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Have an internship interview coming up ? Do you want to make sure you are prepared ? Check out these REAL questions that come from REAL internship coordinators on www.quarterlife.com/intern. Print this out and use as a practice ! Good luck !

Note: I will update this list frequently.

Common Interview Questions for Internships

(Internship Coordinator at Nu Image Films)

What is your long term goal in the industry?

(Internship Coordinator at Nu Image Films)

What are some of your favorite movies and why ?

(Internship Coordinator, Polsky Films)

Give me a logline for your favorite film – as if you are selling it to me ?

(Internship Coordinator, Polsky Films)

What is your biggest weakness and why ?

(Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen)

What is your strongest attribute that you really bring to the table ?

(Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen)

What kind of tasks would you like to be involved with ?

(Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen)

If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be ?

(Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen)

Can you recall a situation where you were a leader ?

(Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen)

If you commit to this internship, what does that mean to you ?

(Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen)

What is it that you want to do within the industry ?

(Internship Coordinator, Intrepid Pictures)

Are you bothered by profanity in movies ?

(Internship Coordinator, Jinks/Cohen Productions)

What do you know about the company ?

(Internship Coordinator, Imax Corporation)

What interests you about working in this industry ?

(Internship Coordinator, Imax Corporation)

 Helpful Links

AdHoles Weblog: http://adholes.com/postings/d2d66d27f4e95147cfb3297cfe77e96d

I wanted to take a moment to let interns know what they should expect during the first few days/weeks of their internships. A misconception that many students have is that they will be VERY BUSY at all times. Here are some tips that I put together:

• EXPECT lots of downtown. Just as you are getting used to the new job, new tasks, new hours – the company and your boss is getting used to you. They might not be used to having an extra hand around the office so everyone needs time to adjust.
• Don’t get frustrated after the first few hours on the job or internship because you aren’t given anything to do. Just wait patiently and give yourself and those around you the opportunity to get situated.Be prepared to outside your comfort zone in plenty of professional and social situations. High school isn’t over quite yet ! Be prepared to find new friends to lunch with and to explore the different social circles in the workplace.
• Be patient while the LEARNING CURVE takes its course. Even though the people around you are used to the day-to-day in your new office doesn’t mean everything will click right away. It takes time to learn each companies individual systems in and around the office. Everyone keeps track of things like emails, phone sheets, and databases in different ways. Give yourself a break if you don’t get it right away.

• Extra  It’s a NEW job. You don’t have to love it the first day and most likely you won’t. Don’t be so hard on yourself and make sure to give yourself credit and take the proper time to adjust.  

What To Do and What NOT To Do During Your Internship

During the first week of an internship, you should arrive on time. An email should be sent to your hiring manager asking about parking, food, dress, etc one week prior to your first day at the job.

If you are sitting at your desk with nothing to do you should approach your employer and ask if there is anything you can do to help. If they don’t need help ask if there is anyone else in the office you can help.

Whenever you meet someone in passing, you should introduce yourself. If you are in the breakroom with others don’t be afraid to extend your hand and meet everyone around you. When you go back to your desk write down their name. If you aren’t sure of their last name try to look on your company directory and figure it out. Once you know the person’s first and last name, try to get their email address. Keep this information stored so that at the end of your internship or job you have all of your contacts properly stored .

Whenever your boss calls you into their office, go in with a pen and paper. NEVER go in their office without a pen and paper. This shows that you take your job seriously and that you begin each task with a sense of urgency and importance.

·         Don’t sit on Myspace, Facebook, or LinkedIN while on the job. Make it a point to keep your personal social activities separate from work.

·         Don’t give close friends your work email account. Have them email your personal account. This will help you to separate your work from your play.

My good friend and Twitter Pal, Patrick, at STA Travel, let me know about the amazing contest they are running for 2 LUCKY interns to win ! If you need more information let me know and good luck – this would be an amazing opportunity for all of you. Here is what Patrick said:

We are offering quite possibly the best internship to come across your desk. Free travel to 15 countries in 3 months for 2 interns. All of the details are at www.statravel.com/wti. All people have to do to apply is submit a video about why they are the best choice.

I’m so excited for one of my students, Jenna, who has a big interview with a fashion magazine that I set her up with in NYC ! She wrote me today to ask how she can best prepare for the interview. Here are a few internship interview pointers I put together:

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Take an evening and plan to study up on the company you are interviewing with. First, find the company website – most WILL have websites. Study the “About us” tab on the company website. You want to be familiar with when the company was founded and who the founders/leaders of the company are.

2. KNOW THE MISSION. Become familiar with the company mission statement. This information can be found on the company website. You want to slightly reference the mission statement of the company in your interview. If they ask why you think you should work with the company you can say, “Well, I am familiar with the company’s mission to ________ and I’m interested in ______which goes hand in hand with the company goals. (or something like that).

3. GOOGLE ‘EM. Play around on  Google.com and search “News Results” and the company name. You want to be familiar with any recent news that the company has been involved with. You also want to be familiar with their clients and any recent projects they are working on. If any names/topics are “off limits” you will most likely find out from a news article on the subject.

4. PICK OUT YOUR CLOTHES. As if it is the first day of school, your clothing for the interview should be prepared beforehand. You want to dress the part. If the company is extremely formal than you should dress like you already work there. You never want to go TOO casual. If you aren’t sure what to wear – always go with a simple suit – for both guys and girls.

5. SPEAK SLOWLY. Don’t talk the interviewers ears off. Speak slowly and clearly and don’t let your nervous energy speed up your pace.

6. SHOW YOUR PASSION. You want to go into this WANTING this job more than anything. Your passion and excitement needs to shine through. If they ask you if you’ll have trouble handling a task, the answer is “NO, I understand that I need to start somewhere and that I can learn something from any situation. This is what I want to do and I can’t see myself doing anything else.” An employer WANTS someone with a positive attitude and not someone that is going to roll their eyes with every task. This is an internship – you are going to have to do things that aren’t that glamorous. You are starting from the bottom