Cracking the Code: A Guide to Landing a Notion Software Engineer Internship

Notion has become a workspace platform that offers note-taking, collaboration, task management, wikis, and databases, and it stands out as a company that helps build beautiful tools for work, connecting various applications seamlessly. For students and emerging professionals aspiring to contribute to such a dynamic environment, a Software Engineer Internship at Notion presents a valuable opportunity. This guide delves into the requirements, culture, and experiences associated with the Notion SWE Internship, drawing insights from past interns and outlining what it takes to succeed.

Notion's Culture: Where Belonging and Innovation Intersect

At its core, Notion believes that innovation thrives when individuals feel a sense of belonging. The company strives to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and supported. This commitment to inclusivity shapes the internship experience, encouraging interns to bring their full selves to work.

Notion is an in-person company, and currently requires its employees to come to the office for three Anchor Days (Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays) and requests that employees spend the majority of the week in the office. Being an in-office-focused company enables us to capitalize on the energy that comes from us being in the same place. This is a great opportunity to build relationships, work with your teammates, and collaborate on projects. Teams have started adding a third in-office day for team-based work for things such as group maker time, brainstorm sessions, team bonding, and more!

The Internship Experience: Complex Challenges and Real Impact

Notion's 12-week engineering internship program is designed to immerse aspiring employees in real-world challenges. Interns are integrated into Notion teams and assigned complex projects that directly impact users. The company held its first program last year and recently completed a second.

Past interns have worked on diverse projects, such as:

Adding colors to Buttons.
Making images look more polished.
Helping Notion Search deliver faster, better results.
Improving the feel and finish of images across Notion, including long-awaited bug fixes 🎷🐛, polish ✨🖼️, and adding highly requested features like editing images within Notion ✂️.
Implementing a highly requested accessibility feature that lets users add alt text to image blocks.

These projects demonstrate the level of responsibility and impact that interns can have during their time at Notion.

A Day in the Life: Ownership, Mentorship, and Feedback

Each intern is placed with an engineering, product, or design team in either the San Francisco or New York office. They are assigned a manager and a mentor, and given ownership of a project that Notion expects to push live by the end of their stint.

Feedback is a crucial element of the internship experience. It takes many forms, including:

Constant brainstorming with teammates and colleagues
Daily check-ins with mentors
Mid-point and final performance reviews from managers
Presenting work, sharing learnings, and receiving feedback from colleagues at a company meeting in the final week

This emphasis on feedback ensures continuous growth and learning throughout the internship. A core Notion value is to "Be kind and direct," which encourages open and honest communication.

What Notion Looks For: Qualifications and Skills

Notion seeks Software Engineer Interns who possess a combination of technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and interpersonal qualities. Here's a breakdown of the key requirements:

Required Qualifications:

Educational Background: Pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
Graduation Timeline: Must graduate before July 2027.
Programming Proficiency: Working towards proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Typescript, Node.js, Go, Python, Java, Swift, Rust, or Kotlin.
Problem-Solving Skills: Able to problem-solve and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Location: Must be able to work out of the New York or San Francisco office during the internship, which typically takes place from May to September (based on individual summer schedules).

Essential Skills and Attributes:

Thoughtful Problem-Solving: Demonstrates a clear understanding of context, can decompose complex problems, and work towards clean solutions independently or collaboratively.
Passion for Learning: Eager to learn how different parts of a system fit together, from the user interface to the data model (for backend internships).
Frontend Expertise (for frontend internships): Passion for learning technologies like CSS, Javascript, & React and best practices in front-end architecture, including performance, accessibility, and usability.
User-Centric Approach: Thinks critically about the implications of their work and how it impacts real people's lives.
Technological Agnosticism: Understands that technologies and programming languages involve tradeoffs and is willing to learn new technologies.
Empathetic Communication: Communicates nuanced ideas clearly, engages thoughtfully with other perspectives, and compromises when needed.
Team Player: Enjoys collaborating cross-functionally, cares about learning and growing, and helps others do the same.
Curiosity about AI: Willing to adopt AI tools to work smarter and deliver better results.

Preferred Qualifications:

Expertise with specific technologies in Notion's stack, including Typescript, React, Electron, Node.js, AWS, and Postgres.
Familiarity with computing pioneers like Ada Lovelace, Douglas Engelbart, and Alan Kay.
Interests outside of technology, such as in art, history, or social sciences.

The Application Process: Standing Out from the Crowd

To increase your chances of landing a Notion SWE Internship, consider the following tips:

Highlight Relevant Projects: Showcase personal projects, academic assignments, or previous internship experiences that demonstrate your technical skills and problem-solving abilities.
Emphasize User-Centric Thinking: Articulate your understanding of user needs and how you approach software development with the user in mind.
Demonstrate Passion for Learning: Express your eagerness to learn new technologies and contribute to a collaborative environment.
Showcase Communication Skills: Provide examples of how you effectively communicate technical ideas and collaborate with others.
Become a Notion Power User: Familiarize yourself with Notion's features and demonstrate how you use the platform to enhance your own productivity and organization.

Benefits of a Notion Internship: More Than Just a Job

A Notion internship offers numerous benefits beyond the typical internship experience such as:

Highly competitive cash compensation
Real-world Impact: Contribute to projects that directly impact millions of Notion users.
Mentorship and Guidance: Receive personalized mentorship from experienced industry professionals.
Skill Development: Enhance your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills.
Networking Opportunities: Build connections with talented engineers, designers, and product managers.
Company Culture: Immersed in a creative, inclusive, and user-centered company culture.
Potential for Future Employment: A Notion internship can serve as a stepping stone to a full-time position after graduation.
H1B Sponsorship: Notion has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships.

Read also: Mastering Notion for Syllabi

tags: #Notion #SWE #Internship #requirements