Using intern interview experiences from some of Arizona’s top companies on Glassdoor, we’ve compiled a helpful list of common internship interview questions you may encounter.
What Makes Internship Interviews Different Than Other Job Position Interviews?
Perhaps the most obvious thing that sets an internship apart from a permanent job is the employer’s expectations and your experience. As a result, internship interview questions will focus more on what you hope to achieve and your college experiences. Recruiters can assume that your professional development up until now has occurred in other internships or classroom settings. Of course, student organizations and outside projects will also give an extra edge.
With that in mind, here are a few examples as you dive into your next interview!
19 Internship Interview Questions to Help Slay Your Next Interview!
General Interview Questions
- What are you hoping to get out of this internship?
- What is something you’ve done that you’re most proud of?
- Name a time when you’ve been forced to multitask.
- What kind of things do you look for in a career?
- What do you know about *COMPANY*?
- Why do you want to work for *COMPANY*?
- What is your least favorite class?
- Why do you like your major?
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
- Describe a time when you showed leadership.
Technical Interview Questions
- What is your favorite programming language?
- Describe a business solution you came up with using a SQL database?
- How would you replace typing on a keyboard to interact with a mobile app?
- Decode a password based on some hints.
Situational Interview Questions
- Tell me about a time when you had an ethical dilemma.
- Specify a situation where you led a group project, how you dealt with issues, and how you resolved them.
- Tell me about a time you had to think creatively to solve a problem.
- Identify your most difficult experience in the past 6 months and how it helped you in the business world.
- What is an example of something you have learned or gained experience with in college that best prepares you for success in this position?
Tips to Help You Succeed
While company culture and expectations vary across companies and industries, you can still equip yourself with a few general tips.
- Study the company’s values. Their values give insight into what the company is all about. Knowing these means you can more easily connect with an interviewer when asked about your own values.
- Have things to share from the resume. If you’ve made it to an interview, it’s probably because someone has already reviewed your resume. Think of other things off the paper that also make you unique and add to your strengths. Maybe this is a lifelong hobby or a side project you’re proud of.
- Come up with situations for specific scenarios. Being put on the spot, it’s difficult to come up with your best answers to situational questions. Therefore, it’s helpful to think up a few great examples from your past that best illustrate the question.
First things first—congratulations on landing a second interview!
This means the company is seriously considering you and will be evaluating you to a higher standard. Since you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably conquered the basic interview questions from your initial interview. The types of questions you’ll encounter may encompass specifics about the job, the company, and your ability to perform in the job.
To prepare for the next stage of interviews, keep reading to learn about common second-round interview questions.
Second Round Interview Questions You Can Expect
Who are our competitors and what makes us different from them?
Again, they may test you on the specifics of the company, field, and industry overall. You definitely want to conduct research about the particular company and its competitors before entering your second interview. That way, you can clearly highlight the benefits and advantages that make this particular company the leader in its field. You can use websites like Crunchbase and Glassdoor to easily compare and contrast centralized information from national resources. It would also benefit you to browse the company’s website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, Instagram, and LinkedIn page.
This Best Employers page is also an excellent resource for research if you landed an interview at one of the top employers in Arizona.
What can you do for this company if we hire you?
Your technical skills are already clear from your resume. You may have also articulated any other unique skills or talents you have in your first interview. When answering this question, focus on the work you’d be completing in the position, and how your character, personality, and skill set combine to serve the company exceptionally well. Aside from studying second round interview questions, you should also come prepared with questions about the company. From a hiring perspective, your interviewer(s) will pretty much equate your preparation and curiosity with “brownie points.”
What challenges are you looking for in a position?
Your interviewers will evaluate your drive, dedication, work ethic, and discipline in your second interview.
You may have discussed a time when you faced a challenge and learned from it in your first interview. But here, interviewers want to know that you’re motivated and willing to face challenges head-on. Answers will obviously differ depending on the position, but generally, you should highlight the difficulties that come with working in your particular field. Also, how do you work to conquer these challenges in your everyday efforts? This demonstrates that you are enthusiastic and willing to accept any curveballs your job may throw at you.
What are your salary and benefit requirements?
While they may wait to ask this until they make an official offer, it never hurts to come prepared. Take the time to research salaries not only for this specific company, but also for companies that offer higher salaries for the same position, to potentially give you some leverage during your interview and negotiation. You should be equipped with figures and ideas about how you want to answer this question in case it comes up during your second interview. This is one of the most popular second interview questions—so do your research on industry averages, your ideal salary numbers, and so forth.
Don’t forget specifics of what you’d like to see in your benefits package – including vacation time, the option to work flexible hours or work remotely, or other options the company may list out in their benefits section of their careers site. For further reading, browse some of the best company benefits.
If you could bring one item to a deserted island, what would it be? (You might hear similar random, creative, off-the-wall types of questions.)
Your interviewer is looking to assess how well you think outside the box. Employers and interviewers enjoy asking tricky questions to see how well you think on your feet and if you can answer in a clever, creative way. Plus, these questions test your problem-solving skills and reveal a bit of your personality.
Good luck with your second job interview
The fact that you even landed it means you are a potential asset to the company, and they just want you to knock their socks off one final time. Keep these second-round interview questions handy and prepare your answers carefully to ensure you ace your secondary interview and hopefully, land the job. While you’re waiting to hear back after your interview, be sure to follow up appropriately to show your interest in the job!
What is the STAR Method for Answering Interview Questions?
The STAR method is a way for you to articulate your accomplishments and skills so an interviewer can clearly understand what you do, how you do it, and the value of your work. The STAR method makes for impressive interview answers because it helps you hone in on specific examples to illustrate your skills. This way, you come across as confident and competent.
STAR is an acronym for:
- Situation – Briefly describe the situation or background information of the scenario presented in the question.
- Task – Describe what was asked of you, or if no specific task is being asked, explain what your role in the scenario was.
- Action – Describe the actions you took to complete the task or meet the goal.
- Result – Close by talking about what happened as a result of your actions. This should align with whatever you’re trying to emphasize with your response.
Why is the STAR Method Important?
As an interviewee, it’s important to know how to tailor your responses and highlight the skills and experiences that align with the position you’re interviewing for.
STAR interview questions and answers draw attention to specific accomplishments that illustrate your skill sets and work ethic. It allows you to see each portion of the question as an opportunity to tell a story in which you are the star. By being prepared with specific examples for common interview questions, you can position yourself in the best possible light when speaking with potential employers.
How To Prepare for a STAR Interview
Take the time to think through your professional timeline and come up with key examples to illustrate any skills or ways in which you have helped others and contributed to company goals. Practice explaining these anecdotes so they are fresh in your memory. Also, anticipate the information the company is looking to get from the interview so you can prepare to answer questions accordingly.
How Long is a STAR Answer?
The STAR method is about being specific, so it’s best to keep your response to around three concise paragraphs. This means you should aim for anywhere between one and two minutes per answer. Generally speaking, shorter is better when it comes to the STAR method, but there are times when more context may be necessary, depending on the question.
5 Sample STAR Interview Questions and Answers
Here are five STAR interview questions with sample answers that can be used as inspiration for structuring your own responses.
Question 1: Tell me about a project you worked on that demonstrates your leadership abilities.
- Situation – I was the leader of a research group who had to do everything from hiring new members, planning timelines, and discussing next steps so we could meet our deadline for an upcoming presentation.
- Task – The task was to make sure everyone on the team was comfortable with their responsibilities, make adjustments if needed, and keep morale up.
- Action – I talked to each of my members individually about what they liked doing in our group, who they felt most comfortable working with, and how they could achieve results while still meeting deadlines.
- Result – My team was able to bring in new members who were excited about the work we were doing, our morale was high throughout the project, and we ended up finishing ahead of schedule.
Question 2: Tell me about a time when you had to solve a difficult problem with your manager/co-workers.
- Situation – The office dynamic at my previous company was rather tense, with several employees regularly coming into conflict.
- Task – The task was to foster goodwill between everyone involved while also making sure that our employees stayed on top of things.
- Action – I created a schedule where each person would spend some time working with another colleague who had different responsibilities. This helped create mutual understanding and appreciation.
- Result – Because we were able to work together positively, there was less frustration when it came to meetings or presentations, which ultimately led to greater productivity for the entire team.
Question 3: Give me an example of your ability to communicate effectively with others.
- Situation – I was part of a team that had to present our work to upper management, and I was selected to give the presentation.
- Task – The task was to make sure that everyone on the team understood their role and executed it well so we could present the information accurately and effectively.
- Action – I tried to make sure everyone was confident and ready by asking questions and encouraging open dialogue.
- Result – The presentation went very well. We were all happy with the outcome, and we got a round of applause from our managers!
Question 4: Tell me about a time you had to use great judgment when resolving a conflict or misunderstanding.
- Situation – There was some confusion around certain timelines, so I coordinated with my team members to find out what they thought went wrong to come up with a solution.
- Task – The task in this situation was twofold: pinpoint where things went wrong while also coming up with an action plan for how we could fix it going forward.
- Action – I cross-referenced coworkers’ calendars and concluded that there had been miscommunication from different departments, causing the timeline confusion. I held a meeting with department heads to discuss a clearer way to communicate deadlines.
- Result – We had a great conversation about the best communication methods for deadlines and timelines, which resulted in teamwide improvements.
Question 5: Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Situation and Task – I am looking for a role where I get to take on new challenges, use my creativity, and work with people who are passionate about what they do.
- Action – In the past few months, I have been looking into several companies in the field that align with my passions and interests, and I found X Company to be the one where I would be excited to render my services.
- Result – I believe that I would be an asset to your team because I would bring my technical knowledge, innovative thinking, and problem-solving skills to the table.
Land Your Dream Role Using STAR
The STAR method is a good way to help interviewers understand your thought process and how you could be an asset to the company. It’s an opportunity to showcase yourself as the kind of employee who strives for excellence and can be counted upon to do their best.
The STAR method can also be used when writing resumes or cover letters, so employers know where you’ve been and where you want to be. It’s a chance to stand out from other candidates who might only provide simple “point A to point B” answers.
10 Entry-Level Job Interview Questions & How To Answer Them
To help ease your nerves and ensure that you make a great first impression, it’s important to do some research on the types of questions employers may ask. Let’s get started.
1. What motivated you to apply for this position?
This question is the perfect opportunity for you to showcase your knowledge about the company and why you think it’s a great fit for you. Be sure to talk about how your skills, experience, and education make you an ideal candidate for the job.
2. What do you know about our company?
This is your chance to show that you’ve done your research. Talk about the size of the company, its values, and mission, any awards they have earned, or recent news that may be relevant.
3. What experience do you have in this field?
If you don’t have a lot of experience yet, talk about any class projects or internships that are related to the job. If you have some work experience already, describe it in detail, and emphasize what you learned from those experiences.
4. Why should we hire you for this position?
When answering this question, focus on how your skills and qualifications make you an ideal candidate for the job. Be sure to highlight any special qualities or abilities that set you apart from other candidates.
5. How do you handle difficult tasks?
Talk about how you approach tasks with a positive attitude and think of creative solutions to challenging problems. Be sure to emphasize your analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and drive for success.
6. What do you think is the most important quality for success in this job?
This question can often be answered with different qualities depending on the job. However, it’s a good idea to talk about qualities like hard work, dedication, and attention to detail, as those are qualities that employers value in any role.
7. How do you handle stress and pressure?
When answering this question, emphasize how well you handle deadlines and difficult tasks while staying calm under pressure. Show that you have strategies in place for managing your time effectively and focusing on the task at hand.
8. What are your long-term career goals?
It’s a great idea to discuss your professional aspirations with potential employers, as it shows them that you are looking for a career, not just a job. Talk about where you see yourself in five or ten years and the steps you plan on taking to get there.
If you haven’t yet graduated (or you’re on a break from school), explain your future education/career plans. Expand on any gaps in schooling or how you see your tenure with the company changing post-graduation.
9. How do you handle criticism?
Emphasize how important feedback is for personal growth and how it helps make you an even better employee. Show that you can listen, reflect, and adjust your behavior if needed.
10. Tell me about a time when you had to manage multiple tasks at once.
This question is designed to assess your organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks efficiently. Talk about a specific situation in which you were able to juggle multiple projects successfully while making sure nothing was left unfinished.
These are just some of the entry-level job interview questions that you may be asked during your interview. Remember to prepare ahead of time so that you can best showcase your skills and qualifications.
