Consumer Research

Survey Design

Tech Sales

AI-Assisted Analysis

Insights Communication

Pinterest Gen Z Consumer Behavior

Design a real consumer survey, analyze Gen Z Pinterest behavior, and pitch advertising opportunities to Pinterest's sales team.

6 weeks

Live Sessions Start

September 21, 2026

Start Onboarding Today

Pinterest users run more than 80 BILLION searches a month, and buried in all that searching is a 16-year-old pinning prom dresses, Taylor Swift theories, and…book reports? Gen Z is using the app in ways nobody saw coming, and that’s exactly the kind of information advertisers will pay for. Brands like Disney don’t just want more eyeballs; they want to know what’s quietly pulling Gen Z in so it can show up there first. In this externship, you go looking for patterns like that: real, unobvious insights into how Gen Z actually uses Pinterest, built for Pinterest’s own sales team to bring to advertisers. Over 6 weeks, you’ll design a real survey using the Jobs-to-be-Done framework (one of the foundational frameworks in product and consumer research), deploy it to at least 30 real Gen Z users in your own network, and analyze what comes back for the story nobody expected. You’ll leave with one sharp, evidence-backed insight built into an advertiser pitch and delivered on video like the real thing. Do strong enough work, and you can pitch it live to Pinterest’s VP of Sales.

Project Output

‍

During this Externship, externs will:

Design a Real Survey: Build a structured survey to uncover what Pinterest is genuinely "hired" to do in a Gen Z user's life, applying a Jobs-to-be-Done framework to write focused, unbiased questions.
Collect Real Data: Identify respondents in their own network, write outreach messages, deploy the survey and collect at least 30 real responses.
Synthesize Insights: Turn raw response data into one or more honest, defensible behavioral insights, using manual descriptive statistics and qualitative coding verified with AI.
Build an Ad Opportunity Recommendation: Synthesize everything with the What/So What/Now What framework, stress-test it with AI, and deliver it in a polished deck and recorded video.

Final deliverables:

Custom survey designed to uncover Gen Z Pinterest usage behavior and jobs-to-be-done
Set of real survey responses (30+), collected through personal outreach
One or more evidence-backed behavioral insights from manual and AI-verified analysis
Evidence-backed advertising opportunity recommendation for Pinterest
Polished, presentation-ready slide deck
Recorded video presentation delivering the final recommendation

Get Started with Onboarding Today Before Live Sessions Begin

Join this 6-week Externship with Pinterest to conduct real consumer research and pitch insights to their sales team!

Start Project Today

This Externship has passed

Explore More Opportunities

What past Externs have to say

Erik Schalk

Beats by Dre Extern

"Extern played a crucial role in bridging the gap between my formal business education & real-world application. The opportunity to present actionable recommendations to the Head of Customer Insights at Beats by Dre was invaluable, propelling my leadership journey and paving the way for my current role at Rolls-Royce.”

Now a Project Lead
at Rolls-Royce

Tori Nguyen

AT&T Extern

“I credit the Externship as the sole reason I was hired to intern at AT&T. I had never heard of the AT&T internship program and would never have applied to it if I hadn’t gone through the Externship. It allowed me to develop my skills, showcase my work and ultimately stand out so I was awarded the opportunity to interview the CEO of AT&T!”

Became an intern
at AT&T

Richard Wilson

Meta Extern

"The Externship is a great way to introduce students to what it is like to work on a project. I became a lot more data-focused and analytical in my approach. As an industrial engineering major, people questioned how the externship was related to my studies. My journey has shown me that you don’t have to be limited by your major."

Now a Technical
Program Manager at Meta

Maisa Mirza

HP Tech Ventures Externship

“During my venture capital externship, I learned how to use industry-standard metrics and tools like SQL and Tableau to determine startup success potential.This opportunity helped me stand out as a candidate and opened new doors for me - including offers from EY and Accenture."

Now an Analyst
at Accenture

Garrett Boyce

HP Tech Ventures Externship

“If I hadn’t done a VC externship during term time, I know I’d be spending hours watching YouTube videos just to understand which careers I might enjoy! I don’t think I fully understood the value of an externship till I actually did one and now I want to argue that externships should be a part of the college experience for every student.”

Now an Analyst at Boston Consulting Group

Diego Juarez

Crafted Capital Externship

“My Externship really changed my career trajectory. As students, we often chase after Fortune 500 work experiences, but the intimate experience of getting to work with a startup can actually really help you learn a lot and level up what you can bring to the table. My cohort even had the opportunity to speak with the founder of Crafted Capital and learn from his firsthand experience.”

Now a CLDP Analyst at
JP Morgan Chase & Co

Skills You'll Gain

Survey Design with JTBD Framework

Design a consumer behavior survey using the Jobs-to-be-Done framework to write focused, unbiased questions.

Survey Design with JTBD Framework

Design a consumer behavior survey using the Jobs-to-be-Done framework to write focused, unbiased questions.

Primary Data Collection

Collect real survey data by deploying to 30+ Gen Z respondents through personal outreach.

Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis

Analyze survey responses using descriptive statistics and qualitative coding, verified with AI.

Insight Synthesis & Strategic Recommendation

Synthesize behavioral insights into an evidence-backed advertising opportunity recommendation.

Presentation and Storytelling

Deliver a professional presentation via polished slide deck and recorded video.

Your Schedule

6 weeks

Project 1

—

Design a Real Survey with the Jobs-to-be-Done Framework

Project 2

—

Deploy Survey & Collect 30+ Real Gen Z Responses

Project 3

—

Analyze Data & Surface Behavioral Insights

Project 4

—

Build an Evidence-Backed Advertiser Recommendation

Final Deliverable

—

Deliver a Polished Slide Deck & Video Presentation

About Pinterest

The Home Depot is not accepting or considering any applications for this Externship through other channels.

Meet Your Host

Alexa Levine

VP of Sales, Pinterest

Alexa is VP of Sales at Pinterest, leading the Tech, Telco, Travel and Entertainment business. Before that, she was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, an investor in Olive & June, and spent years running Entertainment strategy at Snap Inc. as U.S. Head of Entertainment — overseeing studio, streaming, TV, and gaming partnerships. Earlier in her career she led the Entertainment vertical at Facebook, worked directly with major studios and networks as a Senior Account Executive at Google, and even held product and sales roles at Microsoft. Along the way, she also founded her own beauty brand, Lex Cosmetics. From Google to Facebook to Snap to McKinsey to Pinterest, Alexa has spent two decades building and scaling the businesses behind the platforms you use every day.