1. Questions and answers for an internship interview
To be fully prepared on the day of the interview, you must have prepared the typical questions for the internship interview .
Here are some examples of questions / answers that you must prepare:
Tell us about yourself…
We advise you to learn a little pitch to introduce yourself by revealing certain elements of your personality. Everything you say must be argued. Knowing how to present yourself well during an internship interview is essential
You must speak about yourself in a concise, precise and clear manner: above all, do not tell the recruiter everything of your life. Only provide information that shows why you should be granted this internship . If you want to do an internship in digital marketing and you received marketing courses during your training you must talk about it, saying that these courses made you want to discover this sector of activity, which explains by example your will to do this internship in this company.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
You must have prepared qualities and shortcomigs for the interview . You have to be consistent: always in case you want to do an internship in digital marketing, if you explain that you are not very good with new technologies, that may be problematic.
When you give a defect, give practical information allowing you to return it in “quality”.
From even, when you give your qualities, it is important that you argue them by talking about certain lived experiences, or by simply giving examples from everyday life. You can’t say “I’m very organized, but also outgoing and honest.” You should rather say:” I think I am very organized “. For example , for my baccalaureate, I had made a card for each chapter of story, using a very precise color code, which gave me a very good mark in this subject. ”
Do you have any questions?
This question is perhaps the most important of the interview . Above all, you must not answer no!
You must ask relevant questions (3 will be more than enough), which show that you are very interested in the company. Be careful not to ask questions whose answers appear on the internship sheet.
You can also ask a question about the suite of the recruitment process .
This will prove once again your motivation (by showing that you already see yourself in the company), and allow you to obtain information on the attitude that you will have to adopt after the interview.
2. How to prepare well for the internship interview
Find out about the company
To prepare well for your internship interview , you must learn about the company.
Start by combing the company’s website, which will give you a better understanding of how it works, its field of activity and its product line.
The more you know about the company, the better it will be during the interview: you will show your motivation, you will avoid saying absurdities and you will stand out from a large number of candidates, not having made this effort .
A recruiter will be impressed if you ask them relevant questions , which show on the one hand that you have well prepared for your interview, but also that you have a well-made head and that you quickly understand the challenges of your internship.
Train before the interview
To be ready on the day of the interview, you must prepare your answers to typical internship interview questions .
To know how to sell yourself, You have to know yourself well and not be afraid to show your true personality. You can also spend several training talks with your loved ones, in the closest possible conditions. Don’t hesitate to put on the interview outfit to get used to it and to feel comfortable the same day.
Having these interviews with several people will allow you to prepare for different styles of recruiters, vary the questions, but also less stress on the day of the interview: if you’ve been there several times, the answers will come to you more naturally.
We advise you to do this in advance. Don’t do your preparation interviews the same day. On the day of the interview, rest, play sports to relax and try not to think about it too much, as this will only increase the stress of your interview.
Plan your outfit in advance
It is very important to plan the interview in advance. You need to educate yourself about the company and know the dress codes of the company. Remember, it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed.
You need to look neat, but also be comfortable so you don’t feel uncomfortable during the interview.
Having your look prepared in advance will allow you to stress less the same day. Do not hesitate to check the logistics the day before the interview: see how to get there and what time to leave. You must be on time. Also, don’t be too early to limit your stress.
3. A successful internship interview
The physical attitude to adopt during the interview
To pass an internship interview , the most important thing is surprisingly not what you say, but the way you hold yourself and the way you talk.
The physical attitude during an interview represents 55% of the message transmitted. Para-verbal (tone, intonation of the voice) occupies 38% of our communication. The background only represents 7% of the total message received by the recruiter.
It is therefore essential to take care of your appearance and pay attention to your physical attitude.
For succeed in your internship interview you must respect certain codes:
- Do not knock on the door: wait for someone to come and open you.
- Prefer “hello Sir / Madam” to a simple “hello”: it is more polite.
- Never use the recruiter’s hand if he does not hold out his.
- Only sit down when you are invited.
- The look is very important: when you talk to a recruiter do not run away from him. When you’re facing multiple people, don’t just look at the one asking the question. You have to captivate your entire audience.
- Try to control your movements under stress: Talking to someone who spends their time moving can be very confusing. You don’t have to be as stiff as a pole either: while remaining humble, you must appear to be comfortable.
Managing stress during the interview
To be successful in your interview, you must be in full possession of your means. You must therefore control your stress as well as possible . The first 3 minutes are the most important, because they are the ones where he is most present.
Learning a pitch by heart to introduce yourself can be a good idea. This will allow you to start your interview knowing where you are going. However, do not recite your text showing that you have learned it by heart: you must try to be as natural as possible.
Before the interview, you can control your breathing to try to manage your stress .
During the interview, try to concentrate as much as possible on what the recruiter is telling you so that you don’t get lost in your thoughts and start to think too much. This will allow you to avoid saying nonsense, limit your stress, and not ask a question at the end of the interview that the recruiter will have already answered.
Adopt a proactive attitude
For a successful interview, it is important to show that you are not going through it. An active candidate who shows interest and motivation by asking questions will stand out. The candidate must not take control of the interview: it is he who must answer the questions and not the other way around.
Asking relevant questions shows that we learned about the company and clearly sets us apart from other candidates.
Try to adopt a position that shows you are in the action. This will show that you are willing and ready to get to work.
After the interview: what to do?
It is always difficult to know what attitude to adopt after the interview , which is why it can be smart before the end of it to find out about the recruitment process of the company, to know how to do a good after-interview .
At the end of the interview, you can write a thank you note , while bouncing off a pleasant element of your meeting. If you still don’t have answers after several days, don’t hesitate to follow up. However, try not to harass the recruiter by emailing them every day. That would be awkward and could do you a disservice.
