The short version
Not as work experience. Programmes like Forage virtual experiences, or Bright Network's online internship experience, are open to anyone who signs up. Screeners at the top banks and consultancies know that, and some of them are tired of seeing these listed as internships. Calling one work experience can count against you.
That doesn't make them a waste of time. If one taught you something real, mention it in a cover letter or in an interview. Just don't put it where a screener expects to see jobs you were selected for.
Why screeners discount them
Your experience section is where a screener looks for evidence that someone else already chose you. A spring week, an internship or even a part-time job all say that a firm ran a process and picked you. An unselective virtual programme doesn't say that, because there was no process. To a screener it's closer to attending a few webinars.
The bigger risk is the label. "Virtual Intern, Goldman Sachs (Forage)" on a CV next to people with real Goldman internships looks like you're borrowing the name. A screener who notices that won't read the rest generously.
What does count
The test is whether you were selected. These count:
- A remote internship a firm offered you after a real application, paid or not. Write it like any other internship.
- An internship that was cancelled after you'd been offered it. Most recruiters are happy for that to go on as a line, because getting the offer was the hard part.
- A spring week or insight programme you applied for and got. No need for bullets. It's a networking event, and overselling it looks odd.
- Part-time and customer-facing jobs. Tutoring, retail, a café. They don't have to be relevant. They show you can turn up and handle people.
If you have no internships yet
That's normal for a first-year spring week application, and screeners know it. Fill the space with things that show the same qualities:
- A committee role in a society, with what changed because of you. "Treasurer, Finance Society. Raised £6,000 in sponsorship from 3 firms, up from £1,500."
- A student investment fund or a stock pitch competition, with your result.
- Something you started. A small business, a newsletter, a club, a fundraising event.
- A project you can talk about in detail, like a model you built for a company you follow.
For consulting, these are your leadership and personal-drive examples. For banking, the investment fund and the stock pitch show interest in finance better than a virtual internship ever will.
Paid internship schemes
Some agencies sell internship placements, often heavily marketed to international students. Screeners at top firms usually spot these, and an internship that was bought rather than won doesn't carry the same weight. If you have one, describe the work honestly and don't make it the centrepiece of your CV. (For the record, we don't sell internships or referrals. The review only looks at your CV.)
The review flags anything in your experience section that a screener would discount.