This past quarter I have been applying for multiple internships in order to complete my enrollment in the UCDC Program for the spring quarter. So far I have gotten about eight interviews, and at first, I was pretty much just winging everything. Although I felt good about the way my Interviews were going, I thought they could get better. Right around that time, my advisor for the program held a meeting discussing some tips that could be useful to us in order to do better in interviews and hopefully get an internship offer. Here are a few:
- Wake up on time/early
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Although this seems like a basic thing that everyone would know, it is something that can get confusing at different times. This is very important so one isn’t tired for their interview as well as when there are different time zones. It is important to pay attention to where firms/organizations are located that one is applying to. I know, I learned this the hard way since I had set up an interview for 9:30 am without realizing it was for Eastern Time (EST) and not Pacific Time (PST), so I was awoken by my interviewer at 6:30 am PST.
- Know who/what you’re interviewing for
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This is important because many times interviewers will ask why you would like to work for that firm or organization. In order to answer that question, one must know at least some basic things about the company to impress them. What I tend to do is write down what they mainly focus on, and then write one of my favorite things about them.
- Be confident
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This is important so that one doesn’t get upset about how a specific interview went, but rather feels good about what they were able to put. This is also necessary so one is able to see what they need to fix for interviews. One thing that helps me be more confident before an interview is to sit back in my chair and tell myself ‘I got this’ rather than freaking out about what will happen in the interview.
- Prep yourself for basic questions
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This helps prepare what one is going to say rather than just going out and coming up with things on the spot (which can be harder sometimes). This allows one to be able to fully contract an answer and not be as nervous. I like to practice this a couple of times until I am fully confident that I like my answer or that it answers the question.
After learning these tips, I was able to be much more prepared for my interviews as well as less nervous to interact with my interviewer. These tips have allowed me to receive many more offers from the places that I have applied for, as well as just making it easier to interact with professional adults through the zoom setting. Hopefully, you find it useful and can manage to get more internship/work offers!