Internship interview ? Congratulations! You’ve advanced to the internship interview, one of the last stages of the application process. But do you have all the tools to prepare for the internship interview? Which inquiries should you address? Are you aware of any experiences you could share? Should you ask questions? What’s the dress code for the interview? What qualifications do hiring managers look for? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with the best advice from recruiting professionals for internship interviews.
Make sure to research the company
Ensure you spend sufficient time researching the company. How long have they been around for? Who are their competitors? Do they have international offices? What’s their work culture like? What’s the company’s mission and vision statement?
In order to discuss how you can contribute to the company’s aims and explain why you are enthusiastic to work there, you should try to gain a solid understanding of its objectives prior to the interview.
Prepare to answer questions about your experience
An interviewer may ask you behavioural interview questions to learn more about your problem-solving and work style, even if you are not required to respond with examples of your professional job experience. Some examples of these questions are “How do you handle challenges at work?” and “Tell me about a time you had to work with someone who had a different working style than you.”
Which tips work best for answering these types of questions during an internship interview? Choose the experiences you want to talk about in the interview first (more on that below if you’re not sure which to choose). Next, thoroughly describe the circumstance, your actions, and the outcomes you attained using the STAR technique.
Some questions to prepare could be; What do you want this internship to help you achieve? It is advisable that you discuss the goal you established during your interview preparation. For instance: “I am thrilled about the chance to improve my problem-solving abilities and collaborate with a team. With my strong work ethic, I also hope to contribute to the company’s success.”
What makes you desire to work in this field? The employer is interested in knowing why you chose this industry over others, even if this inquiry may seem identical to the last one. For instance: “I am in the process of making a career transition to this industry, and I would love the opportunity to see if this is a good fit for me long-term.”
During the internship interview: Demonstrate you are a fast learner
Although interviewers for internships don’t require much experience, they do look for candidates who can take up new knowledge and abilities rapidly. You must therefore demonstrate your growth mentality and love of learning in order to fully realise your potential.
How can you demonstrate your ability to pick things up quickly? Good grades and difficult schoolwork demonstrate that you are performing well in the classroom, but you also need to reflect on your prior experiences and discuss the actions you took, the methods you used, and the results you achieved.
Make sure you let your personality shine through
Being genuine when you show up is crucial!
Yes, certain businesses and sectors could have interview procedures that are more conventional and formal. Ultimately, an internship interview is simply a meeting between two people. Two unique individuals and it’s acceptable to share some of yours.
Employers want to hire people they like to work with as much as those who have the necessary training and expertise. Even while you don’t have to share every detail of your life with the interviewer, it might be beneficial to discuss shared passions, hobbies, and work styles in order to create a great interview experience. An interview is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a complete person and not simply your résumé!
Dress appropriately for the online interview
Just because the interview might be online/Skype doesn’t mean you don’t have to make an effort when it comes to your dress code.
Before the interview, you should research the appropriate attire for the Skype interview.
Keep an eye out for the dress code and uniform of the company; these will offer you an indication of the preferences of the organisation for employee attire. After completing this assignment and learning this knowledge, you will be able to choose a dress that matches the appropriate style.
You can follow the Skype interview dress code if you haven’t completed your homework or if you didn’t learn about the company’s policy.
If you are unsure, it’s always best to be ‘over-dressed’, than ‘under-dressed’. A crisp shirt, tie and jacket for the male applicants and a nice shirt/blouse and neutral makeup and jewellery for female applicants will do the trick.
Prepare ‘the right’ questions for the hiring manager
Recall that an interview is a two-way conversation. You get the opportunity to learn more about the business and the position at the same time as the interviewer tries to get more information about you and your background.
Students can make a lasting impression on hiring managers and recruiters by posing intelligent questions that show their interest, curiosity, and proactive approach to grasping the internship opportunity.
Because of this, posing pertinent questions during the interview demonstrates your enthusiasm for the internship as well as your beliefs, values, and interests.
What kind of queries are therefore sought after by interviewers?
“What are your expectations for this role?” and “Who will I report to?” as well as “What does the rest of the team look like?” But you should also be asking the questions that are really important to you, such as those about your aspirations, goals, missions, and vision for your profession. If the business isn’t willing to give you those facts for whatever reason, then You might not be interested in that company after all!
You can ask questions like these during the interview:
- What possibilities for development and mentoring can I anticipate from this internship?
- What kinds of tasks might I anticipate performing?
- What would you say about the culture of the company?
