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STUDENTS TIPS FROM THEIR
INTERNSHIP SEARCH PROCESS
The Resume
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Tailor both your
resume and cover letter according to each company and corresponding
internship description.
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Get as much
feedback as you can on your resume because it is the first, critical
step in the job search process.
Preparation
Tips
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Be prepared to
talk about why you would want to be at the specific company you are
interviewing with. Be prepared to talk about why you want to be in
“brand management”, why you want to be in “high tech marketing”, etc.,
according to the description of the position. In addition, be prepared
to talk about the skills you bring to the table. Even if the
interviewers don’t ask you about these three items, tell them.
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Going over the
“Grid” in the Marketing Network handbook is great. It helps a lot to
have your stories written down and memorized. It also helps a lot to go
over the “Grid” with someone else, because it’s one thing to have the
stories in your mind and it’s another thing to say them out loud and
practice your expressions. Ask a friend to listen to your stories to
make sure they get the key message across.
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Practice
interviewing techniques through mock interviews. The Peer Advisors and
the Ford Career Center will help you with that.
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Work
cooperatively. If you know an inside tip for a job, be sure to share it,
because when your dream job comes to play, someone will help you too.
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Ask help from
second years who have interned in the companies you are interested in.
They will tell you about the company’s style of interviewing and the
specific skill set the company is looking for.
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Always do your
homework as far as researching the companies you will be interviewing
with. Learn about their products and their competition.
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You have limited
amount of time during a semester. Therefore, focus. Choose a
limited number of companies you would really, really want to work for,
and prepare extremely well for these interviews. Your research on the
company and your excitement will come out in the interview, greatly
increasing your chances of success.
The Search
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When you go to
company receptions, make sure to make a personal contact. Don’t just go
to sign your name. Make sure you stay afterwards and talk to someone.
Make sure the representatives of the company know your name and know
that you are interested.
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Don’t get too
stressed out if you are not getting interviews through the Ford Career
Center. There are many of other opportunities elsewhere.
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Some of the local
internships only become available by April or May. So if you want
smaller companies or are eager to stay in Austin, don’t get too worried
if you don’t get an internship until April or May.
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A great idea is to
schedule informational sessions with companies you are very interested
in during the Winter break. Your initiative will greatly increase your
chances of being pre-selected by the company for internship interviews
and will certainly differentiate yourself from other candidates. In
addition, visiting the companies will provide you with a great insight
into the company’s culture and work environment, which should always be
important factors in your decision process.
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Never
underestimate the power of your network in supporting you in the
internship search.
The Interview
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If you are
transitioning industries, leverage your functional experience in
marketing and communicate how it can be applicable to any industry.
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In behavioral
interviews, your attitude is very important. Show enthusiasm, convey
confidence and communicate your passion for both the company and
the industry in which it operates.
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Expect to face
some variations of the questions on the Grid in an interview. In these
cases, don’t panic. Identify which one of your stories can better
address the question and you will do well. The interviewer’s ultimate
goal might just be to test your ability to skillfully deal with the
unexpected. So know your Grid stores well.
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Make sure you tell
the interviewer the great stories about yourself. Don’t let a very
informal and personal interview prevent you from communicating to
him/her how valuable your skill set is. You want him/her to remember you
not only as a nice person but also as a professional with unique
qualifications.
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If you believe you
haven’t done particularly well in the beginning of the interview, it
doesn’t mean it’s over. Keep going: you can still turn the same
interview to be very positive. For the most part, recruiters are not
looking for the perfect answer. They are looking to understand how you
handle yourself
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If you believe you
have made a mistake at a certain point in the interview, don’t pretend
it hasn’t happened. Acknowledge it. They might reject you if don’t bring
it up.
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Have questions
prepared to ask the interviewer. Try to make your questions
interesting, insightful and distinctive.
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Close the
interview. Don’t forget to sell yourself at the end of it. ASK FOR THE
JOB.
After The
Interview
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Write a thank you
letter immediately after the interview. An email is OK as well.
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When writing the
thank you letters, bring something interesting and specific from the
interview. This will help the interviewer remember you.
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If you haven’t
been called by the company on the same day that other classmates have,
don’t immediately assume that you are out of the game. The company might
be looking for a different opportunity for you in some other office or
component.
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If the company
doesn’t extend you an offer, call them or e-mail them. Don’t ask for the
job, but ask for some constructive feedback on how you can improve for
the next interview. Sometimes, they are UT alumni and they want you do
well.
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Upon receiving an
offer, be prepared for the fact that some companies might require you to
either accept or reject it within a very short period of time. There
were cases last semester where students were required to provide an
answer within 48 hours.
Additional
Comments
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If you were not
pre-selected for a company you are really interested in, don’t give up.
E-mail the company recruiting contact whose information is available in
eRecruiting and ask for the interview. Even if you are not successful,
go at approximately 4:00 pm on the day before the company interviews to
the front desk of the Ford Career Center. Ask for the company’s next day
schedule and identify any openings or breaks. On the day of the
interviews, show up at 7:30 a.m. at the Ford Career Center on the 4th
floor of the GSB where the interviews are conducted and ask for the FCC
representative to introduce you to the company’s interviewer. Tell the
interviewer you understand he or she might have an opening or break in
his or her schedule. Communicate very concisely how excited you are
about the opportunities in the company and how you could be a valuable
asset to its team. Finally, ask for the interview. Chances are very high
the recruiter will agree to interview you. And believe it, many students
have gotten their dream internships and full time jobs by doing this.
But only use this strategy if you are really prepared for the interview
and extremely interested in the company.
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If you are an
international student, don’t be concerned about your accent during an
interview. As long as your sentences are complete and you clearly
communicate your points, you will be fine.
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If you are
transitioning careers or industries, a practicum strongly associated
with the new focus you want to pursue will send a strong signal to
recruiters of your commitment. In addition, it will most likely provide
you with great stories for your interviews.
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If you are an
international student who wishes to work on a full time basis in the
United States, a practicum is also an excellent idea.
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Since internships
are limited, if you are already have one or two internship offers that
are pretty good, you might want to pull out of the process so other
people can have the opportunity to receive offers too. As a Class, we
all want to have a high percentage of internships. |