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Mastering the Internship Interview

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1 Mastering the Internship Interview
| AMHERST SELECT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning Amherst College LOEB CENTER

2 There are four easy steps to enroll in Amherst Select:
Attend a Making Mammoth Plans workshop Attend an Internship Prep Workshop: Foundations of Resume Building The Art of the Cover Letter Mastering the Internship Interview Have resume reviewed and approved for Handshake Complete the Amherst Select Internship Program application

3 Have Questions about Amherst Select?
Victoria Wilson, Associate Director for Internship Programs Marcela Murillo Robinson, Internship Coordinator

4 Types of Interviews

5 Screening Interviews Determining if you match basic qualifications
Assessing communication style, maturity, attitude and interest Your chance to make a positive first impression Show strong interest in position Screening interviews can be via phone or video: Difficult because you can’t use non-verbal cues to adjust as needed Treat these interviews like face-to-face; full professional outfit! Find quiet places where you can focus; eliminate all distractions Test technology ahead of time

6 Selection/Fit Interviews – On Site
Focus is to assess suitability for the position and “fit” (alignment with culture, values, and behaviors) Evaluating a candidates behavior, personality, and character Testing communication style and handling stress Could be one-on-one, a group of people (panel), or multiple people in successive order (round robin) These can range from an hour to all day Ask about the structure and the name(s) of the interviewer(s) Research! Make connections with everyone you meet When doing round robins, keep your answers consistent During panel interviews, engage with and build rapport with everyone; respond to the group

7 Case & Technical Interviews
Common consulting, finance, and marketing Asked to analyze and solve a business case; types of cases and formats will vary Assessed on problem solving skills along with structure and logic of thinking Technical Common in the tech field gauging technical knowledge, how apply that knowledge in real world, and how you think Asked to do coding assignments (preliminary test and/or in-person coding challenge)

8 Preparation

9 To prepare, research, research, and research!
Learn everything you possibly can about the company Get a feel for the skill and qualities they value in an intern *Hint – contact a former intern Come up with a list of questions to ask at the end of your interview

10 Gather necessary materials & information in advance
Plan attire ahead Have copies of resume & work samples on hand Think through logistics Err on the side of being conservative unless the employer explicitly tells you otherwise Bring the most recent copy of your resume and samples of work, especially in journalism, graphic design, architecture, etc. Test computer connections, phone reception, locate the office ahead of time, nail down transportation and parking

11 Selecting Your Outfit – Business Formal
Suit jacket & pants/skirt – Solid colors (black, navy, or dark grey) Skirt just below or above the knee Shirt/blouse – White or color coordinated with suit Tie Leather belt Neutral-colored pantyhose Portfolio, briefcase, or bag

12 Selecting Your Outfit – Business (Sort of) Casual
Khakis/slacks Button-down shirts/blouses, twinsets, or sweaters Avoid wearing polo shirts Skirts/dresses below or at knee Blazer Optional tie Closed-toed, professional shoes (not sneakers)

13 Additional Outfit Tips
HAIR & NAILS Pick a hairstyle that is neat and won’t tempt you to play with it during an interview; trim your nails and clean; go for clear or neutral polish SCENTS & MAKEUP Less is more JEWELRY No large, clunky jewelry that’s shiny or jingles when you move PIERCINGS & TATTOOS Keep piercings to minimum (one earring per ear); cover tattoos if possible CLOTHING COLOR Pick conservative colors (i.e. blue, black, grey, and cream); no bold prints or colors Different industries and different companies have different expectations in terms of dress and appearance DO YOUR RESEARCH on the company culture, but, when in doubt, dress up and not down If you don’t feel comfortable with the company’s expectations…maybe it’s not a good fit for you

14 Remember, how you say it is just as important as what you say!
Body language accounts for over 90% of your overall communication effectiveness Make sure to have a firm handshake and strive to keep your voice calm and confident; no robotic, monotone voices Maintain eye contact and remember to smile No slouching, fidgeting or excessive hand movements Actually listen to your interviewer and let their body language be your guide! It’s okay to pause to gather your thoughts and to ask for clarification

15 The interview doesn’t end when you exit the door
Send a thank you note to everyone you interviewed – within 24 hours If you don’t hear from the employer within the state timeframe, contact them to ask for update on candidacy If you receive an offer, don’t accept immediately Take into consideration how you felt about the people, organization and position during the interview before making a decision Do not. Renege. On an. Internship! ESPECIALLY AMHERST SELECT

16 Great! But, what about IT? You know, the questions part.

17 Before coming up with answers, think about what are employers looking for in an intern
Competency % of Respondents Information processing 98.7% Teamwork 94.9% Planning/prioritizing 89.7% Decision-making/problem-solving Verbal communication 88.5% Data analysis 76.9% Computer skills 61.5% Job-specific technical skills/knowledge 51.3% Written communication 30.8% Selling/influencing 28.2%

18 Traditional Interview Questions
Close-ended questions (Y or N); hypothetical questions; personality questions Your opportunity to demonstrate skills, interest and character Examples: Tell me about yourself. What is your greatest weakness? What is your greatest accomplishment? Why do you think you’d like this particular internship? What would you do if you had a disagreement with a co-worker?

19 Use the “Elevator Pitch” to answer “Tell me about yourself.”
What is it? 30-60 second, pre-planned speech that tells what you do and why someone should hire you Targeted and customizable Other things to know Not a summary of resume Practiced, but don’t memorize word-for-word Make sure you have a “hook”

20 How do you craft one? Answer these three questions:
Major School Class year Interests/ motivation Who are you? Skills Accomplishments Strengths What do you do/have done well? Goals Aspirations What do you want?

21 Elevator Pitch Example
Who are you? I am an English major at Amherst College who is finishing up her first semester as a junior. For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about challenging people to think differently through the power of writing. What do you do/have done well? I was promoted to editor-in-chief position of the Amherst Student during the fall semester. Additionally, I’ve had freelance articles published at several online publications and completed an internship during the school year with The Common, a literary magazine based in Amherst.

22 Elevator Pitch Example
What do you want? I think that I bring drive, dedication to getting the facts right, and a fanatic’s eye towards details to any story that I’m working on. My hope is to be able to apply these skills to an internship at The Washington Post this summer and, hopefully, to a future staff writer position once I graduate.

23 Behavioral Interview Questions
Based on the premise that the best predictor of future performance is past performance Employer knows what skills they are looking for and ask pointed questions to get you to demonstrate you have those skills through a story Prepare by having a list of go-to experiences you can use & practice describing Examples: Give me an example of a situation in which you succeeded/failed. Tell me about a recent challenge or mistake and how you handled it. Describe a leadership role you’ve held and why you committed time to it. Tell me how you work as part of a team.

24 Use S.T.A.R to frame your answers
SITUATION: Describe the background and context TASK: Explain your task and responsibilities, or the challenges you had to overcome ACTION: What action(s) did you take to handle the task or address the obstacles RESULT: What was the outcome? What did you learn or accomplish? What impact did you have on the situation? S T A R

25 S.T.A.R. Example: “Give me an example of a situation in which you succeeded.”
I was hired as a summer intern by Safety Insurance’s Fraud Investigations and Prevention team. Situation Our objective was to identify fraud patterns and develop detection mechanisms. Task

26 S.T.A.R. Example: “Give me an example of a situation in which you succeeded.”
I researched more than 500 volumes of client and health care provider records, analyzing and manipulating large amounts of data to reveal fraud patterns. Finally, I compiled information summarizing the time and resources devoted to this project and prepared a PowerPoint presentation for the General Counsel to submit to senior management. Action Senior management used this presentation as the basis for the development of company-wide policies that maximized company savings and recoveries. Result

27 TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE

28 amherst.edu/campuslife/careers AmherstCollegeLoebCenter @amherstloeb
QUESTIONS? amherst.edu/campuslife/careers AmherstCollegeLoebCenter @amherstloeb


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