This might be just about the most horrifying question known to mankind. Because what do you say? Well, we’ll start by letting you know that the interviewer doesn’t want to know that you love your dog, Cocoa Puff, or that you recently stopped eating dairy (all very interesting facts though!). They want to know how your personality and experience relate to the job.

We recommend discussing what you're passionate about and summarizing how your relevant experiences reflect that passion. For example, maybe you care a lot about serving your community, which, if you’ve done your research about the company, may be in line with their values. Share how you have volunteered for a number of nonprofit organizations to help reconcile their donations and offer your bookkeeping skills to a few small businesses around your neighborhood to help them stay on top of their cash flow. Before you know it the interviewer already sees you as a perfect fit, both in terms of the skills you bring to the table and for their company culture.

All-in-all your answer should not last longer than one minute. This is just an ice breaker.

Check out this sample internship position and description to see how to tailor your answer if your passion aligns with the company but your experience may not fit neatly into what the company does:

Your Answer:

I am a junior at Illinois State University, studying accounting with a concentration in nonprofits and government entities. I’m very passionate about giving back to my community and bettering the financial condition of marginalized communities. This has led me to intentionally pick experiences where I can do good and share my skill set with community-oriented organizations. I’ve had a lot of experience volunteering with local small businesses as an accounting intern, managing their books to maintain cash flow. I have also worked on campus as the treasurer for my university’s NABA chapter, where I kept record of all financial transactions, helped to reconcile donations from fundraising events, and led financial literacy and entrepreneurial workshops for Black students. This is why I’m really interested in the opportunity to be a Finance Reporting Grant intern for such a mission driven organization.

Interviewing can be nerve wracking for a lot of people, but the way you frame it in your mind can help reduce anxiety. Think of it as a conversation with another human being. One where you’re also considering whether or not their company is a good fit for you. You’re not the only one being interviewed.

The other way you can avoid being nervous for an interview is to make sure you’re prepared. Brush up on the company: familiarize yourself with their values and mission, any news they’ve been featured in lately, and any new projects or initiatives on the horizon for them. Go back to the job responsibilities and look over your resume again to decide which relevant experiences you’re going to highlight. Try to think of one or two scenarios in those experiences that will reflect the skills or traits they’re looking for in this role. That research you did for your cover letter continues to come in handy! 🙌 Also, do a little LinkedIn sleuthing into your interviewer – find out where they went to college (maybe they’re an alum!), what kind of positions they've had, and where they’ve worked.

Another way to prepare is to practice common interview questions. Don’t memorize answers, but figure out examples, experiences, or traits you’ll use to answer the questions. Sometimes, interviewers will say “give me an example of…” and it’s best to have one on deck. When in doubt, ask a friend or family member to do a mock interview with you.

While you should be ready to answer their questions, you should also have your own prepared. At the end, your interviewer is going to ask you: “Do you have any questions for me?” If the answer is “no” they’ll think you’re disinterested in this position, you weren’t really engaged in the conversation, or you lack curiosity. 😬 So, in other words, get to questioning! At the same time, make sure you develop good questions that can’t be answered in the job post – otherwise you’ll look unprepared. We know, 😔 there’s a lot of rules to these things. Here are some topics your questions can touch on:

• Specific follow up questions about the day-to-day responsibilities mentioned in the interview or job description
• The interviewer’s journey (show off that you’ve done your LinkedIn research!)
• The company’s top personal performance indicators
• Insight into office culture

Lastly, the night before the interview remember to print out your resume if you’re interviewing in person, and have your outfit picked out. If you’re having a remote interview, you should still dress like you’re interviewing. Need some outfit inspo? Dress for your day to the rescue. 💃

Okay, so you’ve blown the interview out of the water. Now, it’s time to leave your last impression. Send a thank you note to your interviewer (if you had multiple interviewers, send them individually) within 24 hours post-interview. Thank them for their time, mention things they shared that have stuck with you since the meeting and reiterate some ideas you have on how you could add value. (Keep in mind, you often won’t get a reply after an interview. Don’t read into it – most interviewers don’t reply but they do take note!)

So, there you have it folks! We’ve given you all the necessary ingredients you need to make that internship yours. Don’t be shy – start applying!