discuss your interview experience.

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>I admit I haven't been very diligent in looking for interviews for internships this semester. I've only had 1 interview, and it happened about an hour ago. We had a 20 minute window, but my interview lasted no more than 15 minutes. They asked me 2-3 questions about why I wanted to work for them, and then basically sat there pretending to look over stuff, and probably waiting for me to ask questions so they can gauge how much interest I have in working for them. After that, they had me compose a writing sample where I was asked to provide instructions on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.</p>

<p>what the frick?</p>

<p>This wasn't at all what I expected. I'm probably going to have to apply for a lot more internships over winter break. This one is dust</p>

2

<p>Have you had the opportunity to use your school’s Career Services regarding job interviews and resume writing? You might want to spend sometime in those areas to help your chances in future internship application.</p>

3

<p>Ah, the start of internship interviews. There is a vast diversity in the level of preparedness internship candidates have, and it is obviously to your advantage to be more prepared than you think you need to be.</p>

<p>Before you get to an interview, you need to APPLY, and that means applying to a LOT of companies. It’s tough out there, so cast a wide net and see what you catch. Be sure to have others review and criticize your resume, as that will strengthen your candidacy. For reference, I applied to more than fifty companies across four industries when I was applying for FT jobs, and I wish I had done so when I was applying for internships, since I only applied to 20 and wound up not getting a real internship.</p>

<p>When you are invited to interview, you should be excited! You just got past the most difficult part of the hiring process - application review. At this point, the company has interest in you and will give you a shot at getting the job. So it is up to you to convince them you are better for them than your peers are.</p>

<p>Do your homework. Figure out what exactly it is the company does; if it is hard to get a clear picture, come up with some questions for the interviewer to answer in order to clarify things for you. If you can, figure out what exactly you will be doing - what your role in the company will be - before you step into the interview.</p>

<p>As a candidate, listening is as important as talking; when you have a day with multiple interviews at a company (a Super day), it is very common for one interviewer to test your knowledge of what the company does (usually very subtly) based on what prior interviewers had told you, and showing that you listened will work to your advantage.</p>

<p>Before you even step in the door, come up with several questions (at least three or four) to ask your interviewers. Presume you will interview at least three people, meaning you should be prepared to ask up to ten unique questions at the interview (obviously most questions will come up during the interview, but you should be prepared with some canned questions). Be creative with your questions… I found the best way to gauge whether I would fit with a company’s culture was to ask the simple question, “What do you like the least about what you do?” If I got an honest answer, I immediately liked the company more.</p>

<p>Other things you should keep in mind…

  1. Make eye contact with everyone whose hands you shake.
  2. Make a conscious effort to smile when you are interviewing. It naturally makes you sound more confident and causes others to be more interested in what you are saying, thus more likely to remember you positively.
  3. If you speak to someone for more than thirty seconds, GET A BUSINESS CARD. Even if nothing comes of the interview, you have a new person who could be in your professional network.
  4. After an interview - preferably less than a full day after - send an email to everyone who you interviewed, thanking them for their time. A strategy I employed was to withhold a question I had had during the interview and ask it in my follow up email, and that worked beautifully since it immediately started a dialogue with the people who interviewed me, and it wound up as the deciding factor for both companies who offered me jobs!</p>

<p>Best of luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!</p>

4

<p>thanks. I had a pretty good idea of everything you listed before hand. I feels like when I’m in an interview, it’s like I’m taking an exam. My IQ drops by 20 points. And once I step out the door, it all comes back. I’m kicking myself now because I forgot to ask for a business card. Damit</p>

<p>Anyways, I was more prepared to answer questions. But I suppose I should’ve prepared more in asking questions. There was this awkward moment where they finished talking and just sat there looking at their paper, and I basically sat there for about 20 seconds until I asked another question.</p>

<p>I guess it wasn’t a huge loss. Water treatment is pretty lame. And my dad’s green card just came through, so maybe I can finally apply as a permanent resident now.</p>

5

<p>Well here’s the thing… no matter how prepared you think you are, you don’t realize until afterward what your interview-shortcomings are. </p>

<p>I didn’t know to get business cards until I was applying for FT positions my senior year, nor did I know about follow up emails.</p>

<p>A lot of people neglect the process of coming up with questions, and it’s something you just need to keep in mind.</p>

<p>The other thing you need to keep in mind is how your interviewer is thinking. As the applicant, you are probably trained to think that the company would be doing you a HUGE favor by giving you an offer, but while that is true, you must not forget that you are also bringing something to the table. If you know your strengths and realize what you can bring to the company, you will make yourself a better candidate just by virtue of confidence. Remember, a company will not hire someone it does not think brings value to the organization. I didn’t realize this - I mean REALLY realize it - until halfway through the FT application process, and it changed the entire game for me. </p>

<p>To that end, think about other situations where you have had the chance to - and did - improve a company, student group or other organization, even if it was in a very small way. An example I used: When I worked at a restaurant, the restaurant had no system for identifying where guests were seated, which made for great difficulty and awkwardness when people tried to serve food. Realizing this flaw, I came up with a simple solution - whichever seat is closest to the far right side of the dining room is seat 1, and seat numbers increase clockwise. The system improved efficiency, reduced awkwardness and is still used today, three years later.</p>

<p>It’s a very simple idea, but it shows that you can find ways to improve things without stepping out of place. I’ve had people comment that that little quip made a very positive impression on them, so hey, maybe you could use something similar!</p>