2025 Summer College Internship Program - Economic Development

Explore Your Potential with the City of Hampton's Summer College Internship Program!

The City of Hampton is excited to offer a unique opportunity to join our Economic Development Department as a Summer Intern. This paid professional development program allows students and recent graduates to support key marketing initiatives, enhance database management, and conduct research to benchmark programs and incentives. This internship offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to the City’s commitment to fostering business growth while developing professional skills in marketing, data analysis, and research.

Why Choose Hampton?

• Hands-On Experience: Engage with real-world projects that shape the future of economic development in Hampton.
• Mentorship: Collaborate with seasoned professionals who will guide and support your growth.
• Impactful Projects: Make meaningful contributions to the City’s efforts to support business and community development.

Internship Overview

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 
Program Duration:  June 2, 2025 - August 8, 2025

Rate of Pay:

Undergraduate Students: $16.24 per hour
Graduate Students: $20.58 per hour
Internships are non-exempt positions. Summer interns will not work more than forty (40) hours in an administrative work week.

As an Economic Development Intern, you will:

• Support the department’s marketing activities, including enhancing social media outreach and creating a monthly electronic newsletter.
• Verify the accuracy of Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) business information in Salesforce.
• Create Salesforce reports to mirror weekly and monthly performance metrics.
• Benchmark the City’s incentive and grant programs against other localities to identify areas for improvement.

You’ll gain experience in:

• Marketing and communication strategies tailored for economic development.
• Database management, reporting, and analytics using Salesforce.
• Researching and analyzing data to support decision-making and program improvements

Department Final Project: Interns will work on a department-specific project designed to improve or enhance a City service. This project will be presented at a culminating ceremony attended by City leaders, highlighting the intern’s contributions and insights gained throughout the program.

Requirements

• Current Student or Recent Graduate: Interns must be currently enrolled as a rising junior, rising senior, or a recent graduate (2024 or 2025) in Business Administration, Marketing & Communications, Accounting & Finance, or a related field from an accredited college/university and be in good academic standing. Transcripts are required as a supplement to this application.

• GPA: 3.0 or higher. 

• Cover Letter: Applicants must submit a cover letter expressing how their education and experience aligns with this internship and what they hope to gain from the experience. The cover letter is required as a supplement to this application, should be in Microsoft Word format and not exceed one page.

• References:  Two (2) references one of which must be from a current or former professor/advisor are required as part of this application. An automatic email will be generated from our 'government jobs' platform and sent to the references provided. Each reference has up to ten (10) calendar days  after the email is sent to provide a submission. Candidates should remind their references to check their junk/spam folder to ensure that the email request is received. 

• Background Check: Must successfully pass a background check.

• Skills and Attributes: Applicants must possess strong problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and a strong work ethic. Punctuality, dependability, and the ability to maintain confidentiality are also essential.

• A combination of education and experience may be considered for this position. 

Additional Information

The Economic Development Intern will focus on supporting the City’s efforts to promote business growth and community development through innovative marketing, data analysis, and research initiatives. This is an opportunity to build expertise in marketing, database management, and local government operations while making a meaningful contribution to the community.

Don’t miss this chance to shape your future and make a difference in Hampton. Apply today to become part of a program that empowers emerging leaders to drive positive change!

* This posting may close earlier than the date advertised if the maximum number of applications have been received.

Salary : $16 - $21