5 Common Internship Interview Questions (And Answers) 1. Why are you applying for this internship? Hopefully this is a question you’ve asked yourself long before you started the actual internship application process and before you ever agreed to an internship interview. An internship is an amazing opportunity to get hands on experience in your chosen field, network with peers, meet people who might be invaluable mentors and guides and ultimately might lead to a permanent paying position. Of course, if the internship has absolutely zero to do with your ultimate goals in life, then you’re not just wasting your time, you’re potentially taking this opportunity away from someone who really wants/needs it. Make sure you’re choosing internships that align with your long-term goals. I grew up watching the news and being fascinated by journalism and I knew without a doubt that my ultimate dream in life was to someday be the person bringing those stories to the world. I’ve taken journalism and writing classes every chance I’ve gotten and the desire to take this passion and turn it into a career is my ultimate goal in life. I’ve spent the past four years learning the academic side of journalism, and the chance to see first-hand how a newsroom is run and what it takes to make every broadcast come together as an intern with your station is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Your station is known for integrity and truth in reporting and those are values I hold myself to as well. 2. What do you hope to get out of this internship? Yes, we all know that a job is the ultimate goal, but that’s not the answer the interviewer is looking for. Focus on the other aspects of an internship and make sure your answers are honest. Too much BS is just going to come off as ingenuous. Hands-on experience is of course my number one goal here. It’s one thing to study theoretical veterinarian medicine in a controlled classroom. It’s another to actually practice it in real life. I’m hoping for an opportunity to really get to know the entire staff here at Shady Hills Vet Clinic and learn how the team works together and how each person fits into their roles and responsibilities. I’m also hoping to connect with a mentor who can help guide me into making the right decisions for my career. Finally, I’m looking forward to meeting future peers and friends. 3. What are your long-term goals? Again, this is a question you should ask yourself before your interviewer asks you! Interviewers who ask this question want to know that you’re there for the right reasons. An easy way to tackle this question is by breaking it into two parts; short term goals and long-term goals. Start with the short-term first and then work towards the long-term. I’ll be graduating this year with my degree in marketing and graphic design and am hoping to find a full-time job as quickly as possible, ideally with an advertising company such as yours where creativity and innovation are rewarded. I’m hoping that I will be able to roll that first job into a long-term relationship where I can continue to grow and expand my leadership responsibilities. Eventually I’d like to work my way into a creative account management position or marketing group manager position. I’m already working towards those goals by supplementing my degree with extended learning opportunities on my free time and by attending seminars and conferences locally and regionally that focus on these skills. 4. Why should we consider you for this internship? For an unprepared intern candidate, this can be a heartbreakingly hard question to answer because the first thing you’ll be inclined to say is “because I really want this internship!” Unfortunately for a hiring manager, that’s not a good enough answer…which is why you need to prepare for it ahead of time. Make sure your answers are targeted directly to the internship you’re applying to and include concrete examples of your skills and experiences and how they relate to the internship overall! When I saw the internship listing for your company posted at my school’s career counselor’s office, it was almost like you had written it specifically for me. As a business major, I’ve spent the past four years focusing my entire education around sales and marketing and have spent every summer since I graduated from high school putting that education into practice. For the past four years I’ve been building a successful summer lawn mowing business. I started out mowing lawns for my neighbors but through hard work and by building relationships with new and potential clients through marketing and outreach, my lawn mowing business has grown to encompass more than 50 private residences and 10 public properties. While the lawn mowing business has been an amazing opportunity for me, it’s not where I want to end up. I want to take this enthusiasm and work ethic and apply it to an internship with a company like yours. My past experiences mean I’m well prepared to work with others on a team. I’m a hard worker who is constantly looking for ways to learn more about what I love and I can think of no better way to get that experience than with a company like yours. 25 More Internship Interview Questions You Should Prepare For 1. Have you ever interned before? If so, describe your experiences. 2. Why should we consider you for this internship? 3. What qualities will you bring to this internship that other candidates might not? 4. What are your expectations for your work hours? Is your schedule flexible? 5. Do you have any hobbies, and if so, can you describe how you think they could assist you in this internship? 6. Which of your accomplishments are you most proud of, and why? 7. What do you know about our company? 8. What are your expectations for the role we are discussing today? 9. Do your current studies align with the type of work we do? Do you see a future in this industry, and if so, in what role? 10. How do you organize your time and prioritize tasks during a busy day? 11. Are you comfortable answering and having conversations on the telephone? And what is your experience with multi-line phone systems? 12. What do you like/dislike the most about being an intern? 13. What do you plan to do after you graduate? 14. What would you say are the best skills to have in order to be successful as an intern? 15. What are your strengths, and how will you best utilize them for this internship? 16. What are your weaknesses, and what will you do to ensure they don’t affect this internship negatively? 17. Describe a time that you took a leadership role in completing a task. 18. Tell me about a conflict that you’ve had with someone you were working closely with and how you resolved it. 19. Do you prefer to work independently or in a group setting? 20. Can you describe to me any major trends that our industry has been going through over the last 3-5 years? 21. How would your classmates or past work colleagues describe you? 22. What will you bring to the table that will have the biggest impact during your internship? 23. What level of expertise do you have with traditional office software programs (i.e. Microsoft Office/Excel/Powerpoint, Slack, SalesForce, etc.)? 24. How do you handle stress? Has it been a problem for you in the past? 25. Describe a time when you had some adversity in life and what you did to overcome it. 26.
