How to Land an Internship at adidas 

Landing a six-month internship with a global sports company like adidas is a dream opportunity for many aspiring students. But with fierce competition and high expectations, how can you make your application stand out? To help navigate the process, I would like to share some insider tips and things to consider for any student interested in applying. To briefly introduce myself, my name is Mehgan, and I have been in the Talent Acquisition team at adidas for five years now (I just celebrated my five-year adiversary) I have been working specifically within the Early Career Talent Acquisition team for the last three years, where the team and I focus on hiring students for our six-month internship program across different adidas locations in Europe.  

Potential vs. Experience 

At adidas, when we hire interns, we look at a candidate’s potential for the role, rather than a certain amount of experience. We assess candidates not for their years of professional experience but who has demonstrated potential through academic projects, extracurricular activities, or simply their own personal interests. It’s okay if you do not have a lot of industry experience yet. The top criteria we are really interested in are your motivation for joining adidas and your enthusiasm to learn and grow.  

Regarding your CV, to stand out, take things back to the basics – think easy-to-read and clear structure. Place your education first, followed by highlighting any achievements and transferrable skills from university, extracurricular activities, or hobbies. What could this be? Experience in leading and coordinating a team project, getting your creative hat on, or earning a certificate in a technical platform/tool. The contact information that we require from you is your name, email address and phone number. Adding information such as your birthday is not necessary, and you are not required to add a picture of yourself.  

Next, partnering your up-to-date CV with a motivational letter can take your application to the next level. I’d like to share my take on the effectiveness of providing a motivational letter as someone who has looked at many (many!) internship applications. The CV lets the recruiter understand “how” you can do the role. It includes your skills, university qualifications, and a neatly structured list of achievements. The motivational letter lets the recruiter understand the “why” you have applied for the role. It provides a free space for you to let us know in your own authentic words the reasons behind your interest in this particular role. Here comes the magic of the motivational letter: it allows you to really match yourself to the role that you have applied to – eg. if you see on the job advert that we are looking for someone with project management skills, this is a great place to let us know that you have managed projects in X Y and Z in the past. It doesn’t have to be complicated or too long; provide it in a format of “beginning, middle, and end” paragraphs to really set the scene and do a bit of storytelling. You can show us your personality here, and by providing the motivational letter and CV, you are providing us with a complete application.  

Do Your Homework: Traffic Light the Job Description 

One of the simplest yet most effective tips is to thoroughly read the job description and use a “traffic light system” to evaluate your skills vs the internship tasks and responsibilities. Mark the skills you know you already have in green, those you partially meet in yellow, and those you need to learn or upskill yourself in red. This method helps you identify your strengths and areas for improvement. It’s okay if you don’t have all the skills – this is the point of the internship. We are looking to provide a real learning and development experience and there will be plenty of opportunity to take on new tasks and learn new skills. We love to see candidates who can proactively contribute to personal and professional growth. It might be tempting to apply for every internship advert that interests you.  However, we would encourage you to consider the internships that you feel most aligned with and focus your energy on providing a strong and complete application for them. At the bottom of the job description you will find our eligibility. Make sure to read this through to check that you meet our criteria. Our interns must be available for the full 6 months and must be able to relocate independently to the location of the internship if they are based outside of that country.  

Video Interviews: Looking Beyond the CV 

After passing the first initial CV screening part of our process, the next step will be to complete a pre-recorded video interview. Here, you will complete a short round of questions to assess your motivation, desired internship skills, and your eligibility. This is where we break away from just looking at the CV and look beyond to assess your soft skills and how you think on your feet.  

Along with the video interview invitation, we will send you an additional one page hand out with some details regarding the department and responsibilities of the team. By reading this you can understand more about the team and it will help you to customize your answers and further match yourself to the internship requirements.  

 
Many of the teams that we partner with to hire interns will agree that while hard skills can be learned “on the job,” qualities such as adaptability, teamwork, and problem-solving are crucial. When preparing for your video interview, focus on preparing some examples that you can share with us where you are showcasing these attributes. We recommend that you make some notes and practice your answers with a friend, fellow student or family member so that you feel confident sharing your experiences. When preparing, using the S.T.A.R method always helps to make sure you provide a complete and clear answer - (state the Situation, share the Task at hand, explain the Action that you took, and finally what the Result of your action was). This simple but effective method will keep you on track when answering questions that are example-based. Most importantly, try to relax and be yourself! 

Use of AI: Use It, But Be Smart 

AI Tools like ChatGPT can be a great resource when preparing your application or interview responses. However, we advise you to use them with caution and don’t rely on them entirely. We can tell when an answer lacks authenticity or if we hear the same answers over again. (this has actually happened in the past!)  Use AI as a supplement, not as a substitute for sharing your own authentic ideas and experiences. We encourage you to always ensure that your voice and personality come through in your answers.  

Congrats! You made it to the final round interview: Time to meet the adidas team 

The last stage of our application process is the all-important final round interview, where you will meet with the specific team from adidas that is hiring their new intern. The team may be looking for you to 1) present a case study to them, which could be a presentation of your own research on a topic or a display of your technical skills, or 2) carry out a competency-based Q&A interview, where the team will be looking for you to share examples in your answers – e.g. “tell us about a time when…” 

In addition to looking over the job description and preparing for those questions, make sure to carry out up-to-date research on the company, especially looking into our newly established values and behaviors. To really stand out, dive into the specifics of the team/area you're applying for, including any current trends, challenges, and opportunities.  
 
Think about what you can share with the team that is not on your CV, something new about yourself that allows them to get to know you and your personality. Remember, this interview should be a two-way street. We encourage you to ask questions yourself, especially if something in the job description isn’t clear. Show your curiosity by asking the team about their personal experiences or what they enjoy most about working at adidas. It’s important that you get the answers you need as well! 

Lastly, it goes without saying...Connect with the Brand: Research adidas’ Purpose and Vision 

Your motivation should go beyond seeking to land an internship. We’re looking for candidates with a true passion for our brand purpose: “Through sports, we have the power to change lives.” We encourage you to really think about this statement. What does it mean to you personally? Do you have a connection with our brand? Tell us about that! We love to hear about your connection with adidas.  

During your internship, you’ll have the chance to connect with other interns  and  business leads from various departments locally and globally, tolearn about their adidas journey, and learn how to get the most out of your internship experience. You will be encouraged to explore different areas of the business, carry out as many “lunch dates” or “coffee chats” as possible (don’t worry, you don’t have to drink coffee – the whole point is to form a connection with fellow colleagues) which can provide a more well-rounded experience and help you discover where your true passion lies. 

Applying for an adidas internship is more than just showcasing your skills; it’s about demonstrating potential, passion, and alignment with our company values – along with making sure you put in that little bit of extra effort to be well-prepared for each stage of our application process.  

I’d like to finish this blog with sharing a few words for thought. A fellow adidas colleague in the Amsterdam HR Team once gave me the following advice:  

This attitude is exactly what we would love to see from anyone who is thinking to apply for our internship program and would like their application to stand out.  

We hope that by reading our suggested hints and tips, you’ll be better prepared to take the first step toward an exciting internship experience. We are looking forward to seeing your application online soon!