It’s that time of year again. With snow still piled on the ground Boston students longingly hope for sunny days, longer nights and salty beach hair. The warmer months ahead hold a lot of promise for a final end to this brutal winter, but for many students, the spring is anything but promise. It’s a period of waiting, reviewing resumes, sending cover letters and waiting some more. It’s a time to check your e-mails 5 times a day, praying that an interview request didn’t end up in your junk mail.
Summer internship season is upon us.
For juniors and seniors in the midst of the application process, the spring months can be brutal until an internship is locked down. Interviews require hours of traveling, phone calls and dealing with sketchy Skype service. But with the proper preparation, you can take charge of the mania that is interviewing and feel confident about your job search.
So you’ve spent weeks in the career center, re-editing and re-editing your resume, grammar-checking your cover letter, maybe tacking on another extracurricular or two. Now that most application deadlines have passed, you can finally breathe for a moment. Maybe you’ve gotten interviews with everyone you applied for or maybe you’re still in that terrible limbo-waiting period. Regardless of where you are in the application process, you can never be too prepared for a potential interview. With these tips in mind, you’ll have the confidence to walk into an interview knowing that you are fully prepared and ready to show them your stuff.
Do your research. You should have already done some preliminary research on a company you applied to but now it’s time to go further. Look into their case studies, client campaigns, social media management and business strategies. Be prepared to discuss at least one of these facets in the interview and have questions regarding how your potential position could aid in the process.
Always arrive early. 15 minutes is usually a good window. You don’t want to awkwardly be sitting around for half an hour but make sure you give yourself more than enough time for misdirection, parking, etc. If you have a phone interview, take 10 minutes before they call to get situated and go over your notes.
Ask questions. Your interviewer will most likely give you a company low-down in the beginning of your conversation. But they’re always impressed when you end the conversation by interviewing them. Some common questions you can ask are:
What’s the company culture like?
What do you like best about your job?
What kind of professional development opportunities does this company offer?
Use appropriate body language. If you have an in-person interview, this means MAKE EYE CONTACT. Nothing too creepy of course, but make sure the interviewer knows you’re engaged in the conversation by looking them in the eye and avoiding shifty body movements. Get comfortable in your seat, sit up straight and practice a strong handshake. If your interview is over the phone, your body posture will correlate through your tone of voice so make sure you’re comfortable. You might be tempted to do a phone interview in your pajamas but dressing up for the occasion can also affect your tone of voice. Speaking of attire….
Dress for the job. It’s always a good idea to overdress just a tad bit for your interview. Even if everyone is dressed in jeans and khakis, wear a dress or nice slacks. You don’t want to overdress and be like Gob in his $3,000 suit, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Smile! You should always show enthusiasm for a job, whether it’s your dream or your back-up. A smile goes a long way in person and on the phone. Even if you’re trembling with nerves, just fake it till you make it! If you don’t feel it on the inside, exuding positivity on the outside is shown to have a psychological impact. Walk in with confidence and show your interviewer you’re ready to take on any challenge.
Soon it will be warm and all your hard work will pay off! If you don’t get your dream job, there’s always a learning experience to take out of any job you’re offered.