Internship Interview Questions to Ask

Internship Interview Questions to AskInternship Interview Questions to AskInternship Interview Questions to Ask DeZubeA good interview can be a lot like a good conversation. Thats especially true when youre hiring an in eigener sache. Why? Since youre not making a permanent hire, you can afford to be more relaxed.Most college students dont have on-the-job experiences to discuss. But when interviewing interns, you can always chat about the three things that are common to all studentsWhere they are nowWhere they hope to beHow the internship can help get them thereMore importantly, your interview should help you determine if the intern has the skills, knowledge and temperament required to succeed in your business.These interview questions can be helpful when hiring internsWhy did you choose to go to XYZ College? Tells you What type of environment the intern youre interviewing is comfortable in or learns well in, says Lisa Gavigan, director of career services at Wheaton College in Norton , Massachusetts. Someone whos at a smaller school prefers a relationship-based learning environment, she says.What do you want to do with your degree?Tells you How to structure the internship and whether the applicant is a cultural fit for your business. We like entrepreneurial-minded interns, says Everett OKeefe, CEO of The Solution Machine, a Fresno, California, marketing consulting firm. If the interns goal is to succeed in the corporate world and youre a smaller business, he or she would likely be better off at a larger company.Is this part of an official college program?Tells you If the candidate will have accountability. If a student isnt working for college credit, hes a volunteer, not an intern. He may not be as responsible as an intern who knows hes going to be evaluated at the end of the semester.What would make this internship successful for you? What are you looking to have learned by the time youve completed the internship?Tells you What the intern wants to get out of t he internship and whether youre recruiting the right intern. If a student tells you his ideal outcome is a permanent job, but you dont offer an internship leading to a hire, he needs to know the situation.Dont fret if the students answer is all about what he wants. Expect to hear answers that are a bit more self-serving than with a prospective employee, Gavigan says.What single quality attracted you to this organization (or position)? Tells you Whether youre interviewing a student whos done his homework or one whos applying in a shot-gun manner. If its a single quality, you can see what the students priority is, Gavigan says.What skills do you have that will help you in this internship and where did you get them?Tells you If the student can make the connection between learning and doing, then hes likely capable of seeing how his small project fits within the business. Its an indication hes the right intern to hire.Have you ever been part of a team where someone didnt pull his weight ? How did you deal with that?Tells you How he works with peers. The best answer is the one that shows the intern can manage the situation himself and isnt a tattletale I talked to the person and when they still didnt do the work, I picked up the slack and didnt partner with him again.Tell me about a time or situation when youve had to teach a concept to a peer or another person.Tells you If youd be hiring an intern with customer service skills. The best answers include patience, reading a peers level of understanding without judgment and addressing the learners needs at that moment.Are you happier with structure or with a more fluid environment? Do you enjoy doing a lot of different things or one thing really well?Tells you Whether the intern will be happy working in a small business environment where employees need to be flexible multi-taskers.When recruiting interns, look for entrepreneurship majors. Theyll be happier to join you because they want to see how a small business is ru n, says Debbie Young, director of internships and applied experiences at the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno.How well do you handle disorganization and does it bother you?Tells you Whether the intern can bounce from one project to the next without getting frustrated. The entrepreneurial mind has to have a certain level of ADD to see opportunities and jump on them, OKeefe says. You have to be able to set things aside and work on the immediate need.When the interns you hire have to use technology or software, ask them to rate their ability to use it on a scale of 1 to 10.Tells you If they have the skills you need. If someone rates themselves a 9 or 10, Ill follow up with a couple of questions to double-check them on that, OKeefe says.When you offer the job, you can ask the recruited intern to think about what he can contribute. Ask them to think of three projects they can accomplish a small one, a personal one and something that will benefit the organiz ation after theyve left, Gavigan says.And ask one final question when the internship is nearing its end Do you know anyone from your school whod want to do this internship next semester?