Interviewing for Internships

By Joel F. Clark, Ph.D.

Co-director of Internships

George Mason University

 

Employers generally have lower expectations for their interns' skills and experiences as compared to their regular hires. Thus, there is less at stake, and usually less reason to be nervous in your internship interview. At the same time, there are several reasons to take internship interviews seriously. First, some intern positions are highly coveted, and therefore highly competitive. Students must still compete with each other for the “privilege” of interning at a competitive internship. Also, because many employers rely heavily on interns to help them accomplish their mission, they take the hiring process very seriously. Those employers with few positions to offer want the best applicants. If they sense you are unprofessional or uncommitted they will pass you over. Your job is to convince them you are the best “fit” of all applicants.

 

Three Types of Job Interviews

 

There are three basic interview styles: factual, situational, and conversational. In each case your goal is to showcase your skills, education and achievements, and to convey that you are a mature and trainable individual. Of course, this is easier said than done! So think carefully about and practice answering common interview questions in all three styles.

 

Factual interviews focus on facts associated with thing like grades, work experiences and activities. A typical question might be: “So, you are a history major and economics minor, what does a minor in economics require?” In answering this type of question aim to succinctly provide the information asked for and then steer your answer toward one of your major strengths. Your response might go like this:

 

My economics minor required both Micro and Macroeconomics, Economics Theory and Practice, and three upper-level economics courses of my choosing. [Note: a weak answer might stop here]. For my electives I chose Political Economy, Monetary Policy and International Markets because I am very interested in the economic and political dimensions of globalization. My economics minor also required me to do hands-on projects and analysis using the latest economic forecasting methods. So I think my economics minor really complemented my history major, which focused more on facts and dates.

 

Just because your interviewer emphasizes “facts” in her questions doesn't mean you should take the interview lightly. Simple factual questions can be easily mishandled. The question, “Why do you want to work here?” presents both traps and opportunities. Avoid answers that betray your poor understanding of what the office does, or your haphazard way of choosing to apply for an internship. For example, avoid saying things like, “My friend Jim is also applying here, and we thought it would be cool to work at the same place this summer.” Instead, be prepared to show that you have carefully researched the workplace and associate it with your short and long-term goals.

 

Situational interviews may start in the factual style but move quickly to questions about how you would respond to certain (usually difficult) situations. For example: “Our interns at New Horizons have to interview youths locked up in county juvenile halls. How would you handle a situation where a male youth only wanted to talk about your dating life?” The point of this question is not to determine whether you read the training manual (you wouldn't be expected to), but instead how mature and tactful you are in responding to awkward situations. Your answer might go something like this:

 

I would remind the individual that we were talking for a specific purpose, and that his participation in the New Horizons program was a privilege that could be revoked if he didn't take the interview process seriously. If the youth persisted, I would terminate the interview and notify my supervisor immediately about what happened.

 

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

Career Videos