Ask a Career Consultant
Hi there! Every week, the Career Development Team for Researchers at the Office of Career and Professional Development answers an anonymized career development question from the UCSF community. You can also visit the archive of all of our past columns. To submit your own question, email it to [email protected] with the subject line 'ASKOCPD.'
A master's student asks—
I saw two different internships posted at the same company, and I'm interested in both. Is it appropriate to apply for two internships at the same company at the same time? Or will that make it look like I'm not serious?
Yes, it is totally fine to apply to two positions at the same company at the same time. For many organizations, they won't even be able to tell that you applied to both roles because the hiring teams are made up of different people who are unlikely to compare notes. Even if they did notice, it would be very strange for them to hold it against you in any way. It may even give the impression that you are particularly excited about getting your foot in the door because of how much you are interested in their organization as a whole! The only caveat I'd add is, if you know (or have strong reason to believe) that applications for both positions are going to be reviewed by the same person or team, it would make sense to mention in your cover letter that you are interested in both roles and why.
-David Blancha, Assistant Director, Career Development Team for Researchers