When interviewing for an Engineering internship what can I do to stand out from the rest?

Hello Sydney,

I have participated in multiple college hiring events, including career fairs, information sessions, business luncheons, etc. What I always look for when I meet potential applicants is strong interpersonal skills and a solid technical background.

The candidates should be able showcase strong technical skills through grades, projects completed and/or previous working experience related to the field of study. Talking through a highlight on their resume in a few simple sentences can go a long way as well.

But what makes candidates stand out in my opinion is their ability to communicate efficiently, sharing their excitement, passion and commitment on their field of study. If you are passionate about what you're doing, love your area of expertise and you are able to communicate that excitement back to the recruiter, then I truly believe that you will be in a position to stand out in the next recruiting event.

Good luck!

Hello there! I have attended many Career Fairs for AT&T at several Missouri colleges. The people who stand out are those who have very professional looking resumes and spend time talking with me about my company (AT&T) and know something about the company before they stop at my booth. I know that they have done their homework on the company and you can do this by reading the Annual Report and Googling recent articles. They ask good questions and can carry on a conversation with me. They also start and end the conversation with a good, firm handshake.

Sydney,

The best thing you can do is to be prepared. This helps the person and the company that you are interviewing with to feel comfortable that you are going to be able to do the job that they are hiring for. Event though this is an internship for you, most companies will treat this like any other job. The last thing they want is to bring in a person that can't do they job they need or will have to babysit.

Here's what you need to prepare for:

1. Research the company and the division that you are interviewing at and understand what they do.
2. Review the internship posting for job requirements and duties to ensure you understand what the job entails
3. Be prepared to talk about yourself and why you think you would be a good fit for the job and the organization. It needs to be more than just "I'm an engineering major". Talk about what classes you enjoy, any hobbits or extracurricular activities that may be related about the job function, projects that you've been involved with and what your role in that project was, etc. Tell a story that connects you to this job and this organization.
4. Be prepared to ask questions. It needs to be more than "what does your company do?". This is your opportunity to show them that you are a critical thinker and to find out more information about the job/company/people you'd be working with. Questions like "what do you (the interviewer) enjoy most about working at the company?".
5. Practice your one on one interview skills. Again, this is your opportunity to show that you are a professional and are prepared. Be memorable to the interviewer in a good way!
6. Be prepared for different types of interviewers. You could be interviewing with HR, the manager for the job that you're interviewing for, or someone that works at the company that is an alumnus of the school holding the career fair. Someone from HR may not have answers to technical questions and may know technical jargon that you may be using in your answers. Be prepared to talk at a high level with people that are not engineering focused and in detail to people that are engineering focused.

Regardless of who you are interviewing with, whether it be the manager of the job or someone in HR, showing that you are prepared will help separate you from everyone else. Good luck!