Internship Interview Prep
Tips to Help You Prepare For Your Internship Interview
Success in interviews is a matter of preparation. The stronger you are in understanding the background of the organization for which you hope to work and the more you have anticipated the types of questions you will face, the better you are likely to do in an interview.
All W&M students can contact the Cohen Career Center for a mock interview, or consider using the W&M Big Interview portal for online interview coaching. Check out the Cohen Career Center's comprehensive interview page for more advice and questions.
Following are a few tips and sample questions you're likely to face in an interview for
A few important tips:
Do your homework!An experienced interviewer can tell immediately how much you know and understand about their organization. Interviewees who know a lot immediately stand out from those who don't. Spend at least two hours preparing for an internship interview - much more for |
Tell storiesAnswer interview questions with a story that illustrates your point. If an interviewer asks you "Are you an organized person?"-- don't say, "Yes, I am an organized person. I love organization and always have." People are much more responsive to a story. Tell them: "I love organization and always have. When I was in high school, I was awarded "Most Organized" in our senior superlatives. When I was an intern, my boss asked me to organize the office supply area, and I arranged all the supplies by type and function, and then |
Express enthusiasmAs an interviewer, chances are I'm very enthusiastic about my job and organization. I want to hire someone who is as well. I want to hear how excited you were when you heard about the opening. I want to hear specifics about what you like about our organization. Are you not so excited about the organization? Maybe you shouldn't be interviewing with them. |
Use your W&M Study in DC connectionIf you are a Study in DC student, be sure to make that connection at the outset. The interviewer might not remember where they got your resume, but there is great value for them in having a student in a W&M program working for them. The fact that you've been pre-qualified, that you're in DC to study the topic of the internship, that you have the university and an administrator standing behind you -- these are all assets that set you apart from other applicants. Make sure to use them to your advantage. |
Have three prepared questionsWhen your interviewer asks you what questions you have for them -- have three questions to ask to show that you've dug down into their operations and that you're interested in the organization. Ideally, you have questions that can't be answered on their website. You might use this to show off how much you have researched their organization. "I see two years ago you did an event with the President. Any chance there's an upcoming event like that that I would be working on?" |
Ask for the jobInterviewers will often give you an |
Write a quick thank youSend a quick email or snail mail note that day or the next -- "Hi Ms. Smith. I'm writing to thank you again so much for your time today. I really loved what I heard about your {organization/office} and would love to be part of the team to help you meet your mission and goals. Please reach out to me by phone or email at any time if I can answer more questions. Many thanks again." A surprising amount of applicants do not send thank you notes and you will stand out immediately when you do. |
A list of interview questions includes:
The most likely behavioral questions
**Critical Questions! |
How do you face challenges?
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How do you work on a team?
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What is your personality?
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Practice makes perfect
W&M Study in DC students can always contact the Washington Center staff for a mock interview.
Other question sites: