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ENGAGING YOUR INTERVIEWER
You usually get one shot to interview for the internship and you want to make the best impression during the short period of time that you have. One of the most important things you need to do is to engage your interviewer-to show that you're one hundred percent enthusiastic about the interview, that you're actively listening and participating in what's going on.
Part of projecting the right impression is using the right body language. Always make eye contact with the interviewer. People who don't make eye contact look uncomfortable and a bit untrustworthy, as though they have something to hide. If you have trouble looking someone straight in the eye, focus on their nose or their forehead; it looks exactly the same as staring into the other person's eyes, but it spares you the anxiety that making direct eye contact can cause.
Sit straight in your chair, leaning in slightly toward the interviewer, which shows that you're listening. Don't slouch, which looks unprofessional, and don't lean back and tilt your chair backward, because you may appear arrogant. Make sure you smile and appear open and interested in what the interviewer has to say. Some interviewers tell horror stories about interviewees who spent the duration of the interview examining their fingernails or fighting their drooping eyelids.
While the interviewer is talking, make sure that you nod and say "Mm-hmm" or "yes" every so often. Something as small as a nod reassures the interviewer that you're listening to what he or she is saying. Never interrupt the interviewer, but if there is a pause in the conversation, you can paraphrase what the interviewer has said, as a sort of summarizing question ("So what you're saying is...?"). This serves the double function of assuring your interviewer that you understand the information and showing him or her that you've been paying attention.
Copyright © 2002, 2003 by NATAVI GUIDES.
Check out more student advice on scoring an internship...
>MASTERING THE SKILL OF NETWORKING
>USING EMAIL COVER LETTERS EFFECTIVELY
>ORGANIZING YOUR INTERNSHIP RESUME
>MAKING THE MOST OUT OF BEING THE OFFICE GOFER
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