Insider tips for preparing for your internship interview with us

Want some insider tips on applying for an internship with us? We gathered some advice from a few of our recent interns to help you with your internship application.

Marta Pela first shares her top tips on what research you should do before your interview: 

The moment you find out that you have been invited for an interview, the feelings of excitement and nerves rush through you! We often tend to focus on the obvious things like: what will I wear to the interview or how to answer that ‘Tell me about yourself’ question. And we often forget about the research we should carry out in advance.

The secret to standing out in any interview… is passion. And in order for you to be passionate about the company you’re applying for, you need to do some research. By making sure that you do your research, you’re preparing yourself to go into the interview full of confidence in yourself and your abilities. Doing your research on the company will make you almost as knowledgeable as their own employees!

Doing your homework will not only give you an extra boost in your interview and let the interviewers see if you are the right candidate for the role, but it will also help establish if the company is the right fit for you. Your research about the company should answer questions such as:

• What is the company's culture, vision, values and missions? And do you agree with it?
• What is their history?
• What recent news and events have happened within the company?
• What products and services does the company provide?
• Who will be interviewing you?

By asking these questions before the interview and finding blogs or podcasts, you will be able to get the real inside scoop from past and current employees and what they think of working there.

Finally, make sure to ask yourself: “Is this something I see myself doing and thriving in?” And if so, make it the best interview yet! 

Have a phone interview coming up? Then read these top tips from Kealey Hannon on how to prepare for a phone interview while on erasmus. 

When I was on Erasmus in France, I had an interview over the phone for the EY Internship Programme 2019.

1. Get the technical things right! Simple things like remembering that you could be in a different time zone or just what lectures you have on, by keeping this information in mind you’ll be sure to accept a time for your interview that won’t be  somewhere inconvenient for you and the interviewer when they call. It may seem also obvious, but make sure to remember to include your area code before your phone number.
2. Prepare like the interview is in person! Write down your answers to the basic questions like 'Why EY?' and ‘Why did you choose the service line you applied for?.’ Also remember to write down the times you displayed your strengths, like leadership skills. One thing I learnt is that it is not just good enough just to write down your answers, practice speaking them out loud!
3. Practice, practice, practice! I would highly recommend doing a practice run before the interview. Decide on where you want to be when you will take the phone interview from EY and get a friend to call you or even someone from home before it happens. I didn’t do this beforehand and I found my connection was poor in my bedroom and I struggled to hear some of the questions. So make sure your connection is strong and you check your volume is turned up too. Get the simple things right!

Nervous about having your interview on video? Dylan Tierney shares his 10 steps to tackling the dreaded video interview:  

Video interviews manage to take away some of the stress from the interview process but mishaps can occur more often than you’d think. I was on Erasmus in Spain during the interview period so I had to conduct all of my interviews by phone or Skype.

1. If interviewing from far away, agree on a suitable time. Doing an interview at 5am because it suits your interviewer isn’t exactly fair. Try to negotiate a time that suits both parties.
2. Prepare some popular interview questions beforehand and have your CV at hand for when the interviewer refers to it.
3. Make sure your laptop is in full working order with functioning Wi-Fi. These points are obvious but mustn’t be underestimated. Skype calls can turn into a cacophonous mess when internet is weak. If your connection weakens, don’t be too polite to tell the interviewer.
4. In a video interview, you don’t get to wholeheartedly express your body language and your presence so you’ll have to work harder to ensure the interviewer is getting an accurate picture of your personality.
5. Enunciate your speech and don’t rush. A clear voice and controlled speed are important aspects of a successful video interview. Take your time when responding to questions as this will convey confidence and command over your speech.
6. Dress and groom appropriately.
7. Have a backup plan. If Skype malfunctions (this happened to me), be prepared to complete a phone interview.
8. Ensure your surroundings are reasonably quiet. Bin trucks and car horns are your worst nightmare. Ask your roommates or family to remain quiet.
9. Tidy the area within camera view. Ensure the area behind you is clean and that nothing undignified is visible.
10. Ideally use a room with lots of natural light. A dark room with a faint orange hue may produce a blurry image on the interviewers screen.