As college students, we are always reminded of how competitive it is to get a job these days after graduation. And while we roll our eyes, the reality of it is true- the competition is stiff. It is no longer enough to have a stellar GPA or be the president of an extracurricular to make you stand out in the application pool. While having good grades and being involved is great, you need to add experience to that combo in order to have employers give your resume the time of day. One way to gain experience is through an internship, which generally you need to be interviewed for prior. Here are some helpful ways to prepare for and slay that interview.
1. Research the company
The minute you get an interview request from a company go directly on their website and read everything- and reread it like five times. This will help you get the feel of the background and purpose of the company (mission/vision/values) and what type of work it does and who it serves. This is all crucial information to know, because then you can tailor your responses to fit that of the company, but most importantly, shows HR that you took the time to research their company, which shows imitative and eagerness for the position. Bonus points!
2. Google common interview questions for position
When you prepare your answers to common questions that will likely be asked during an interview, you will feel more confident and speak more clear and concise. HR is not looking for ramblers and people who say “um” after every other word– they want solid communicators with solid answers! Google common interview questions for [blank position] and write out an outline to make sure that you hit all of the key points you want to include in your answers. If it is a phone interview, remember to sound natural and not completely read off of your notes– be natural! If is in person, just keep rereading your outline until it is time for your interview. You got this!
3. Go over your resume and the internship position post
This relates to preparing for potential interview questions, but more focused on your resume relating to the internship position post. Get it out and go through all of it in your head and practice talking about your experiences out loud to yourself or to a friend. Make sure to point out and tie the most relevant past experiences to the responsibilities/requirements/skills preferred to that of the position you are applying for. For example, if the internship position post is looking for someone who is comfortable with Adobe Photoshop, make sure to tell them that when describing your past experiences on your resume! Tying together past experiences to that of the internship will make you a stronger candidate.
4. Research the person interviewing you
The email interview request that you received generally has the person’s name who will conduct the interview with you. Once you find that person, go to LinkedIn and search for him or her. Generally, he or she will come up and you can learn about them. Creepy? Nope, not if you find out you both went to the same college or are from the same town, which you can casually bring up in the interview. Finding common ground with the person conducting the interview will make you stand out from the pact, especially when they are making their final decision on who to hire. “Oh, yeah I remember talking to Jessica! She seems qualified, and oh she is the girl who goes to my alma master!” Consider yourself hired.
5. Clean up your social media
This is another thing you hear all of the time, but I cannot stress how much this really does matter. It ain’t no joke that employers look at potential candidates social media profiles– they aren’t just saying that to scare you. It’s corporate America, damn it. I’m sure we are all guilty of having pictures on Facebook from like freshmen year of college that we posted to show everyone just how good of a time we are having, but let me tell you: DELETE IT! Drinking pictures, and other questionable pictures for that matter, that employers have the potential to get ahold of will and view will have your resume thrown in the trash, just like how you looked in that unnecessary drunk picture at a bar. So, clean up all of your accounts to the point that if you gave your sweet grandma your social media passwords that she would still look at you like the little angle you are.
Take it from someone who has had two prior internships and one on the way this summer- these tips are super important and will help you land your dream internship! And I’ll throw in a little advice for during the interview: be yourself. Employers want to get to know the real you in order to get a feel for if you will fit within their company culture. So be authentic and be true to who you are, and chances are they will think you’re a great fit and hire you. Good luck!
[All photos from stock]