Remember to Be Yourself
I saved the best chapter for last! When interviewing for an internship, finding the program of your dreams, and reading up on your professional future, don’t forget to be yourself! Don’t be an image of what your parents want; don’t copy your friends; and don’t change your likes and dislikes to match a company culture. The only one who is going to suffer in the end is YOU!
In reality, you want an internship that is in-line with you, and everything that you stand for. You want to work somewhere you are accepted, with coworkers that feel the same way you do. You want to do something you love every day, so no days feel like work. That means, you need to be yourself, or you can end up in a program that is meant for anyone but you.
Now, if being yourself means wearing a beanie with a stained t-shirt and arriving late to the interview, you might want to change your promptness and professional manner. But, we’re not suggesting that you change what makes you HAPPY.
Here are a few ways to preserve yourself throughout the interviewing process:
1. Keep Your Humor:
Humor can be a great way to separate out people who will/will not fit in a workplace. If you are funny, but act like the most humorless person ever in an interview, you might miss out on a place that was looking for people with senses of humor. Maintain your wit, sarcasm, or whatever makes your eye twinkle, even in the interview! Find a way to crack a joke and show them that you are laid back, with a good attitude.
2. Own Your Likes & Dislikes:
Don’t change a thing about yourself! If you start chatting about hobbies, don’t go in there and lie, saying that you adore golf. Firstly, this can backfire badly if they ask you details about it, and secondly, do you really want to be hired based on a hobby you don’t even like? Go ahead and tell them that you love to skateboard, and that you own your own food blog. See how it’s received! You might discover this place is perfect for you; or you might discover it’s not a fit. It’s worth the time now, for your happiness down the line.
3. Be Honest:
Don’t lie and say you’re a world traveler when your social media clearly proves otherwise. Be completely honest about what you have done, haven’t done, and want to do. Again, you never know what the interviewer is looking for! They might want interns that DON’T have a Masters in Accounting. You never know what the deal is, which is why you want to be honest. Getting caught in a lie is the quickest way to bombing an interview.
4. Find Your Happiness:
Like I have said before, if you find yourself completing dreading an internship or even the interview for it, maybe you need to sit back and think about what makes you happy. There’s only one of you in the world, which is why it’s so important to maintain yourself throughout the professional interviewing. Don’t worry, be happy.
HonorSociety.org
Our platform exists to strengthen and enhance your professional and academic success. It’s as simple as that. We are a digital Honor Society with everything from company reviews, to real testimonies regarding internships that interest you. We have our own job board, making it easy to pair yourself up with the biggest companies in the world, looking for new and willing talent. And, with our partnership through Vault.com, you can do all of your background research in just one singular place.
I wrote this e-book because I have recognized how important my prep work was in landing the internship of my dreams. Beginning with KPMG, I have had a tremendously rewarding, fulfilling, and invigorating career, starting with my willingness to prepare for that first internship interview. I want you to have access to those same resources, which is why I hope you will consider visiting our platform in preparation for landing the interview of your dreams.
Reach for the moon. Even if you fall short, you’ll land among the stars.
