Summer Intern Researcher Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Talent Acquisition Intern, #1093

Clearance: US citizenship required. Must be able to obtain a public trust clearance or higher as required  

This internship is designed for a student who wants to explore talent acquisition as a potential career and is curious about how people, business, technology, research, and data come together to make recruiting effective. 

About the Internship 

Dev Technology Group, Inc. is seeking a talented rising Junior or Senior for our Summer Internship Program. The intern will be based out of our headquarters in Reston, Virginia, and must be able to commute to the office a minimum of two days each week. We do not provide summer internship housing. 

The Talent Team Intern will gain hands-on experience in talent acquisition while learning how recruiting supports Dev Technology's business, projects, customers, and growth. The intern will learn the fundamentals of identifying and sourcing talent, reviewing candidate qualifications, maintaining accurate recruiting data, and using research and basic analysis to support recruiting decisions. 

Throughout the summer, the intern will work with Talent Team members, observe recruiter and hiring-manager strategy discussions, and gain exposure to corporate operations, project teams, business development, and federal government contracting. The goal is not for the intern to become an independent recruiter in 10 weeks, but to build a strong foundation and demonstrate curiosity, judgment, accuracy, and an interest in developing as a recruiting professional. 

As part of the broader Summer Intern Program, the intern will also learn about technology trends, professional work environments, and government contracting. Interns collaborate with fellow summer interns on a technically focused project and present the group's results to the executive team at the end of the program. 

What You'll Be Doing 

• Assist recruiters with sourcing candidates for technical and corporate positions using job boards, professional networks, the Dev Talent Network, and other research tools. 

• Learn basic sourcing and search techniques and how to identify potential candidates based on the skills and experience required for a position. 

• Research available market talent and help build talent pipelines for difficult-to-fill and frequently needed roles. 

• Review resumes and candidate profiles and help develop pre-screening questions to assess qualifications for specific roles. 

• Attend selected corporate-level meetings and learning sessions to gain exposure to areas such as business development, finance, project management, and federal contracting. 

• Assist with college recruiting activities and future summer internship planning. 

• Explore practical ways AI and other technology can support candidate research, sourcing, data analysis, and recruiting productivity. 

• Observe recruiter and hiring-manager strategy meetings to learn how business and project needs translate into recruiting requirements. 

• Maintain accurate and complete candidate records in the applicant tracking system (ATS), with a strong emphasis on data quality and attention to detail. 

• Use Excel, the ATS, and other tools to organize recruiting information, pull basic reports, and help identify useful trends or insights. 

• Assist with creating job descriptions and posting openings on relevant platforms and within the ATS. 

• Communicate with candidates and help support a positive candidate experience throughout the recruiting process. 

• Assist with talent-network communications, employee referrals, Dev Technology alumni outreach, and candidate-engagement campaigns. 

• Assist with contingent recruiting for proposals, including candidate research and resume formatting as needed. 

• Collaborate with Talent Team members on special projects and initiatives as needed. 

What You'll Learn 

• How to look beyond keywords and begin assessing whether a candidate's experience aligns with a role. 

• How recruiters research and identify talent using multiple sources and search approaches. 

• Why understanding the business, customer, project, and technology matters when recruiting. 

• How accurate ATS and talent-database information supports better recruiting decisions. 

• How Excel, reporting, research, and basic analysis can make talent acquisition more effective. 

• How recruiters build candidate relationships and talent pipelines over time. 

• How a government contracting company connects talent acquisition to current projects, proposals, and future growth. 

By the end of the internship, a successful intern should be able to review a recruiting requirement, conduct basic candidate research, identify several potentially relevant candidates, explain the reasoning behind those selections, and accurately document the work in the appropriate recruiting systems. Just as important, the intern should leave with a better understanding of Dev Technology's business and whether talent acquisition is a career they want to continue developing after college. 

What We're Looking For 

We are not expecting an intern to already know how to recruit. We are looking for someone with the interests, aptitude, and work habits that could develop into a strong talent acquisition professional. 

• Genuine interest in talent acquisition and a desire to learn how to become an effective recruiter and talent identifier. 

• Curiosity about how a company operates and how customers, projects, technology, and business needs influence hiring. 

• Interest in using data, technology, databases, and research to make recruiting more effective. 

• Strong attention to detail and an appreciation for accurate, well-maintained information. 

• Natural curiosity and research skills - you enjoy digging into information, making connections, and finding what you are looking for. 

• Analytical mindset and interest in learning how to turn recruiting information into useful insights. 

• Comfort learning new systems, databases, technology, and research tools. 

• Ability to be proactive, dependable, ask thoughtful questions, accept feedback, and follow tasks through to completion. 

• Strong organizational and time-management skills in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and an interest in developing candidate relationship and interviewing skills. 

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with professionalism and discretion. 

• A mindset that demonstrates flexibility, resilience, adaptability, and a desire to learn. 

Required Skills and Experience 

• Must be a rising Junior or Senior pursuing a bachelor's degree. Relevant fields may include human resources, business, marketing, psychology, communications, data analytics, information systems, or a related discipline. 

• Must be able to commute to Dev Technology's Reston, Virginia headquarters for in-office experience a minimum of two days per week; summer internship housing is not provided. 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. 

• Ability to work collaboratively and manage multiple assignments with accuracy and follow-through. 

Preferred Skills and Experience 

• Rising senior strongly preferred. 

• Experience using Excel to organize or analyze data, with an interest in developing more advanced Excel skills.