The Invitation For A Second Interview
Lets start by going back in time and the phone call that started this allthe call for a second interview.
Dont just stutter and stammer through it. Take the time to make even this brief interaction work for you in the best possible way.
As you set up the interview, ask a few questions starting with getting a list of the name and role of the individual .
This is also a great time to really make sure that you know EXACTLY what job you are going in for.
Even if you think you already know, take the time to ask againits far better to ask twice than find out too late that youre wrong.
If youre going in for a position with a large department , get the exact title of the position you are now interviewing for. Not only will it help clear up any confusion on either end, itll give you a laser tight focus to your prep!
But I didnt get a phone callI got an email!
Even better!
Take the time drafting your response and make sure you hit the tasks we outlined above in your reply. Dont feel self-conscious about these stepsyour goal is to be as prepared as possible and a good hiring manager will recognize this.
Update Your Social Media Profile
If you are on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform, make sure you have an updated profile. Employers often check your social media presence to get an idea about your personality and background. Search for your name in Google to see what results turn up. If there is anything unpleasant, prepare yourself for a response if the interviewer asks about it.
Perform Research On The Company And Role
Researching the company youre applying to is an important part of preparing for an interview. Not only will it help provide context for your interview conversations, but it will also help you when preparing thoughtful questions for your interviewers.
Researching the company and role as much as possible will give you an edge over the competition. Not only that, but fully preparing for an interview will help you remain calm so that you can be at your best. Here are a few things you should know before you walk into your interview:
Research the product or service:Even if the role isn’t directly related to the company’s product or service, you’re still looking to be part of the team. It’s important to learn all you can about the product or service the company produces and promotes. You don’t necessarily need to understand each and every detail, especially if it’s a technical product, and you’re interviewing for a non-technical position, but you should have a basic understanding of the main products or services the company offers.
If possible, request a sample of the product to familiarize yourself with the customers perspective. The more you can tell them about the product from both a company and customer standpoint, the better you’ll perform in your interview.
Don’t Miss: Cfo Interview
Intern Interview Question #: Why Have You Applied For This Internship
Your reasons for applying will give your interviewers a sense of whether they can provide you with an internship in which you will thrive and feel motivated to perform well. You may have answered this question in your application. Expand on it. Tell recruiters what you really want to get out of the internship. Think about how it will inform your graduate career choices, what skills you are keen to learn from it and other things that appealed to you when you read the role description.
Your reasons for applying will give your interviewers a sense of whether they can provide you with an internship in which you will thrive and feel motivated to perform well.
Some internship employers â especially the big organisations that hire lots of graduates â offer pretty good pay and perks . Itâs safest to stay away from this topic when talking about your motivations. Thereâs no doubt that you should only apply for things that pay you enough to live on during the internship, but if the pay and perks are the main reason you applied, consider whether you will really enjoy the role and feel driven to do well.
Similar questions: ‘What do you want to achieve on this internship?’ and ‘What are your career goals and how will this internship help you meet them?’
How Would You Describe Yourself
With this question, your interviewer wants to learn how your qualities and characteristics align with the skills they believe are required to succeed in the role. To answer this question, pick one to a few personal characteristics and elaborate on them with examples.
For example, if you are ambitious and driven you can say: I am an ambitious and driven individual. I thrive in a goal-oriented environment where I can constantly challenge myself personally and professionally. I am always looking for an opportunity to do better and grow. These characteristics have helped me achieve success in my career. For example, I was promoted three times in less than two years in my last position.
Read more: Interview Question: How Would You Describe Yourself?
Also Check: Questions To Ask The Cfo In An Interview
Use Google Youtube And Linkedin To Research Any Names You Have
You may find that you have something in common with someone interviewing you. Perhaps you attended the same college or share a former employer. Check them out, too, on search engines and LinkedIn.
Hopefully, you know the names of the people who will be interviewing you. If they arent offered when the interview is scheduled, ask for them. You want both their names and their job titles. Then, head for LinkedIn to see what you can discover about each how long theyve been with the employer, where theyve worked in the past, where they went to school.
If they have written and posted articles on LinkedIn or other websites, read some of those articles. Look for a theme and anything you might have in common with them.
Try to get a sense of the kind of people who work there. Are they all holders of advanced Ivy League degrees, several veterans of the USMC, mostly twenty-somethings, all one gender, all one race, a mixture of ages and races, or anything else that catches your attention?
Get Ready To Follow Up After The Interview
After your interview, you should prepare to follow up with the employer. Doing so reminds the employer of your conversation, shows them you are genuinely interested in the position and gives you the opportunity to bring up points you forgot to mention.
Here are a few steps you can follow when crafting a follow-up note:
-
In the first paragraph, mention the specific job title and thank your interviewer.
-
In the second paragraph, note the companys name as well as a conversation point and/or goal that seemed especially important to the person you spoke with. Connect that point to your experience and interests.
-
In the final paragraph, invite them to ask you any additional questions and close by saying youre looking forward to hearing back.
Read more: Follow-Up Email Examples For After the Interview
Final tip: If you dont know the answer to a certain question, it is perfectly acceptable to pause for a moment and simply state, Let me think about that for a moment. The employer will appreciate you taking the time to give them a thoughtful answer. Be sure to provide specific examples wherever possible. Taking time to prepare for an interview will ultimately help you feel more relaxed and confident during the process.
You May Like: Questions To Ask Cfo During Interview
Tell Me About Something On Your Resume
Everyone has something on their resume that theyâre really proud of. Whether itâs a skill or achievement youâve listed or a specific place you worked, considering answering this question with the most interesting thing on your resume. Plus, donât just say something relevant to your most recent positionâyouâre already going to be asked about that. Instead, think back to one of the older positions listed on your resume and talk about how that job helped you grow into the person you are today.
What To Expect During An Internship Interview
Youve earned an internship interview congratulations! You have achieved an important step towards securing an internship position. You may feel anxious or stressed before your interview, but these feelings often simply come from not knowing what to expect.
In this article, we discuss the best ways you can prepare to succeed in your next internship interview.
Read Also: Design Interview Preparation
Tips For Acing The Interview
- Practice using your webcam equipment before the interview, so you are sure everything is in working order and that youre comfortable interviewing on video.
- Smile and focus as much as possible and try to behave as if youre in a regular, in-person interview.
- Speak slowly and clearly.
- Look into the camera, listen attentively, and engage with your interviewer. Dont just wait for your turn to speak.
- During a self-recorded interview, even though you are not speaking directly to a person, be sure to smile and maintain friendly “eye contact” via the camera.
- Its easy to speed up and come across as nervous and garbled when youre doing a self-paced interview. Take deep breaths. If it seems like youre speaking too slowly, youre probably doing it right.
Follow Up With A Thank You Email
Dont forget to send a thank you email after the interview. Its a nice way to remind people of you and to set yourself apart from the other candidates. You can even create a reminder in your calendar before the interviewthis will keep you from forgetting about this last step once the pressure of the interview is gone.
Follow and sign up for our newsletter to receive our articles every week
Loren Piretra, a 32-year-old global business tech leader at Twitch, decided to begin preparing her body for the egg-freezing process in August 2021…
Being a manager isnt a relaxing job. Good leaders have to deal with serious issues. Thats why its essential…
What if we all just decided to lie down? Right now? What if we took the time to consider what we really wanted, ignoring the dictates of society?
Sometimes its worth taking a bit more time sitting with the discomfort, not yet knowing where to go next.
Don’t ever doubt your potential! Being a specialist is no longer the norm here’s how to convince yourself of this and take charge.
Our thinking changes when we’re in groups. It can even impact how and when we take action. How does this impact harassment in the workplace?
You May Like: How To Prepare System Design Interview
Whats A Significant Challenge Youve Had To Face And How Did You Overcome It
So many people spend their time during internship interviews trying to portray themselves in the best possible light. Thats perfectly normal, but interviewers also want to see that youre self-aware. People who can identify challenges and mistakes show a great attitude and are adaptable enough for the internship experience.
Reread Your Resume Or Application
Reread your resume? Why would you need to do that? After all, you know your own background, right? Well, sort of.
If you tailor your resume to each job , and youve applied to more than one recently, you may not remember which details you included. That could spell trouble.
You can almost guarantee that the hiring manager is going to talk about your resume. If you forgot which accomplishments you mentioned, you might not prepare to discuss them. Then, if the hiring manager asks which they almost certainly will you might give a stumbly answer.
Review your resume! Know what you said! Remember, your resume might be all the hiring manager knows about you, so make sure you can discuss those points with ease.
Read Also: Questions To Ask Cfo In Interview
Intern Interview Question #: Why Have You Applied For An Internship At Our Company
Note the subtle difference to question #2. This one places the focus on the employer. Chances are you have applied for internships at other organisations too â the interviewers suspect this and want to gauge how serious you are about their opportunity and how likely you are to take it up if they offer it to you .
Your reasons need to show that you have looked into the company beyond a quick read of the âabout usâ section on its website and that you and the employer are a good match. What do they specialise in and how does it relate to your career aims or career interests? What are they striving to achieve and how does this relate to your own values? Always back up claims about your own values with evidence. For example, you might want to draw a link between the companyâs aim to improve lives through its healthcare technology and your desire to help improve lives through your work. A credible answer would give an example of how you have pursued this passion/interest already, such as volunteering or charity work.
Think about what the organisation specialises in and how it relates to your career aims or career interests.
Good places to do more employer research before your interview include searching news websites for any stories, looking at press releases on the employer website and having a look at the employerâs social media accounts, such as Twitter and the organisationâs LinkedIn page.
Preparation For A Job Interview: 10 Steps
Whether the interview is in person or via Zoom, knock their socks off by knowing as much as you can about the job, the organization, the competition, the location, and the industry.
Your interview preparation includes researching the organization and, if possible and without stalking them, researching the people, too.
The Internet provides a wealth of information for job seekers. These are 10 places where you can start your research.
If you have time, keep looking. The more you know, the better off you will be. Not only will you be in knock-their-socks-off mode for the interview, your research could help you determine that the employer might not be a good place for you to work.
Throughout this preparation process, keep notes on questions that are raised. At the end of your research, you should have a good idea of what to say when they ask, Do you have any questions for us?
You May Like: Interview Questions For A Cfo
Sharpen Your Internship Interview Skills With These Tips
Elizabeth Hoyt
gettingthey know Im inexperienced so I dont need to prepare.ResearchbeforePracticeCustomizeAttireMaterials Information OrganizationI lost my contact information. Can I get it again?Who am I interviewing with again?The Elevator SpeechArrive EarlyGive Thanksalways send a handwritten thank you note!theFollow-upYouYouyou
Choose A Professional Settings
An interview is meant to be conducted in a place where you can stay focused and concentrate on the activities. Just like in an actual in-person job interview where you and the interviewer will be confined in a quiet office with a table separating you both, you should try as much s you can to mimic the environment. It can be a quiet room or even an office if you have the opportunity to do the interview in an office.
For a phone interview, a quiet place and a fully charged phone is the best setting to go with.
For a video interview like Zoom interview, Skype interview, a quite room without a distracting background is the best settings both you and the interviewer should keep. And also ensure that all the technical gadgets are working appropriately .
You May Like: What To Wear For An Interview Women
Plan Your Journey To The Job Interview
When preparing for a job interview one of the most important things to consider is how you are going to get there. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. If you are planning on driving to the interview, make sure you fill your car with fuel the night before. You dont want to be filling up on the way dressed in your suit.
Make sure you arrive on time, or better yet, at least 15 minutes early. Ensure this by knowing the address and if you can, have a trial run a couple of days before. The morning of the interview, check the traffic reports and have a backup route planned just in case. If you are travelling by train or bus, make sure you check the weather report the night before and keep an eye on the public transport websites for any delays. Look out for track works or traffic conditions that can potentially delay your train or bus trip.
Go to bed early the night before and wake up early to give yourself plenty of time.
What Is Your Teaching Philosophy
This isnt a question solely for those applying to teaching positions. Employers may ask this of anyone who might be leading or teaching others. Your response will allow employers to gauge your personal skills and if you would be a good culture add. A good answer will concisely identify what you think teaching should achieve and include concrete examples to illustrate your ideas.
Example answer:When it comes to managing people, my teaching philosophy is to start by asking questions that hopefully get the person to come to a new conclusion on their own. This way, they feel ownership over the learning rather than feeling micromanaged. For example, in my last role, I was editing an article written by a copywriter I managed. The story didnt have a clear focus or hook.
In a one-on-one meeting, I asked her what she thought was the main point of the article if she had to sum it up in a sentence. From there, I asked if she thought the focus was clear in the article. She didnt think it was clear and instead thought she should rework her introduction and conclusion. As a result, the article improved and my direct report learned a valuable writing lesson that she carried into her future work.
Read more: Interview Question: What is Your Teaching Philosophy?
Don’t Miss: Mailscoop Io
