From Desire to HIRED.
Recently a colleague, known on this blog as Amanda P., and I attended an intern interview day at ASU. Really, a better description would have been an interview marathon. Twenty interviews in six hours – we could barely form complete thoughts by the time we were done! Out of all the interviews and potential interns, two or three stood out and were offered internships.
We understand that job seeking, especially in this economy, is tough. The desire for a job is simply not enough. We’re learning through friends and colleagues that the experience or ability necessary to do the job also is just the beginning of the qualities desired for any position, including interns. So we compiled a list of the traits our two or three stellar interviewees had, so you can use these tips for your own job search.
Honest knowledge of the company.
Many of the students we interviewed did not know much about E.B. Lane beyond the name of our company and that we are a fully integrated agency. The ones that impressed us knew our clients, examples of campaigns we’ve done and some had even attended guest lectures by our management team. Knowing about us showed that the student was invested in searching for a career and eager to work for us. Everyone likes to hear about themselves, so the more a student knew about E.B. Lane, the more interested we became in them.
Our tip: Flatter the company first, and then sell yourself.
Industry knowledge.
Public relations is NOT promotions. We did not attend four years of college to stand on a corner somewhere and hand out pens, necklaces or koozies. Hopefully you are not paying for four years of college to distribute trash and trinkets. Social media IS important, however. We wouldn’t be asking what you know about it if it wasn’t. The interns who impressed understood what public relations is, according to the textbook and in their own lives, and they understood and used social media tools. The students who were offered internships knew the terms, understood the basic concepts, and could apply them.
Our tip: Understand the industry and job you are interviewing for and regularly exercise the skills you will need to succeed in that position.
Relevant writing samples.
There were few things more impressive than when students came prepared with writing samples and a portfolio to review. We especially appreciated those who brought copies of the writing samples for us to keep. In fact, our interest in one interviewee went up dramatically after she left our table and we had a chance to read through her writing samples more closely.
Our tip: Leave behind samples of your best work.
Experience.
We treat our interns much like entry-level employees, so previous internship experience is a huge factor in our decision of who to hire. During the interview, we looked for hints that this person would be able to hit the ground running and would have the skills and confidence necessary to succeed. Chances are, the interviewer will have to defend those they choose to hire or recommend to a boss or coworkers. The interns that showed confidence in their experience and abilities gave us immediate confidence in them. Said another way, the interns we selected removed the fear that recommending them would leave people wondering what we were thinking.
Our tip: Confidently discuss your experience and how it applies to the position you’re seeking.
Dress.
This one should go without saying. The operative word being “should.” Almost all of the potential interns we interviewed were professionally dressed, but there were one or two that we moved down our list of choices because they were dressed too casually or their hemline was a bit too short. First impressions are all you get in an interview, students who dressed the part made it much farther into the selection process.
Our tip: Dress for the job you want to have.
So what do you look for in an intern? Are there any other qualities you look for in a potential intern or new employee? Start the year off right and comment away.
Jessica G posted Wednesday, January 13, 2010 
Reader Comments (2)
Love this post. Great advice. One thing I'd add - call it passion, excitement, personality, whatever. I think you've got to wear this quality in today's market. If there is any reservation or bad energy on display, employers will quickly look in another direction.
Yes! Great post, Jessica! VERY valuable tips for potential interviewees out there! I'll add another one to the list...come prepared with questions! Questions about the position, the company, the clients, the process, the whatever - questions about anything and everything..I marvel at the number of interviews I've been in where the candidate has zero or few questions -- even at the internship level. Good questions mean that the candidate really spent some time thinking about the fit for them too -- not just about knocking off the required credit or filling up resume space.