The Interview - Be Prepared To Answer and Ask These Questions - InterExchange

4/23/2016 The Interview: Be Prepared to Answer and Ask These Questions InterExchange
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The Interview: Be Prepared to

Answer and Ask These Questions
Allison Nichols Wednesday February 11, 2015
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Volunteer Travel First impressions are often lasting impressions, and the interview
is usually the first opportunity to make a positive impression on a
potential employer. Make sure you're prepared for interviews by
practicing your responses to some of the most commonly asked
interview questions. At the same time, don't forget that you are, in
a way, interviewing the employer as well to learn more about the
position and organization. The interview should flow as a
conversation, where both parties are trying to learn if the other is
a good fit.
Sample Questions to Answer:
https://www.interexchange.org/articles/careertrainingusa/interviewquestionpreparation/ 1/13
1. Tell me about yourself.

The employer is looking for a brief summary about you and is
more interested in hearing about your educational and
professional background than your hobbies and favorite foods.
See if you can sum up your educational and professional
background in about 60 seconds and ensure that you make
connections between your background and the position for
which you are interviewing.
2. Why do you want to intern/train here?

Focus on a few of the key responsibilities that are especially
interesting to you or highlight aspects of the company that you
find appealing or beneficial to your professional development. Be
sure to include what you hope to learn from the position, but also
explain what you would like to contribute to the organization as
well. Absolutely avoid mentioning you want the position solely
because of its location or because it is a requirement for your
degree.
3. What do you know about this industry?

You may not have a lot of experience in the field yet, but make
sure you have researched and are ready to discuss current
trends – particularly what's happening in the U.S. and in your
home country. It's also extremely important to refer to specifics
from internships or work experience you've had in the past or
topics you've recently studied in school.
4. What do you know about our company?

A potential employer wants to know that you have researched
their company. You don't need to know everything about the
company, but you should be able to discuss the basics. Find out
what the company's mission statement is, who the biggest clients
are, etc. Research recent news articles about them. The

company's website, blog, and social media is also a great place to
start.
5. What specific skills do you have that would relate to this

position?
Make sure you've thoroughly read the requirements for the
position and confirm that you meet them. Refer to specific
responsibilities of the position and tie them to your educational
and/or professional experience. If you aren't applying to a
specific internship/training opening and are proposing the
program to the employer, be sure to explain that you have a
strong foundation for training in this industry. They will
understand that they will need to teach and train you, but they will
also want to know you have sufficient preparation to be
successful.
6. What makes you a good candidate for the position?

Discuss your qualifications, including your educational
background (include specific coursework or projects),
internships and professional work experience. You may also want
to include some personal characteristics (e.g. motivated,
hardworking, getting along with many different types of people,
etc.), but do not simply list positive attributes. The interviewer is
more interested in how you demonstrate these skills or
attributes.
For example, instead of saying you are motivated, provide an

example of how you proactively identified a need at a previous
company and subsequently led a project to meet that need. This
will prove that you are motivated without you just saying, "I'm
highly motivated." If an employer ever asks you to "tell me about a
time…" this is the type of response they are seeking. They don't
want to hear that you are good at time management—they want
you to provide actual examples of your time management skills.
7. Tell me about your strengths.

Many people are inclined to recite a list of traits such as
"dependable" or "creative", but it's especially effective to discuss
experience or skills that are directly related to the
internship/training program to which you're applying. For
example, if you're applying to intern/train in Sales but have no
previous sales experience; highlighting your presentation skills
might really impress an employer. Or you may want to provide an
example of how you were able to persuade someone to do
something since that is the foundation of the sales industry.
Again, provide actual examples rather than a list of attributes.
8. What is your biggest weakness?

This is one of the most challenging questions to answer. You
obviously don't want to say something negative about yourself to
a potential employer, so the trick here is to turn a negative into a
positive. For example: "Staying organized used to be a challenge,
but I developed a time management system that works for me
and that has really helped keep me organized."
9. Why should I hire you for the position?

Give specific examples of your accomplishments and why you
are the best person for the position. Talk about the
responsibilities of the position and the skills you possess to fulfill
them. Be sure to restate your interest in the position!
10. What are your goals for the future?

An employer wants to know that the position relates to what you
hope to do in the future because it's a sign that you will be
motivated to learn and work hard in the position. Talk about your
goals and explain how the position would help you achieve those
goals.
Sample Questions to Ask:

1. What is the overall structure of the company and how does
your department fit within that structure?
This is a good way to get a sense of the how the company
operates and what each department does so that you can see
how your role as an intern/trainee would fit into this organization.
2. What will be my day-to-day responsibilities? Can you give

me an example of a project on which I would be working?
You should ideally know the major responsibilities of the position
before interviewing, but this question will help you get a better
sense of the more specific types of tasks you would be doing and
the anticipated level of your involvement within the organization.
3. Can you describe the work environment/office culture?

Is it casual? More corporate/formal? You will want to know the
office dynamic before accepting an internship position with the
company. Can you see yourself training in a similar environment?
How does this office compare to offices in your home country or
previous positions you've held?
4. What do you like about working here?

Be curious and inquisitive! Show that you are interested in the
interviewer's background and experience at the company. You
will learn about the advantages of having an internship with them

and get some firsthand insight.
5. Why are you interested in hiring an intern?

This is a great way to gauge the employer's motivation for having
an intern in the first place. You can better understand what they
might have you working on and what type of role they envision
you having.
6. What is the typical career path for interns or employees in

this department?
You can relate this question to your long-term career aspirations
by mentioning where you see yourself in a few years and how this
position ties into those future professional goals. Maybe the
employer will mention a previous intern. Do you share a similar
background with that intern? This is a great way to learn about
what a typical or potential career track might be.
7. What would you consider to be the most important aspects

of this internship role?
You can use this question to really emphasize your strengths and
draw on your education and/or previous experience. The better
you are at understanding the expectations for the position, the
better you can show them how you will meet those expectations
and be an exceptional intern/trainee.
8. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of this

position?
This interview is an opportunity to really learn about your
employer's expectations for the position. You can also turn this
into a conversation about challenges you've faced in your

previous positions and how you have overcome them. (Hopefully
very well!)
9. Does the company participate in any team-building

activities, traditions or events?
The purpose of the Career Training USA program is cultural
exchange. The program is a really great way to learn more about
U.S. culture and to share your culture with Americans. This
question allows you to learn about opportunities or activities for
you to get involved in with the company.
10. What are the next steps in the interview process?

You don't want to be pushy about when you will find out if they
have offered you the internship, so this is a good way of asking
what happens next.
What NOT to ask:

1. What does this company do?
Show that you have done your homework! The interviewer will
think you are wasting their time if you ask questions that you can
easily find the answer to yourself, such as on their website.
2. Can I change my schedule? What salary, vacation time and

benefits do I get?
Wait until you are offered the internship before negotiating things
like salary and vacation time (if applicable). You certainly want to
have these things agreed upon before accepting an offer,
however you don't want to give them the impression that you only
care about the perks of position instead of the position itself.
3. Did I get the position?

Be patient! You can follow up with them via email after the
interview, perhaps a few days later, to inquire about next steps.
Also, don't forget to send a separate thank you email to each

person who interviewed you within 24 hours of your interview. It
sounds simple, but it often goes a long way. It's also another way
to reiterate your strong interest in the position. Did you think of
another question you didn't get a chance to ask? Include it in your
follow-up email!
Want more practice questions? Visit Monster.com for a list of 100

common interview questions.
Career Training USA

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4/23/2016 The Interview: Be Prepared to Answer and Ask These Questions ­ InterExchange

The Interview: Be Prepared to

Sample Questions to Answer:

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. Why do you want to intern/train here?

3. What do you know about this industry?

4. What do you know about our company?

are, etc. Research recent news articles about them. The

5. What speciﬁc skills do you have that would relate to this

6. What makes you a good candidate for the position?

For example, instead of saying you are motivated, provide an

7. Tell me about your strengths.

8. What is your biggest weakness?

9. Why should I hire you for the position?

10. What are your goals for the future?

Sample Questions to Ask:

2. What will be my day-to-day responsibilities? Can you give

3. Can you describe the work environment/oﬃce culture?

4. What do you like about working here?

will learn about the advantages of having an internship with them

5. Why are you interested in hiring an intern?

6. What is the typical career path for interns or employees in

7. What would you consider to be the most important aspects

8. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of this

into a conversation about challenges you've faced in your

9. Does the company participate in any team-building

10. What are the next steps in the interview process?

What NOT to ask:

2. Can I change my schedule? What salary, vacation time and

3. Did I get the position?

Also, don't forget to send a separate thank you email to each

Want more practice questions? Visit Monster.com for a list of 100

Career Training USA

 Recommend 5 ⤤ Share Sort by Best

Top 5 Things to First Weeks as

Cultural Exchange Cultural Exchange Gap Year

GoAbroad Paradigm Shift

Grants Cultural Exchange

Cultural Exchange Gap Year

4x4 Camp: The

Grants Cultural Exchange

Looking for our classic website? Classic 

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4/23/2016 The Interview: Be Prepared to Answer and Ask These Questions InterExchange