orried about your upcoming internship interview? Don’t know what questions to ask or what to say or expect? This blog will let you in on many different tips for a successful internship interview since it can be difficult and scary to think about. You’ll want to be prepared and ready for the interview so that you can get the dream internship you’re looking for.
The Basics For The Interview
You’ll Need To Make A Great First Impression
The first thing you’ll want to do for internship interview preparation is to research the company. This is simply because you’ll want to fully understand what they’re looking for and who they want to fill that internship position. You’ll want to know what they need from you as an applicant and what the job fully entails as well. This will also help you to figure out if it’s the right fit and will help you formulate questions for the actual interview! Some other things you’ll want to do before the interview include:
- Get the details you need. You want to figure out how much you’ll be getting paid if you get the job, along with where and when the interview will be held. You will also want to find out what materials the employers need from you, like a resume or any work materials you’ve done in the past.
- Figure out what you want. If you know beforehand everything you want to gain from the internship, you can express that in the interview. If you have a purpose going into the interview, it’ll also be easier for confidence to come through during it!
Questions You’ll Need To Be Ready To Answer
These Questions Are Most Commonly Asked
Have you ever had an interview where you were fully prepared and knew all the right answers to the questions that were asked? Maybe not all the answers and questions, but if you have an idea of what they’re going to ask, you’ll be more prepared and feel more confident going into it. Even though you won’t know everything the interviewer may say, it’s important to have an idea to prepare you for tough questions that can make or break your interview. Some of the common questions that they may ask include:
- Why do you want to work here? Although this question may seem simple, you never want to give the answer of “because of the money.” You’ll want to elaborate on all the questions asked, and for this answer, you’ll want to give an honest answer why you picked them over a company that may be similar. All they want to know is why you picked them, and if you stick with a truthful and long answer, any interviewer will be impressed!
- What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses? This common question can be tough for many. While many people may want to say that they have no weaknesses and they only want to talk about their strengths in the interview, it’s okay to be vulnerable and let them truly know who you are. But if you have a weakness, you’ll want to take a spin on it and turn it into a strength. A good way to take a spin on your answer is by saying something along the lines of: “I’m making it my goal to work on it.” This will show them that even though you may think you have a weakness, there’s always room for improvement and room to make yourself better at your profession!
- How do you deal with stress? This question somewhat correlates with the question about strengths and weaknesses. They want to know if you’re calm or unstable under pressure since staying calm is a great skill for any individual. You can answer this question by saying that even though stressful situations do come up, you’re able to remain calm during them and act upon them without worrying too much!
- Tell me about yourself. This is one of the most common first questions that your interviewer may ask. They want to learn a little bit more about you instead of just reading straight from a resume. This will help them understand your goals and what you want from the internship as well!
- What are your pay expectations? Before you even have an interview, you’ll want to know how much they’d be willing to pay. The employer will also want to know what you expect before you go so then there’s no confusion on how much they’d be willing to pay you. It’s also better to say a salary range or pay range so then they can help you decide what’s best so try to give them a range instead of just a solid number!
- Are you looking at other jobs? Sometimes interviewers want to know if you’re fully interested in their open position or if you’re still browsing other places. If you are still looking at other job opportunities, you’ll want to tell them that you are but that their opportunity is your top choice. Having this answer will show them that although you were looking at other workplaces, you found this one to be the most interesting and beneficial for your needs!
- Resume questions. After looking through your resume, they may ask any questions about work experiences, volunteer work, or anything that stood out to them from reading it. You’ll want to make sure you include everything that you would want an employer to see, like volunteer experiences and work experiences.
Miscellaneous Tips For The Big Interview
More Helpful Tips To Help Land The Job
Since we already went through some of the questions that the interviewer may ask you, now’s the time to give some more general tips for an internship interview that you’ll want to know! Some of these tips can include:
- Dressing appropriately. This should be some common knowledge for an interview that you want to dress nicely for the big day. But if you’re unsure what a company’s dress policy is, you may want to ask before you go in just in case you end up wearing the wrong thing. This will also make a good first impression on your employer and will show you’re willing to dress for success!
- Bring your resume on paper. Even if you may have already emailed your employer with a resume, you’ll want to bring a paper copy just in case of any issues accessing it so that they can look at it from their desk easily. It’s also a great idea to bring some extra copies just in case!
- Thank them for their time. After the interview is finished, however it goes, you’ll want to thank them for their time. You’re never sure how busy they may be, and they took time out of their day to meet you, so it’s a great idea to thank them for meeting up! This will also show them that you’re professional even if it doesn’t go the way you would have liked it to go!
Now that we’ve gone through all the internship interview tips, you’ll be able to head on your way to secure that job you’ve needed or even dreamed of! Make sure to always dress well, be nice, be thankful, and be professional during any type of interview, that way, the job is surely yours! Now go on out there and ace that interview!
