Interviewing for a College Internship
If you’ve landed an interview for a college internship you’re halfway there. There’s still some work to be done to ensure that you are fully prepared to ace the face-to-face test. For starters, it bears repeating that you should dress appropriately for a business meeting and arrive in plenty of time for your meeting. Your cell phone should be out of mind, and hopefully, out of your pocket for the time being. Bring along a resume to leave behind as a reminder of who you are and what you can offer. There are just a few other things to brush up on before the big day:
1. Know who you are talking to. In order to show genuine interest in the work opportunity, you should have a good idea what the company’s business is. Polish up on the corporate history and know who the competition is. Even if none of this material makes its way into the conversation, you will feel more prepared as you enter the room and that will serve you well.
2. Listen, listen and listen some more. While the interviewer will ultimately want to know more about you, it shows good form to lead him lead the conversation. Make sure you get eye contact with him as he does so. When he does pose a question your way, take a pause if you need to collect your thoughts and then stay on the subject at hand as you deliver your response.
3. Interviews for internships are usually about what your capabilities are as opposed to your actual work experience. Be ready to reflect on you’ve learned thus far in college and pose some of those situations as examples of why you’d be the best candidate for the internship. Everything is relevant − from the extra-curricular activities you’ve become involved with to the choices you’ve made in roommates or housing.
4. Have an example ready to share. If there is a completed project or piece of writing that you are proud of, it’s a good idea to refer to it when speaking and bring it out to look at. If not, that’s okay, too. Instead, tell a story of a group dynamic that you are involved with or discuss results of a marketing focus group that you participated in as part of your response to a question.
A thank-you note soon after the interview is over is a must. It can be via email if your original correspondence with the interviewer was done that way. A hand-written or typed letter via snail mail can’t go wrong either. You want to express your gratitude for the time spent and ask to be considered for the internship. The more you get out there and go through this process, the more confident you’ll be.
Julie Clark Robinson writes for a wide variety of publications. Her many interests include online degree programs and online college graduate programs.