Summer Internship Interview processes have begun on many campuses. If not, rest assured they are around the corner. So sit tight, and to ace your summer internship interview, keep these things in mind:
1. Take everything in your stride
You have your heart set on some company. You saw it in the pre-placement presentation, it was everything you had every dreamed of and more, with it's long, beautiful mission and vision statements, the utter charm of the values it espouses, and the sparkling animations it showed off in the presentation. It knocked you off your feet and you fell, you fell hard for it. You see a chance of making it yours.
First of all, calm down. You are young.
Second, sure, aim for it. Give it your best shot, but whatever happens, take it in your stride. You know you tried. (That rhymed!)
2. Prep Prep Prep. And don't BS.
Take your CV. Look at each and every word on it. Why does that word fit there the best? What is the relevance of your project title? What was that award you won in the second year? Make sure you know everything. In B-schools, we often learn to make long, irrelevant sentences which are supposed to display the knowledge gained through cooperation and synergistic collaboration with discrete sources from the peer pool, combined with the inputs from industry stalwarts, which have contributed to our oeuvre of business experience till date... (See what I did there?) Whom are you kidding? The recruiters are experienced. You aren't the first snot nosed MBA throwing words at them. They've dealt with worse and more.
3. Be real.
Be yourself. Sure, fake it till you make it and all that. But you will work for that company for two months, and they'll see right through you then. Be honest, be yourself. Unless of course you are a closet serial killer, then sure, please don't be yourself.
Make memories. Make that day count. Take every opportunity you get. Be there for your friends. Be there for your foes.
My last word of advice is what I have already said at the beginning. Calm Down. Take a deep breath.
-------------
About the Author:
Pooja Wanpal considers reading the sole aim of her life. She is obsessed with trekking, pani puri, and adores traveling. She is a freelance content writer, and has penned the novel, ‘Love and Lokpal’. She is currently studying Human Resource Management and Labour Relations at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. For her summers, she interned at Hindustan Unilever. She is also a part of the InsideIIM Student Team 2016-17.