From Overwatch to World of Warcraft, Blizzard has been at the forefront of the American gaming scene for close to two decades. However, its games aren’t the only thing Blizzard is leading in. With a decade of experience, Blizzard’s summer internship program is a well-oiled machine, and is 100% the dream role for any student looking to work in the gaming industry. From paid housing, game tournaments, boat cruises and more, interning at Blizzard combines important work with summer play. However, it can be difficult to get in, with only around 100 interns being selected for each summer class. Nevertheless, it definitely isn't impossible, and if you know where to look, there are a ton of ways to make your application stand out. 

Let’s discuss what Blizzard looks for and how you can improve your application to start working there.

What Blizzard Looks For

Before we talk about the application, we need to talk about the internship program. Blizzard has one of the most unique internships, not only in the gaming industry, but outside of it as well. Rather than a traditional internship, Blizzard’s programs are more like a summer camp. Of course, it’s still a serious opportunity, with interns working on important game mechanics as well as attending panels with senior leadership, but there are also movie nights and escape rooms to instill a sense of culture and play that’s important for a company dedicated to gaming. 

Because of this, what Blizzard is looking for may differ from other gaming companies. They don’t want someone who is a prodigy at coding or designing. Rather, they want someone who has developed creative content related to the internship role they’re applying to. What does this mean? Well, it means that they want you to have some experience in the field, even if it’s just with personal projects. 

Whether it’s posting animations on YouTube or being a superfan of Overwatch and writing detailed blog posts about it, they want people who have the know-how and passion to keep up with regular employees. Rather than a single intern project, all interns work on company tasks that are used even 5-10 years in the future, so it’s necessary for interns to be at the top of their game. 

Networking at Blizzard

Because their internship program has run for decades, there is plenty of content you can find online that can show you exactly what Blizzard wants in an application. Multiple past interns have mentioned how nervous they were to apply, however through their experienced guidance, you can easily curate your application to stand out. Many of Blizzard’s past summer camp interns have also come back as full time employees, so don’t be afraid to reach out on LinkedIn as well. 

Unlike other companies, Blizzard is open about who exactly manages the internship recruitment process. So open in fact that they have set up sessions where you can meet them. These sessions, also known as Press Play, are invaluable meetings where you can differentiate yourself from the thousands of potential applicants by networking with recruiters and learning about opportunities that are available at Blizzard. 

Of course, usually after meetings like these you would use the information to cater your resume to the job description to pass their Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), but this time you don’t have to do it alone. Blizzard offers resume workshops where you can work with their staff to build the groundwork for an amazing resume. Not only would this help your personal resume writing skills, but to have your resume approved by the same organization you are trying to intern for is an enormous benefit in your application. 

Building Your Cover Letter 

From the anecdotes of past interns, focusing on your cover letter is one of the most important things you can do if you want to intern at Blizzard. Interns and employees come from all walks of life, and they want someone who can bring something unique to the table. With your cover letter, you should cover skill sets and information that isn’t already in your application. Although the basic advice is that a cover letter shouldn’t just be a regurgitated resume, you also need to be aware of what your cover letter says about you. If yours just focuses on soft skills such as teamwork, and you already have work in your portfolio that shows that you can work well with a team, then it’s kind of pointless to talk about how collaborative you are for four paragraphs. 

Have a voice and personal story in your cover letter. Maybe you grew up playing Blizzard games like World of Warcraft or you just have really strong opinions about the best Overwatch character, cover letters are a chance to show how your personality is tailored to the internship opportunity. Try to highlight why exactly you want this internship, and what it personally means to you and your career goals. You need to really show how passionate you are for the role, and back it up with portfolio pieces to prove it, because in the end, working at Blizzard is all about embracing your inner geek. 

‍Still looking for a platform to create your resume and portfolio? PathMatch allows you to showcase your personality, skill and apply to jobs all in one platform! Join for free today.