The FaceFacts Intern Chronicles | Interview Tips

In third year, it's easy to get caught up in the rapture and miss out on opportunities when you're busy focusing on your dissertation and cramming in all those late nights of stress relieving frolicking. Then again, I didn't want to graduate and have nothing but a piece of paper to show for it. So at the start of the term, I applied for several part-time positions at various places around Leeds. Following a brief stint working as a bartender for Tiger Tiger, I decided that relevant work experience (not to mention, a good nights sleep) is definately more important than getting a (not so sizable) paycheck. So when I heard back from a local market research agency I had applied to called Face Facts Research (after weeks of radio silence causing me to assume that I had once again been unlucky in my plight), I was ecstatic to hear that I had landed an interview. It was about the second greatest piece of news I had received on my birthday. Face Facts provides their own detailed post on how to ace an internship interview but here are some of my own tips to add for aspiring interns facing the daunting interview stage:




Do your research!
It's pretty much commonsense to know about the company before you apply for it, but if you haven't done. And if you're applying to work in MR, then this can be great practice. Everyone has their own way of doing things but for me, I set up a word file and divided it into 5 sections:

1. Company Overview - facts and figures, when was it founded and by who, USPs
2. Recent Company News - what have they been involved in recently. Facebook and other social media that feature regular updates are great to gather this information.
3. Recent News in your Industry - There's always the chance that you may be asked about your opinion on a certain development within the company's chosen industry. Otherwise, take initiative and make these can be talking points for your interview.
4. Potential Interview Questions - Predict what kind of questions they'd most likely ask you beforehand and write out responses to them. Where you struggle to answer should be paid more attention to. This will minimize any long awkward silences of you racking your brains when faced with annoying variations of the stock question 'so why should we choose you?'.
5. My Questions - Usually at the end, the interviewer will ask if you have any questions for them. Rather than sitting there eyes glazed over, it's always good to prepare a shortlist of things you would like to enquire further about the operations/environment of the company, what the internship entails or even

Showcase your work - with style
Your CV may state your skills but visual evidence is always the best way to affirm them. So I toted along my tablet and printed out some blog posts I had written to whip out when needed in the interview. It's all about creating the right impression. By coming prepared, I was able to show them that I was serious about the post and I am organized and capable individual.  I even managed to get a compliment on my writing style after showing them an opinion piece I did on Abercrombie and Fitch's marketing hype in Hong Kong.

Build rapport
Most companies will tell you that a persons qualifications are indeed important, but at the end of the day, personality. My own interview was held at a cafe nearby to their offices and was relatively informal in nature. This allowed to get to know the two authority figures I would be working for on a more personal basis, and made the interview itself become as enjoyable experience. You will be working with these people for the next few months, so make sure they are able to feel that you will be a good fit into the group and someone they won't mind being around during those long working days.

Enthusiasm
At a recent careers event, a panel of employers all stressed the same quality when hiring new recruits: enthusiasm. If you are able to display a genuine passion for the job, this will be recognized and automatically sets you apart. Show the interviewer(s) that you won't be a waste of their time and you are hungry for knowledge.

Two days later, I get the phonecall telling me I secured the internship.