Pro tips to nail your internship interview
Congratulations, you have been invited to an interview with the hiring team of your dream internship. This means that the company found your profile interesting and now they want to know what makes you the right candidate for the position.
An internship will be one of the most important things you do during your final years of university. Getting one isn’t easy, so you need to be on your A-game.
We’ve collected our best advice to help you prepare for the interview.
Research the organisation
Make sure to look at the details of the organisation you are applying to intern for. It’s important to know who this company is, what are their values and why they are known in the community. You will get all of this information by visiting their website, but also by looking at their activity on social media and their appearance in other articles (newspapers, blogs etc.). A good knowledge of the organisation proves your interest and motivation, as well as having an accurate view of the position you are applying for.
Prepare a short elevator speech
Put together a short statement that sets you apart and explain why you'd be the best fit for this internship. If you know who you are going to have the interview with, do not hesitate to check their background. You never know - you could have studied in the same school, got involved in the same organisation in the past or had common experiences that you could put forward during the interview.
Anticipate and prepare
Come up with a list of questions you may be asked and be ready to answer. It usually includes questions like “Why do you want to work at this organisation?” Another common interview question is simply, “What do you know about our activities?”, so you better be prepared to answer this if you want to be an employee of their company.
Make up your list of questions
Prepare questions that show you're interested in the company and their products or services. This will show the recruiters that you’ve done your homework.This point in the interview marks the end of the discussion. Not having a question conveys the feeling that you are not really interested in the job or that you are in a hurry to leave. Make sure to re-read the job description before the interview. There is bound to be one point that needs to be clarified or one assignment that has particularly caught your attention.
Clean up your online presence*
Your social media profile is an extension of your resume. And yes, love it or hate it, recruiters and hiring managers do use social media to screen job candidates. Before starting your application process, do not forget to review your social media profiles. Background checks exist and anything you think may be private, isn’t as private as you may think.
*As part of its free preparatory training, .build your future helps you create a personal brand for social media. Check our complete program!
+1: Here is an extra one, perhaps the most important
Sure, it's important to sell yourself in an interview, but make sure to be yourself, to be honest, and to be realisticSure, it's important to sell yourself in an interview, but make sure to be yourself, be honest, and be realistic.