How to Impress in an Internship Interview

There are very few people I will pick up the phone for if they call past 10:12pm M-F (I get up wicked early for work and I fancy even numbers, so that explains that). Claire is one of those people. Claire is my dear friend from high school who is known for having a crazy long last name (for privacy sake I will not include it, but seriously, she has like 15 names, it's insane), being Belgian, and having a wardrobe that any self respecting Connecticut WASP would envy. Claire also happens to be dying for an internship position at a big name news station in NYC. That's right, Claire, an engineering major at RPI wants to go into TV, which is just further proof that you do not need a journalism degree to get into television (or at least land an interview with a major station). The bulk of my time spent on the phone with Claire was to pull her away from the ledge and force her to stop freaking out over her upcoming interview. Naturally I was honored that she called me for tips on interviewing at a TV station, later I realized that I was probably the ONLY friend she had involved with TV but nonetheless, I realized that some of the tips I was dolling out would make for an EXCELLENT blog.


See Claire, you're already camera ready. Photo from Facebook.com














So, here are my "Tips for Landing that Coveted Internship". They seemed to calm Claire down so hopefully they'll work for you too.

*Dress attire: Business casual. Being a female (and a well dressed one at that). Claire fretted over what to wear to her interview and was worried that since she didn't like the way she looked in the only two piece suit she owned, she wouldn't have anything to wear. Word of advice, you don't have to wear a suit to look professional. In fact, an ill fitting suit just makes you look like you are playing dress up, opt for a pair of dress pants or knee length skirt, a blazer with a shell or a nice blouse on top and a pair of heels and you are set. Gentlemen, unless you are interviewing for the position as drag queen intern, I would instead suggest a pair of khakis, button down shirt and a tie. As an intern you are simply representing the company, but you usually will not have an opportunity to go on air so a full suit is not required.


Dressed for success. Photo from Flickr.com

*It's ok not to know everything about television. You're an intern, they expect you to not know everything there is to know about the business. They'd rather have someone that is willing to learn than someone who thinks they're a know-at-all already.

*Make sure you understand the job you're getting yourself into. If you don't see yourself doing busywork, maybe you're not cut out to be an intern. Also, it's impressive to an employer if you've done your homework about the job you're about to accept.

* Eye contact, smile, hand shake. You can never make too good of a first impression. A firm handshake shows you're confident, too hard of a handshake just makes you a jerk. And, if you really don't have a good answer to a question, any amount of b.s. can be covered with a pretty smile. Always smile, it makes you seem more trustworthy (unless you have a freaky smile that is).

*Give them something to remember about you. What makes my friend Claire unique is that she goes to an engineering school and while that obviously doesn't give her a solid journalism background, it does give her a solid foundation in problem solving, which is extremely important in the unpredictable world of television.

And most importantly, DON'T over think your interview. Don't try to guess what they are going to ask and pre plan answers, just go in and be you. If you're meant to get the internship, you'll get it, if not, a better suited one will come your way.

Good luck!