So, you have finally landed the internship interview you have always dreamed of! As a student with no work experience, you may be wondering how you are going to pull it off. Take comfort in the fact that you must be doing something right to have been offered an interview in the first place!
With some time to go before the big day, doing some research on the company and preparing yourself for the most common internship interview questions will help. Read on to find out how to prepare for an internship interview by anticipating the questions you will need to answer.
Why Do You Want This Internship?
The most important thing to keep in mind when answering this question is to make it obvious that you are not just doing it for the credits. Here’s the chance to show how passionate you are about your future industry and profession. To be more specific, you can mention a few skills you wish to hone during the course of this internship. Even better if you can bring in the company’s mission and values to explain why this position would be a good fit for you.
You can also bring up some skills that you have developed throughout your education or previous experiences. Mention how you would like to build on them during the internship as well as how this position can help you do that.
One thing you should not say is that you are just looking to try it out to see if working in this industry is something you really want. While an internship may be an opportunity to test the waters and gain some experience before entering the real world of work, you should not be bringing up these doubts during an interview.
Introduce Yourself
This is one of the most common things you may be asked to do at the beginning of an interview. Because of how open-ended it is, you may find yourself struggling to find the right words. Take a second to think about what the interviewer wants to hear: Chances are, they want to find out more about your goals and priorities on top of what you can bring to the table.
You can talk a bit about your background, particularly as it relates to the industry in question. Bring it back to your field of study and keep things relevant to the company and the job scope of the internship. If the internship is based in a location that’s known for producing excellent research in your field, you can bring that up as well. To end things, don’t forget to mention how excited you are to get started on gaining some real-world experience.
Why Our Company?
Here is a good chance to demonstrate that you have done your research. This question is meant for the interviewer to understand whether you would be a good fit for their workplace culture. It also allows you to explain your motivation for choosing this specific company over others in the field. Your answers to this question may be closer than you think: Have you written a cover letter when applying for this internship? If so, there are probably some good points in there you can reuse.
Firstly, bring up some qualities that make this company stand out from its competitors. Remember to be specific — for instance, if the company specializes in cloud solutions for the healthcare industry, you may want to bring up a successful project they have completed. Next, tie this in with your goals and explain how the experience you will gain from this internship can help you achieve them.
What Skills Can You Bring to the Table?
This next question brings the focus back onto yourself. As you may know from first-hand experience, many people have trouble talking about themselves, especially when they are required to portray themselves in a good light. Remember that this is a chance to show what you can contribute to the company as well as your understanding of what will be required of you.
The best way to answer this question is to bring out a few hard skills and if possible, mention specific examples where you have demonstrated them. Don’t forget to bring in a few soft skills as well, such as being an effective team player and knowing how to communicate in an international setting. Besides the skills you possess, you should also take the chance to bring up your positive attitude and willingness to learn.
What Plans Do You Have After Graduation?
Yes, internships offer opportunities for applicants to find out if a role is really suitable for them. On the flip side, it is also a chance for companies to identify potential candidates who will be looking for permanent opportunities in the future. When answering this question, always make it clear that you intend to continue on the same path that this internship will lead you on. You can mention both your short-term and long-term goals.
Your short-term goals can be very specific, such as learning how to use a particular software that will enhance your employability and give you a better understanding of how things work in your field. You may not be absolutely certain of your long-term plans yet, but during an interview is not the time to give your doubts away.
ColorComm Search Can Assist with Your Search for an internship
Are you looking to score an internship interview that will give you some real work experience? If you are in the media, communications, journalism, or advertising industry, you have come to the right place at ColorComm Search. You will find that the job listings on our diverse job board are all by companies that are looking to hire diverse talent and diverse candidates. We are passionate about diversity hiring and for this purpose, you will find that our platform is easy to use and navigate.
Get started today by finding out how our process works and create an account