In honor of #werkitwednesday - which we're re-naming the #hecuacareerboard, starting today! - we asked our Manager of Internships and Community Partnerships Emily Seru for some tips on how to ace an internship interview. Every HECUA program includes a significant internship component, both here and abroad, and Emily's been setting students up with community partner organizations in the Twin Cities since 2004.
Here is her advice for how to start things off on the right foot:
1. Do your homework before the interview.
Get those typing fingers warmed up.
This seems obvious, but it does take some planning ahead. You need to know more than the name and location of the organization you are intervening with. Read up on their website, Facebook page, and blog posts. What is happening with current programs and projects? What interests you? What do you hope to learn more about or be a part of if you do get the chance to intern with them? Who will you be interviewing with? Arriving at the organization and not knowing whom you are there to meet makes for a bad first impression.
2. Be persistent, yet flexible when setting up your interview.
If you are polite but persistent, no one will be annoyed. We promise.
I have seen many students get intimidated and discouraged when they send an email to an organization requesting an interview and either do not hear back, or hear that the staff member is on vacation or not available to interview for another week or two. Remember, you are not number one on their to-do list. They do want to interview with you. They just to need to carve out the space and time. Being patient through this process, while continuing to respectfully let them know you are still interested, is very important. If you need to rearrange your schedule to meet with an internship site at a time that is convenient for them, make this a priority.
3. Be prepared to answer the question “what do you want from this internship?”
No one will know unless you tell them.
An internship is an opportunity to learn new things, gain new skills, meet new people, build confidence, and test existing skills and knowledge. Do some self-reflection before your interview. Why do you want to intern here? What do you hope to learn? What do you hope to contribute? Organizations want to help you to learn and grow and contribute, but they need you to help them to do that.
Now that you know what you need to do, are you wondering what to avoid? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Emily was kind enough to give us a bonus lightning advice round- here's what you absolutely should NOT do.
Top three things that will kill an internship interview:
1. Bad communication—Don’t disappear or leave people hanging. If you know you will be away and not able to communicate, let people know ahead of time and schedule your interview date before you leave.
2. Inflexibility—If you are too set in your idea of what the internship should be and exactly what you want to do, you miss out on the million other things you could learn about that you don’t even know about yet.
3. An entitled or dismissive attitude- no one likes to be treated this way. If you act like you don’t want to be there or don’t care, they won’t want to work with you. It is a small world, so you never want to burn bridges with people who could be future colleagues, mentors, or employers.
Questions? Comments? Tweet at us to work them out - @hecua_offcampus. Use the hashtag #hecuacareerboard. Like to learn more about our internships here and abroad? Email [email protected], or fill out the contact form to the right.