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Internship Interview Questions

Interviews

Internship Interview Questions
Internship Interview Questions

I think you will agree with me when I say preparing for an internship interview when you have final exams is extremely difficult.

In addition to final exams, there is a ton of competition for this position.

Well, it turns out, you can dramatically improve your chances with the right intern interview preparation.

Here you will find an easy-to-use guide on how to ace the intern interview.  First, we will discuss how to correctly answer frequently asked internship interview questions, followed by behavioral interview questions, and finally, review some thought-provoking questions.

Intern Interview Questions and Answers

Can you tell us about yourself?

What is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when answering this question? 

Telling your life story and rambling about everything and anything!!!

This is your chance to show why you are the best candidate for the position!

The Muse provides an excellent formula called the Present, Past, and Future to show that you are indeed the best person for the job.

Here’s how it works

  1. Present – state what you are currently studying.
  2. Past – State your previous work experience and how this experience will benefit the company you are interviewing for.
  3. Future – Say why you are excited about this opportunity and how it aligns with your goals.

Suppose you are interviewing for a software developer internship.  You can state

  1. Present – I am currently in my 3rd year of computer science, and I am mainly studying advanced data structures in Java.
  2. Past – In my previous work term, I was a database administrator using Microsoft SQL Server for a bank.
  3. Future – In the future, I plan to become a software engineer and hope to continue advancing my knowledge of SQL Server and Oracle so I appreciate you taking the time to interview me.

Why do you want to work here?

According to the job site Monster, the interviewer asks this question because they want to find someone who has thought about where they want to work and they are not just sending in a bunch of resumes in hopes to get a job. 

“The interviewer asks this question because they want to find someone who has thought about where they want to work!”

I would like to work here because 

  • Your company has made the world’s top employers for new grads for the last 3 years (find out any top employer list the company has made).
  • This company ranks in the 50 Best Companies for Diversity, and 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics (reference any awards the company has received).
  • After reviewing several reviews on Google Play and the iTunes Store I can see your company produces great mobile apps and cares about customer feedback (have a look at review sites such as Facebook, or Google+ and find out specific examples of positive reviews as an example of a great product or customer satisfaction).
  • Mention you would be proud to work for a company that is in the Top 10 Newsweek US 500 Green Rankings (find out if the company has done an effort to reduce its carbon footprint).

Why should I hire you?

  • The best way to attack this question is to review the job description and highlight the key skills and experience required to do the job.  Then reassure the interviewer that you have the skills and experience required.
  • Making yourself unique is a more difficult task, but necessary since there will be much more applicants applying for the position and you want to leave a memorable impression.  Perhaps there is a technology that you know better than any other applicant, or how you went above and beyond for a previous employer.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Remember companies are making an investment when they hire a new employee and they want to see if you are worth the investment.

Let’s first look at what not to say

Don’t Say

  • Opening up my own business.
  • The hiring manager’s job.
  • Any indication that you are just using this company for a summer job to pay for tuition?

Do Say

  • Something like this:  After I graduate I would love to see myself employed by this company.  I believe in the company’s values and I believe in the product they produce. I also feel there are lots of opportunities to advance for top performers.
  • Tip! Have a look at other positions on the company website and find a position you can see yourself doing in five years. This will show that the company is a good fit for you.

What is your greatest strength?

Your greatest strength is found in the job description.  

I am serious it is right there in front of you in the posting. 

Every job lists several skills they are looking for in an applicant and you need to choose one of those skills as your greatest strength. 

Common greatest strengths:

  • Attention to detail.
  • Quick learner.
  • Works well under pressure.
  • Excellent communication skills.
  • A team player.
  • Detail-oriented.
  • Focused.

What is your greatest weakness?

The uptowork.com states the purpose of this question is to find out three qualities about you which are: Self-Awareness, Honesty, and Self Improvement. 

Let’s try an example and suppose your greatest weakness is your fear of public speaking.

Self-Awareness: My greatest weakness is my fear of public speaking.

Honesty: In my last work term we were required to do daily standup meetings and discuss what we did yesterday, what we will do today, and any roadblocking issues.  I was able to participate in these meetings, however, I felt uncomfortable at times speaking.

Self-Improvement: I have been working on my greatest weakness and have enrolled in the public speaking group Toastmasters.

Can you tell us about your work experience?

Don’t stress too much about this question.  The reason internships exist is to get you real-world work experience.  

Here is how to answer

  • Don’t be shy to tell them about unrelated work experience.
  • If you have any volunteer experience now is the time to mention it.
  • Reassure the interviewer that your current studies relate to the job you want to intern for.

What was your favorite university or college course?

  • You will want to relate your favorite college course to the internship you are applying to. For example, if this is an Information Technology Internship say you enjoyed your class in programming because you got to design a mobile app.

Behavioral Internship Interview Questions

Describe a conflict you had with another student or professor and how did you handle it?

  • It’s OK to have a conflict at school. It is not OK to say you never had any conflicts ever. What is important when answering this question is how you resolved the conflict and came to a common solution.
  • For example, say you were a team lead on a project and a member was not pulling his or her workload. State how you made a compromise and offered to do part of the work and the team member could do the rest.

Can you give an example of how you have motivated others?

  • Motivation is key in any work environment and an internship is no different.

Have you ever faced a problem you could not solve?

  • Most college students face problems they can’t solve.   Talk about how you solved this problem with teamwork.

Thought-Provoking Intern Interview Questions

When I was a co-op student, I got all sorts of tricky and bizarre internship questions. The point of these interview questions is to see how you think. Here are some sample questions:

Name a favorite quote from an author and why?

A good friend of mine got this question and he went blank. I wish I got it as I would have the perfect answer.

  • “Find a job you like and you will never work a day in your life” – Confucius

Can you describe how you changed a friend’s life for the better?

  • This is a personal question but I was asked it in an intern interview at Shell Oil Company.

You have a pool of water, a 5-gallon tank, and a 3-gallon tank and you want to make exactly 4- gallons. How would you do this?

  1. Fill up the 3-gallon tank and put all the water into the 5-gallon tank.
  2. Fill up the 3-gallon tank again and put 2 gallons in the 5-gallon tank. This will leave you with 1 gallon of water in the 3-gallon tank.
  3. Empty the 5-gallon tank, and then dump 1 gallon of water into the 5-gallon tank.
  4. Fill up the 3-gallon tank and slowly pour it into the 5-gallon tank giving you exactly 4 gallons.

Why is a manhole cover round?

  • Because if you drop the lid down the hole it can’t fall on a maintenance man or woman below. A square cover can fall if dropped diagonally.

You meet the president of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada. They want to build a wall between these two countries. What questions would you ask?

  • You need to be diplomatic and make sure both parties are satisfied. You don’t want to make the president or the prime minister upset.

If you could be one animal what would it be and why?

  • Most animals represent a positive attribute. For example, a dog represents loyalty, or a horse represents hard work.

Questions to ask during an internship interview?

Not having any questions ready will make you look unprepared or uninterested. Here are some sample questions to ask the interviewer.

  • How many top-performing interns land a full-time position at your company?
  • What is a trait or characteristic that your best interns show?
  • What do you like best about working here?

Internship Interview Tips

  • Have a copy of your transcript or grades ready to give to the interviewer.
  • If you know someone who has interned in the past at that particular company see if you can contact him or her and find any tips.
  • Don’t speak too fast as you will sound nervous.
  • Don’t speak too slowly as you will sound boring.
  • Try to get to the interview 10 minutes early.
  • Turn off your phone!

Internship Interview Attire

  • Dress formally or at the very least business casually.

See Also