10 Perfect Questions to impress your interviewer – Part II

Question 5: "What resources should students use during the internship?

They have already asked for the key qualities of successful interns who will tell you which trainees have been most interested in their internships. What about what you can get besides the experience from the company? Trainees can leave with useful and important network, a job opportunity, a lifetime mentor, and even more. With these, you will know some areas to focus on during the duration of the program.


Question 6: "What are the interns doing in the picture of the company blog?"

It does not have to be that question; you could show any question that you have done your research on this company. Often companies with established internal programs have images of various events that they have hosted. Find out what the internal programs are and see what you have the ability to participate in. Doing research on the company works in both ways, you can impress the interviewer by asking or answering questions.


Question 7: "How many interns get full-time jobs? Is there a chance for growth?"

Is that the career you've always wanted? This is extremely important to ask, unless you just want a temporary internship. This question is not only your interest and serious about working for the company, but you will also find out if there is a way of landing a full-time job if you do well. Know if there is an opportunity for growth as this will allow you to plan for the long term.


Question 8: How did you start your career at this company?

We would love to see how people get their start at companies, there is a good insight into growth and opportunity. The person you interviewed might have started as an intern. So if you want, then ask them what they have done in the company as a junior position or if they happened to be an ex-intern in the company then ask them for their experiences and advices. People generally, including interviewers, are always very willing to share their stories and life experiences.


Question 9: How would you describe corporate culture?

While this question is often asked in interviews for full-time jobs, I've learned over the course of many internships and jobs that being comfortable at where you work at is a necessity and is a key driver to your success in your career. It's a pretty good question to ask. All work and no game is not good for anyone's mental health. We all need a balance between work and our personal lives, so understanding a company's culture and work-life balance is essential. I like to find out to see if I will fit where I interviewed at, and if I will be able to maintain a certain degree of balance. At the end of the day, a job or an internship is more than just the money and the experience. You must be happy where you work. Remember that when you ask this question you have to consider the position of the person. Corporate cultures in a Fortune 500 will be very different than one in a small office or startup. Also, the position of the person you ask will determine their belief in corporate culture. A CEO will likely have a formal outlook as an office assistant.


Question 10: What are the next steps of the hiring process? When will you probably get to know the outcome or result of the application?

Want to know more about the process of how they are doing their recruitment? Then you should ask them directly! These are often questions that interviewers are asked, but it is quite informative. The answer will tell you if it is a two week or three-month long process, if you will have three interviews or six interviews, or submitting any paperwork. Questions for clarification is essential so you do not miss any steps of the interview process. And if you do not have the contact information of the interviewer because you were in contact with just the hiring manager, make sure you ask for a business card so you can follow up.

A good rule of thumb is to ask questions that keep the conversation flowing. While you do not have to wait until the end of the interview, you also do not want to interrupt the interviewer. Keep a natural dialogue and find out what is important to you feel. You do not have to ask all these questions, and can divide them, so it is not all in an interview; Save some questions for your next. It is also important to note that you should not leave without asking because it seems to the interviewer that you are not paying attention or that you are not interested. And there you go! You have made a great impression during your interview!

10 Perfect Questions to impress your interviewer – Part I

In our previous posts, we have shared with you the potential questions that you might need to prepare just in case your interviewer happened to ask you those questions. Today, we will be sharing with you some of the possible questions that a student can ask to impress the interviewer during the interview or know more about the company. Not sure what these questions are? Don’t worry, we have your guide to the top 10 interview questions that you can ask.

Question 1: “Is there a formal training program for interns? What can I expect in my first day or week on the job?”

Identified what previous interns have done and how the company conduct training to the intern and helping you learn new things. During internship, it is an awesome training period to learn new skills, or if there is a person who will mentor you. It feels bad to go in to the office on the first day awkwardly as you have no idea what you are supposed to do. Most internship programme will follow a similar schedule. Generally, most companies will first do an introduction to those who work in your office, an orientation to the position, and what the internship will look like. This will give you an idea of how the internship programme will be like.

Question 2: “What kind of projects will I work on as an intern?”

This question ensures that the work you will be doing is relevant to the career or industry of the internship you are applying for. A good internship is when you will have real tasks and projects to work on.

Question 3: “What are the biggest challenges of this position?”

Although asking about key qualities and possible training provided, might give you an insight into what you need to do, you should ask the interviewers on some of the challenges that they have faced during their toughest times. This allows you to have an idea of what need to work on before taking up the position. Generations gaps in the office is often a challenge and something that all can become more comfortable with. And if it happens to be that interns feel time crunched, maybe you can be the one that changes that by managing your time and priorities better. Either way any position will have it’s challenges, all that matters is how determined you are to work through them.

Question 4: “What are some key qualities you see in the most successful interns?”

This question shows the interviewer your desire to do well in this role. Asking this question allows you to understand the aptitude level of the other interns, and know what are the additional skills that you need to work on. Moreover, it will pique the interest of the interviewer because they’ll know you want to succeed at their company.

The Best Interview Questions to ask an Intern – part two

Remember our previous post on how we can test the availability of skills and abilities of an intern on Monday? Today we will look into 2 other categories: how to see whether a candidate is really interested in your company and testing the fitness of the candidate’s profile to the job description of the role.

Candidate Interest in the Company

Why do you want to intern in our company?

Sometimes students only need an internship, and they take it as long as they can get it. But the best candidates - those who are likely to work hard and be enthusiastic to learn more about your industry and function - will be applying because they respect your company's mission or have a link with the work that is done. Look for people who are really passionate to join your team.

Tell me what do you know about our company.

An internal candidate who has done his or her research is a good job interviewee. Ask a few questions that will reveal knowledge about their understanding of your business. For example, is there a program that interests them most, or does it have a thought of your recent press release? Furthermore, allow candidates to leave questions about the company and the role of their ability to be open to think critically about what they have learned.

Fitness of Candidate Profile to Role

What Are Your Expectations?

You should ask a candidate on what are their expectations of the internship as it is a great way to determine if they will understand your business and the work they are going to do. Ensuring that both you and the candidate are clear about the work, the required hours and the payment (if any) is the first step to ensure a successful setup for both of you.

What Do You Know About the Industry?

An intern will eventually become a member of your team and will likely interact with other colleagues, clients, and customers at a given time. So, you want to ensure that anyone you bring is familiar with basic industry and technical jargon, programs as well as procedures, or at least, will be thrilled and have the passion to learn about them. A candidate who has conducted information discussions, regularly reads industry blogs, or has a great interest in this field, will always be better than one who is just trying to get experience anywhere.

What Are Your Goals After Graduation?

Learning about long-term goals of the candidates provide you an insight into the type of people they are (and will want to become). You do not have to be perfectly matched to the role and industry, but the internship will be a better experience for both the employer and the intern. Or at least it will be somewhat related. Especially if you wish that your trainee will eventually turn into a full-time permanent employee. For example, a candidate who aspires to work for a large investment banking company after graduation may not be a great pass in your mission-driven Non-Profit environment.

As you address these broad questions, try to prepare the answers and ask the candidates to use concrete examples whenever possible. Do not let the fact that the candidates have little or no professional experience to throw you only to the needs of your organization, the practical skills each candidate brings, and how he or she fits into the team, and you're bound to be successful.

The Best Interview Questions to ask an Intern – part one

An awesome intern can be a great victory for their working lives. You have another set of hands coming in to help with incomplete projects or deal with the much needed research that just seems to sit there waiting for you to have time for it. You'll have a few extra hours in the day to reach the greatest things you've been wanting. You'll have the opportunity to serve as a mentor and coach and develop their own leadership and management skills.

It is hard to differentiate the quality of the interns especially when they don’t have much work experience or professional skills. What interview questions should you ask if you don’t have a past intern position to use as a gauge? Here are a few questions for different categories that you can ask your interviewee for the intern position. We will look at one category today, on testing the availability of skills and abilities. We will look into other categories is my subsequent post.

Availability of Skills and Abilities

Tell me about the coursework that you have done in school and in what ways is it relevant to this role?

Most classes in college have some professional benefits. There are some obvious way and clear connection in looking for a candidate that has worked in projects or taken classes related to your industry. For example, if you are looking for a public relation intern, then having someone who is doing a degree in marketing and public relations is a better candidate. However, other classes also have indirect benefits. For example, writing papers takes research, organization, time management, and editing skills, and foreign language classes that require students to communicate effectively in a diverse environment. Through identifying such candidates with such qualities, you will get a good sense of where their strengths lie.

Tell me about at time where you volunteer at a community service event.

Experiences such as volunteering in the community, and planning events on campus, or participating in clubs or Greek life can be of incredible value to the development of professional skills. I hired an intern who does not have any work experience but a resume of impressive volunteer work. It's an annual plans 5K for Cancer Research at the campus for three years, and worked in reading a local elementary school for children, and was Secretary of the sorority her fund, showing that she had the highest budget management organization skills. You can ask candidates to describe what they have learned and gained from these experiments can be a great way to determine what it will bring to a professional setting.

What are the skills that you want to get out of this experience and how can your skills contribute to us?

Candidates can have great competences that are not reflected in their coursework or on campus, or they can know that they need experience in a particular area and that their internship provides them with exactly that. Either way, for people who have really thought about what they bring and take out of the opportunity.

3 Essential Internship Interview Questions and Answers

Internship has become increasingly important and it is a key to landing you a job after graduation. Are you afraid of the interview process? Do you have any experience to pass through it? Let’s look at the following 3 interview questions and answers right now!

1. Tell me about yourself?

The main purpose of this question is for the interviewer to know you. And your goal is to make the interviewer remembers you. Keep the answer short at about 60 seconds or less. You could start by introducing which college you are from and immediately stating what you are currently doing, be it student or work professional. Subsequently, discuss your areas of expertise and interest with the interviewer and share some of the past experiences to support these interests. Conclude the whole question by stating the reasons why you are keen in applying for an internship with this company.

2.  What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Prepare to discuss at least three of your strengths and weaknesses with the interviewer. What the interviewer wants to see is your competencies and whether you understand your weaknesses and how would you want to improve it. Firstly, prevent saying cliché answers like “I’m a perfectionist” or “I’m a workaholic” which appears to be insincere and ineffective. Secondly, always back up your weaknesses with a statement to describe how you would want to do better in the future and what you have done in the past to improve it. For example, if your weakness is about afraid of public speaking and you have faced some challenges in the past, you can say that “To improve this, I have taken up several leadership positions in college which allows me to step out of my comfort zone to give small speeches and make short announcements to a large crowd in public”. Lack of industry experience in a given field can also be a weakness to talk about. However, you can back it up by stating certain skills or experiences that are high transferable to the industry.

3. How do you plan for your future career?
This is something similar to an interesting question: "what position do you want to achieve five years from now?" Almost all junior professionals will fall into this trap, and replied: "management" because they think that this answer shows their enthusiasm and how ambitious they are. However, this is an old-fashioned answer and might potentially lead to a series of questions that cannot be easily answered by candidates who have recently graduated from college. What is the definition of the management? What do you think is a basic responsibility of a manager? Which industry do you want to be a manager in? In fact, the safest answer should first be to state the professional areas that you would like to develop in and show your positive attitude at work. You should probably give similar response as such: "My career plan is to have the courage to move ahead, being able to do things that allow me to put my expertise into practice in the industry. Therefore, I hope that in the coming years, I will become a knowledgeable professional who can clearly understand the business, industry, and I believed that the biggest challenge lies opportunity. By that time, I would probably have a clearer idea of my future development goals".