If I Wanted a Software Engineering Internship in 2026, I'd Do This

Computer science students, new graduates, and software engineers...want to land your dream software engineering job/internship? Click here 👉 https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/...

In this video, I break down exactly how I’d land a software engineering internship in 2026, step by step. The market has changed: applications open earlier, referrals matter more than ever, and interviews are evolving with AI, take-homes, and harder technical screens. Grinding harder isn’t enough anymore. You need a system. If you’re a CS student or aspiring software engineer who wants to stop guessing, stop applying blindly, and start treating the internship hunt like a competitive game, watch this before you apply.

I'm Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student and landing your dream job.

If you're a dedicated programmer who wants to land your dream internship or job in 2025 without spamming LeetCode, spending hours at career fairs, or applying to thousands of positions, join the Software Engineering Accelerator and work directly with me. Click this link to book a call: https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/...

📄 Get my free resume template - https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume

💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice - https://www.amanmanazir.com/newsletter

📕 Get all my free Notion templates discussed here - https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion

📝 Sign up for Notion - https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6

📷 Instagram -   / amanmanazir  

🐦 Twitter -   / amanmanazir  

0:00 Why 2026 internships are brutally competitive
01:22 The Market Has Fundamentally Changed
02:49 Value Creation vs Value Capture
04:36 The 75% Bottleneck: Resume & Referrals
06:45 The Referral Golden Ticket
08:50 Stairway to Software Heaven
09:50 The 20% Bottleneck: Leetcode & Behavioral
11:10 Pareto Problem Set
11:29 Pareto vs NeetCode Explained
12:04 The Goldilocks Strategy
13:50 2026 Update: The Rise of Neetcode
14:33 Crushing the Behavioral Interview
14:56 The STAR Method
15:48 The 120% Rule
16:10 Amazon Leadership Principles Hack
16:54 2026 Fresh Insights & Mistakes to Avoid
18:28 Outro