structure

Your internship will be broken into 5 sections/ checkpoints. Here's the timeline...

Week 1 - Orientation

Everyone is expected to come to the main campus (also known as MPK) to participate in the first week. Orientation consists of training to introduce Facebook as a company, about 1.5 days of boot camp (engineering, data science, design, and related fields). Usually, on Wednesday, your group will be introduced to your mentor.

Weeks 2-11 - Projects

Your manager will put together a project plan for the summer for you so your work experience might differ from those of other interns, depending on the project you're asked to contribute to.

These projects will actually be used by the team you're helping after you complete them- so the bar for quality is very high.

You might be an "intern" by title, but you will be expected to contribute as any other software developer. Some interns get one large project for the duration of the summer, but more commonly, you'll work on 3-4 smaller projects with the team you're assigned to.

An important thing to remember- if you want a return offer, you must complete your project before the calibration deadline, usually in the 10th week. While your manager may have some flexibility to help you if you have last-minute code changes, you should not rely on that. Some projects are cross-functional, meaning you will need to work with several teams and that will also delay how fast you can ship- be especially mindful of managing these timelines.

Week 6 - Midterm Review

At the end of your 5th week, you will write a midterm review for yourself, intern manager, team manager, and peers to be reviewed the following week. This will culminate in a sit-down with your manager to talk about your experience so far and get feedback on your performance. Some interns get a return offer at this stage and your recruiter will also be involved in this conversation.

Week 11 - Calibration

By this time, you should have implemented the feedback from your midterm and completed a review with your manager. This timeline often coincides with quarterly reviews at Facebook and you will need to put extra effort into syncing with your manager and getting feedback.

Calibration involves your intern manager and, optionally, the team manager. Your peer feedback also has some weight, but realistically, your manager makes a final decision on your return offer.

What Is It Like to Work on the MPK Campus?

Getting there...

  1. Facebook will reimburse your round-trip air ticket + luggage and travel meals, within a certain limit ( in the United States).
  2. You will also get some additional commuter benefits to use during your internship. This could include a transit card with about $300 on it (like the Clipper card in the Bay Area), 250 Lyft credits, and ferry tickets you can also use on tourist attractions.

Accommodation...

Facebook offers housing close to campus for interns, usually at the Mariott suites. It's a studio with a small kitchen and combines living/ bedroom space that's furnished. There are events/ happy hours several times per week in the building that interns can drop into. You can also choose not to take the accommodation and get a cash subsidy to find your own housing instead.

Time off...

Full-time employees have PTO & can work from home, but Interns do not.

Life on Campus

There are 3 main campuses in Menlo Park - the "Classic" campus is the oldest and largest and Buildings 20 and 21 are the newest. The newer offices are also more spacious and have sit-stand desks + large monitors. Between all the buildings, there are a ton of meeting rooms, but it can still be hard to find meeting spaces.

Transport...

You can use the free shuttle to go to and from work every day. If you choose to live in San Francisco, the commute can be long but there's WiFi on the shuttle, and most folks will use the journey to catch up on work.

Getting around is easy - campus bikes are everywhere and of course, they're free. There's a variety of bikes to borrow, even road and hybrid ones. As an intern, you'll have to complete a biking safety class.

Meals...

These are complimentary three times/day and Facebook has multiple restaurant options on campus. Most restaurants don't have dinner on weekdays (except Friday). Every restaurant is themed and publishes their menu ahead of time- there's a BBQ joint, an ice cream shop, a salad bar, a buffet, etc.

Other than that, every floor has micro kitchens with regularly rotating snacks and drinks. Every week there's a different fresh fruit available as well.

Other Perks...

Once you're done with work, you can use one of Facebook's onsite gyms. Building 17, 64, and 27 each have one. Classes book very fast in the evening and most folks book way ahead of time to get in.

In addition to what you can do on campus, there are a ton of other activities you can participate in. Every weekend, there is a Choose Your Own Activity - you need to sign up to participate. You'll get Lyft credits to get to/ from the event. For interns, there will also be several collective activities, such as Intern Night Out, Summer Party, Santa Cruz BoardWalk, Giants' Game (Baseball), etc.

In Conclusion

The Facebook summer internship is insanely competitive but comes with a ton of perks for qualified applicants and real world-class work experience. Intern jobs at FB are a real opportunity to accelerate your career, so if you get a chance to be a software engineer intern - take it! If you're thinking of applying this year - spend a ton of time on your application development and speak with other interns to get a leg up early.

The information provided herein is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide tax, legal, or investment advice and should not be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security by Candor, its employees and affiliates, or any third-party. Any expressions of opinion or assumptions are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and the opinions presented herein should not be viewed as an indicator of future performance. Investing in securities involves risk. Loss of principal is possible.

Third-party data has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable; however, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. Candor does not receive compensation to promote or discuss any particular Company; however, Candor, its employees and affiliates, and/or its clients may hold positions in securities of the Companies discussed.