When I walked into my first internship interview, I was incredibly nervous. My heart was racing and I felt like I was just trying to survive the conversation. But by the time I reached my final interview of the recruiting season, everything had changed. I felt confident, composed, and in control.
Most accounting recruiting now starts on a screen. Here are the tips and tricks I wish I had known before my first virtual interview to help you skip the learning curve and head straight to the offer.
1. Mastering Your Screen Presence
The first thing an interviewer sees isn't your resume, it is your video frame. Treat your camera like a window into your professional life. Make sure your face and shoulders are centered in the camera so you are not sitting too low or looming too high. A distracting background can pull focus away from your answers, so choose a clean space.
If a messy room is unavoidable, use a blur filter. If noise from roommates is a concern, look into booking a study room or a dedicated interview room at your university career center if your school provides that. Always test your audio and video with a friend beforehand. It is a small time investment that prevents a technical disaster. If you cannot look professional in an interview, then you will not look professional with a client.
2. The Power of the Smile and Small Talk
It is hard not to be nervous when you are interviewing for a dream internship, but try to stay calm and smile during the introduction. Most interviews start with a few minutes of small talk rather than jumping straight into technical questions. Use this time to show off your social skills and your composure under pressure.
The interviewer is looking to see if you are a person that they would enjoy spending time working with. Staying at ease and having a normal conversation shows that you can handle the social side of the business world.
3. Nailing the Elevator Pitch
Almost 90 percent of interviews begin with the same prompt: Tell me about yourself. You should have a one to three minute response for this practiced a ton of times so you could do it in your sleep.
As a soccer player, all I want to do at the start of a game is complete my first pass. This gets the nerves away. Once that first pass is successful, I am in the flow of the game. Answering your elevator pitch strongly is the exact same thing. When you nail those first few minutes, it gives you a massive confidence boost for the rest of the session. It will be clear to the interviewer that you were prepared. While they take some time to tell you about themselves, use that time to breathe and stay composed.
4. Know Exactly What You Are Interviewing For
You may not need to have prior experience in the role to land an internship, but you absolutely must know what you are applying for. While it may not be asked, a good tool is to try to answer the question: Tell me about the role you are applying for.
Many candidates cannot actually speak for one to three minutes on what their role is. Whether it is audit, tax, or advisory, you need to understand the core function of the position. Being able to explain the role back to the interviewer demonstrates that you understand what you are going into, which is professional and impressive.
5. Build Your Story Bank
You cannot predict every question, but there is a way to overcome this issue. Try to have five to ten stories at the ready that you can connect to almost any question.
If you have a story about a time you had adversity or worked in a team ready to go, you can adapt those different experiences to fit almost any behavioral question. Doing this will make it so that you can talk about any question for as long as you need to without having to search your brain while the clock is ticking.
6. Finding the Right Answer Length
Balance is key when answering. You want to make sure you are able to answer a question for over a minute to show confidence and competence. However, if you harp on for too long, the interviewer is going to get frustrated or think that you are stalling for time. Aim for that one to three minute professional sweet spot.
7. The Interview Isn't Over When the Questions Stop
A common mistake is thinking the interview ends when the recruiter stops asking questions. In a thirty minute slot, every minute is used to see if you would be a good fit. When they ask what questions you have for them, avoid generic questions about the culture or hours that anyone could look up.
Instead, use this time to demonstrate your knowledge. For example, if you are having an audit internship, ask them what industries you may get to work in. Showing any demonstration of knowledge regarding the role is huge.
8. Ending with Professionalism
Keep an eye on the clock and know when to end. Interviews typically end with you asking questions, and if you see there are only a couple of minutes left, acknowledge the time. Tell the interviewer you have one question left but would like to be respectful of their time.
Doing this is an extremely professional move that shows leadership and initiative. It shows courtesy and prevents the awkwardness of going over or taking away time from the rest of the interviewer's day.
9. The Final Step
Lastly, thank your interviewer for their time. Within the next twenty four hours, send them a thank you email. Hopefully these tips were helpful and prepared you to nail your next interview.