28 Internship Interview Questions & Sample Answers [2024]

While many associate internships primarily with university graduates, this perception doesn’t capture the full scope of internship opportunities. In fact, internships can be valuable at various career stages, offering a chance for personal and professional growth. Understanding your unique strengths is crucial in maximizing the benefits of an internship, regardless of your career phase. Tools like the HIGH5 strengths assessment can provide valuable insights, helping you align your internship goals with your natural talents and potential. By identifying and leveraging your strengths, you can make the most of any internship opportunity, whether you’re a recent graduate or a professional seeking a career change.

Internships can also be beneficial to someone who is seeking a career change to a different industry. An internship can help you learn new skills, build your network, and improve your chances of securing a full-time job at your desired company.

However, before securing an internship opportunity, you must first go through a competitive and challenging interview.

This article will cover more than 20+ commonly asked internship interview questions to prepare you for your interview. You will also get tips and tricks on how you should prepare yourself before going for your internship interview.

What are employers and hiring managers looking for when interviewing people for internships?

When hiring for internships, managers prioritize a candidate’s skills and personality over academic achievements alone. While GPA matters, recruiters are particularly interested in the transferable skills you’ve developed during your college years. To stand out, it’s crucial to identify and articulate these skills effectively. This is where tools like the HIGH5 strengths assessment can be invaluable. By taking the HIGH5 test, you can uncover your unique strengths and translate them into the transferable skills employers seek. This self-awareness not only helps you highlight your abilities more confidently but also demonstrates to recruiters that you’ve taken proactive steps to understand and leverage your personal strengths in a professional context.

Below is a list of transferable soft skills employers and hiring managers look for when hiring people for an internship:

1. Communication skills

Communication comes in many different forms. Hiring managers are most interested in your writing and speaking abilities. Your ability to communicate effectively by expressing your views and conveying a message accurately is essential in any industry.

You can highlight this skill through the cover letter or resume you wrote for the internship application. Additionally, you can showcase that you can articulate well when answering questions during your interview.

2. Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills, sometimes known as “social skills” or “people skills”, are another essential skill to have as an intern. Interpersonal skills are comprised of different skills such as conflict resolution, empathy, listening, etc. This skill is crucial because hiring managers want individuals who can discern others’ needs and, at the same time, value and appreciate others’ viewpoints.

No matter which industry you work in, you are required to communicate with your stakeholders. Hence, it is critical that you have the necessary skills to build rapport and relationships with others.

3. Adaptability

Our current work environment is fast-changing. It doesn’t matter if you intern at a startup or an established company; you need to be agile and adaptable to keep up with the latest trend and technology.

Thus, you need to be comfortable and have the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and needs coming from your supervisor.

In addition, being adaptable and willing to perform the tasks given to you will allow you to become acquainted with the different aspects of a business. And having exposure to the various functions of a company will provide you with an edge in your career.

4. Collaboration

As an intern, you will spend most of your time working in a team with other interns and seniors. Collaboration means having the ability to interact and form relationships with others.

As a team member, you need to be aware of your strengths and areas of development. Having this self-awareness allows you to identify which areas you can contribute to the team.

5. Organizational skills

Organizational skills are an overarching term used to describe a collection of skills that allow you to manage your time and resources efficiently and successfully. The skills include time management, delegation, goal setting, attention to detail and decision-making.

As an intern, you are required to have strong organizational skills. This is because you will be given many tasks to complete. And for you to stay on top of things and complete tasks within the deadline, you need to be organized.

6. Problem-solving skills

The problem-solving process is part of spotting a problem, diagnosing and exploring possible solutions or alternatives, deploying the solutions, and then following up to confirm the problem is addressed.

In your internship role, you will be entrusted with tackling various challenges but with minimal information given by your supervisor. With the bit of information you have, you need to be creative and resourceful to come up with new solutions. And when you are suggesting a solution, be prepared to share the thought process of how you got to that solution.

Pro Tip From HIGH5

Before your internship interview, take the HIGH5 strengths assessment to identify your top five strengths. Then, prepare specific examples of how you’ve applied these strengths in academic or extracurricular activities. This approach will help you provide concrete, personalized answers that showcase your self-awareness and potential value to the company.

28 Internship Interview Questions

1. Can you briefly introduce yourself to me?

Interviewers use this question frequently at the start of the interview as a warm-up question. It allows you to loosen your nervousness while talking about yourself. In addition, the question aims to evaluate your communication skills and understand your career goals better.

To answer this question, ensure your response balances expressing your personality and minimizing answers unrelated to the internship you are applying for.

2. Why are you interested in this internship?

Asking why you are interested in this internship can give interviewers insight into your interest. This question is designed to evaluate whether your career aspirations are aligned with what the organization can offer in the internship.

They are also interested to see if you are keen and enthusiastic about the role and opportunity to work in the company.

When answering this question, consider factors other than salary that made you apply for this internship role. For example, you plan to acquire specific skills from this internship opportunity. Or this internship opportunity can give you a better understanding of a particular role or industry you are interested in.

3. Why do you want to work in our company?

This question places the main focus on the company. Hiring managers want to know if you have done the necessary research about their company.

Additionally, they are aware that you may have also submitted internship applications to other companies. So by asking this question, they want to gauge how genuine and excited you are about the opportunity to work in their company. They use this question to guesstimate the chances of you accepting their internship offer if they offer you.

To answer this question, ensure you have researched the company in-depth. Consider what qualities of this company attract you to apply for their internship program. How do the work or company goals relate to your career goals and aspirations?

4. How would your friends describe you?

Interviewers use this question to evaluate your approach and attitude towards work. It is also an excellent question to understand your personality a little deeper. Thus, this is your opportunity to highlight and demonstrate that you are ready to take up the challenge and work for the internship.

You can start by highlighting a few of your soft skills to answer this question. Make sure to describe the skills that can showcase your suitability for the role.

Support your points by incorporating them into examples or situations you had with your friends. Remember to describe how your skills play a role in helping you to reach your objectives or solve a problem.

5. What kind of working style do you prefer working in?

There is no one correct answer to this question. However, in almost every job you do, you are required to collaborate with others to a certain extent.

Hiring managers are looking for a few things when they ask you this question. First, they want to understand your working style and see if you are a good fit for the team. They also want to evaluate if you can work independently with others when required.

So, the most straightforward approach to answer this question is to highlight your preference for both sides and why you think both styles are essential. Then, you can share two good examples emphasizing your ability to work independently and as part of a team to achieve something.

6. What makes you choose this university to pursue your studies?

This question aims for the interviewers to understand and observe the applicants’ decision-making process. Choosing the best university to attend is one of the few significate life decisions everyone needs to make. It allows interviewers to obtain insights into the candidates’ passions and career interests.

When answering this question, you should focus on the benefits you aim to get. It can be the course curriculum of this university or a professor who is an expert in the field you want to pursue. Demonstrate to the interviewers that your university decision is based on your enthusiasm and passion for the field of study.

7. What classes during your university do you like most and least?

Like the question above, this question aims to understand what topic or subject interests you the most. Your response will allow the interviewers to assess if this internship opportunity aligns with your career aspiration.

Here are a few tips for you to answer this question:

• First, choose lectures that are most beneficial to your internship.
• Then, share the knowledge you’ve acquired from the classes and how it will contribute to your professional career.
• When sharing about your least favorite classes, avoid being overly critical. Instead, provide an objective rationale as to why you don’t like the course. One good reason is that the class is different from what you expected it to be.

8. What do you plan to do after you graduate?

An internship is not a two-way opportunity. It is about more than exploring and determining if this is the career you want. An internship is also an opportunity for companies to discover hidden gems or high performers that can

One way to answer this question is by emphasizing that you’re motivated and committed to staying in the same career pathway. Share with the interviewers that you are eager to learn and pick up the necessary skills to secure a job in the industry you want to work in.

9. Why do you think you deserve to get this internship?

Interviewers ask this question to allow candidates to set themselves apart from other candidates. Grab this opportunity to highlight what makes you unique and what value you can add to your new team.

Assuming you have researched the company during your pre-internship interview preparation, now use that information to craft your response to this answer. First, focus on your unique skills, personality traits, and experiences. Second, demonstrate how these strengths can benefit the team you will join and the organization.

Furthermore, ensure you align your answer to the qualifications or requirements in the job description. Doing so will show the interviewers that you have read and understand the internship role and expectations clearly.

10. Can you share an example of a new skill you need to pick up to complete a task/assignment?

Recruiters know that most internship candidates have little to no work experience. An internship allows applicants to have the opportunity to learn and gain relevant work experience and skills. So, hiring managers want to know if you have the capability and interest to learn and keep up with the pace of the work.

The best method to reply to this question is by providing an example of a past situation where you show up to learn a new skill. Demonstrate to the interviewers that you are always eager to learn new things. Your answer should allow the interviewers to understand how you approach new obstacles. For example, are you capable of learning new skills independently, or will you reach out to someone more experienced?

11. How do you respond to negative feedback?

The interviewers want to assess how you deal with constructive feedback or criticism. In addition, they would like to know if you took action to improve yourself based on the feedback you received.

To answer this question, you should provide an example from your previous working experience (if any) or during university where you received feedback from someone. Then, talk about how you deal with the feedback and the steps you took to develop and improve yourself.

12. What are your hobbies?

Hiring managers ask this question to learn more about you and evaluate if you would be a great addition to the team and organization. When answering this question, highlight your area of strengths and skills accumulated through your hobbies that can be transferable to work.

You don’t have to share every hobby you have but one or two that reflect your dedication to it. Sharing your hobbies with the interviewers lets them know you have a life outside your job. Avoid sharing topics that may be sensitive such as politics and religion.

13. How much do you know about our company?

Interviewers can understand how well-prepared you are for the interview. Talking specific details about the organization shows that you are genuinely interested in securing a job within the company. Your answer will reveal what intrigues you about the company or how you can contribute to the team. You will create a positive impression on the interviewers if you can relate the company’s goals and values to your personal career goals and experiences.

14. Are you familiar with the industry we are in?

Asking this question allows the interviewers to determine how familiar you are with the industry you are planning to work in. They want to know if you can work with your colleagues or clients on tasks related to the industry. Answering this question also allows the interviewers to evaluate the amount of training the candidates need to be familiar with the role.

15. What are you hoping to achieve out of this internship?

You need to provide a clear and specific answer about what you plan to achieve in your internship. It can be a skill, knowledge or experience you wish to obtain from this internship. You need to be specific when answering this question because the hiring managers want to see if you are a good match for this role. Furthermore, they want to know if your career goals and aspirations are aligned with what they can offer you in this internship opportunity.

16. What do you expect upon completing this internship?

When interviewers hear about your expectations, they can tell how much you know about their company and the internship role. You can use this opportunity to share your expectation about the internship role. It can be about the type of job or tasks an intern is expected to perform, working hours, etc. By setting these expectations upfront with the interviewers, they can decide if you would be a good fit for this internship role.

17. What unique skills or strengths you can bring to our company?

Consider any skills, qualifications, or traits that will allow you to contribute to the team. As an intern, you are curious about what your colleagues are working on and show that you are eager to learn. You need to be ready to ask questions to clarify instructions or tasks you are unclear about. You need to be a reliable team member who can get started on things as soon as you are briefed about them. You should also have a clear idea of what you intend to achieve from this internship opportunity.

So, remember to highlight these soft skills when answering this question. Remember also to emphasize the hard skills that you possess and that are listed in the job advertisement.

18. What do you plan to contribute as an intern to your team or the company?

If you got this question during your interview, don’t just talk about your technical skills. Interviewers are looking for more than the technical skills you bring to the role. So make sure you describe other values or abilities you can get to this job. Hiring managers want to evaluate your leadership skills by hearing how you plan to support and make significant contributions to the team. Answering this question confidently can demonstrate to the interviewers that you can take on the responsibility of this internship role.

19. What are your career goals?

The primary reason interviewers ask you this question is to understand your career plan and how you intend to develop your career in this industry. If your career aspirations are closely aligned with the team or company, you have a higher chance of securing this internship opportunity.

So, make sure to describe how your career goals are aligned with this internship role. You can explain how the skills and knowledge you will obtain through this internship can contribute to your long-term career goals.

20. Are there any questions that you would like to ask me?

You should finish an interview without asking your interviewer a question. Instead, make the most of your time with them by asking about any concerns or information you are curious about the job or company. The recruiters need to know that you are also invested in the process. And asking intelligent questions is a fantastic way to demonstrate this.

Prepare several questions that reflect that you have done your homework about the company and show that you’re eager about this internship opportunity.

21. Share one achievement that you are most proud of.

This question invites you to share one significant achievement that you accomplish. The achievement can be from your personal life, while you are studying at university or your previous job. How you answer this question can reveal the skills or expertise you are good at. Interviewers can also learn about what you value most professionally from the accomplishments you shared.

Rather than sharing something you assume the recruiters wish to listen to, share something you are actually proud of. Be specific when describing your achievement. Talk about why this achievement means so much to you.

22. Can you share a time when you made a mistake, and what did you learn from it?

We all make mistakes, but this question is not aimed at finding faults in you. Instead, it is a question of adapting and learning from mistakes. Interviewers want interns who are willing to take responsibility for their actions. It also shows you can be objective and learn from mistakes.

23. Can you describe what you would do if you had to make a tough decision?

Interviewers want to evaluate how you make decisions and solve problems by asking you this question. They are interested to understand the steps you took to solve a problem rather than focusing on the result. This question also allows them to identify if you show skills like strategic thinking when facing obstacles and solving a problem.

24. What do you do when you receive feedback from others?

As an intern who is just starting your career, there are many things that you have yet to experience before. So, being receptive to feedback is critical for your learning and career development.

As such, interviewers want to know if you are comfortable receiving constructive feedback or criticism from others. They are also interested to learn the next steps you take after receiving the feedback. For example, will you use the feedback to reflect and further improve yourself?

Make sure to share a specific example of a situation where you received feedback from others with your interviewer. Also, remember to explain the action plan you took in response to the feedback you received.

25. How would you describe a complex concept to your team member?

During your internship, you may encounter co-workers or customers from a different educational background than you. Therefore, interviewers want to assess your ability to communicate and collaborate with others through this question.

When answering this question, you should demonstrate to the interviewers that you can identify and manage the needs of others. For example, explain to the interviewer the process you took to explain something complex and how you addressed the person’s problem.

26. What actions do you take if one of your team members does not manage to complete their part during a project/assignment?

Everyone is bound to meet someone they can’t get along with well, be it at school or work. Interviewers can understand how you react and address such difficulties by asking this question. This question also allows recruiters to assess how good you are at working with your team members.

27. Can you describe how you had to deal with stressful situations?

Interviewers like to ask this question because they can evaluate how adaptable you are and your level of self-awareness. How you face challenges, stressful situations, and failures will reveal a great deal about your personality. It also allows interviewers to determine if you are a good fit for the company.

If you have yet to experience stressful situations at work, you can consider an example from your university life.

Spend time discussing what you learnt and how you will do things differently if you are in the same situation again. Your goal here is to show the interviewers that you are positive, resilient and eager to improve.

28. Can you describe your experience when you took up a leadership role at your university?

Hiring managers use this question to assess your ability to work in a team. They are interested to find out if you have the confidence to take the lead in doing something. An excellent way to portray your leadership skills is by sharing how you drive and empower your team to achieve an objective. If you don’t have a good example of being in a leadership role, you can provide a situation where you took the lead to change something that required changes.

Pro Tip From HIGH5

After identifying your strengths through the HIGH5 assessment, create a “strengths story bank.” Compile brief anecdotes that illustrate how you’ve used each of your top strengths in various situations. This preparation will enable you to provide compelling, concrete examples during your interview, making your responses more impactful and memorable.

Questions for You to Ask in an Internship Job Interview

Before we give you a list of questions you can ask during the interview, let us first address the most important question: Why do we need to ask interviewers questions?

Firstly, interviewers want to understand how interested you are in this internship opportunity. By asking questions, you show the interviewers that you have done your homework and are eager to get this job.

Hiring managers can learn a lot from the questions you ask. This is your opportunity to show them you have what it takes to perform in the role.

1. What do you expect me to achieve in my first 30 days working here?
2. What does a normal day look like in this internship role?
3. Can you share with me your favorite part about working in this company?
4. What is the onboarding and training process for new interns?
5. How frequently do you perform performance reviews?
6. Can you describe the supervisor’s management style?
7. What skills are essential for this internship role?

How To Prepare for an Internship Job Interview?

An internship is just as crucial as a full-time job. It could open doors to many future career opportunities if you do it well. So, make sure you approach it like any other job interview.

You want to research the company and ensure you are fully prepared for the interview. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when preparing for the internship interview.

• Look up the company. Take some time to go through their company website and social media handles. Read about what the company has been doing recently. What are their company direction, vision and values? Learn about their company culture and the way they do things.
• Research the interviewer. Find them on LinkedIn and find out if there’s anything that both of you have in common. You can also review their posts and see if they shared anything or recently posted any achievements. Having this information can help you build rapport with the interviewer during your interview.
• Gather all of the information ahead of time. For example, how will the interview be conducted? Is it a physical or virtual interview? Do you need to prepare anything before the interview? What time and where will the interview be held?
• For the interview, dress appropriately for the interview. How will the interview be conducted? Do you need to prepare anything before the interview? When will the interview be held?
• A crucial step in interview preparation is determining your goals for the internship. However, to set meaningful objectives, it’s essential to have a deep understanding of your strengths and areas for growth. This is where the HIGH5 strengths assessment can be a game-changer. By taking this assessment, you gain valuable insights into your top five strengths, which can inform your internship goals. For instance, if ‘Strategist’ is one of your strengths, you might set a goal to apply strategic thinking to a specific project during your internship. Create a list of three goals that align with both your strengths and the company’s objectives. When you share these well-thought-out goals with interviewers, you demonstrate not only clarity of purpose but also self-awareness and a commitment to leveraging your unique strengths in the role. This approach shows that you’ve taken a proactive, strengths-based approach to your professional development, setting you apart as a candidate.

Pro Tip From HIGH5

Use the results of your HIGH5 strengths assessment to tailor your internship goals. For each goal, consider how you can utilize one or more of your top strengths to achieve it. This strengths-based approach to goal-setting will help you articulate a more personalized and achievable vision for your internship, impressing interviewers with your self-awareness and strategic thinking.

Internship Interview Questions Frequently Asked Questions

Which skills are important for an internship?

When hiring for internships, hiring managers focus more on a person’s skills and personality. Hence, you must highlight critical transferable skills you picked up through your course and social activities.

Communication, interpersonal, organizational and problem-solving skills are some important skills a company looks for.

What are the 3 most important factors for you in a job internship?

When it comes to applying for a job internship, everyone has different priorities. However, the three primary aspects that most of us strive for in an internship are:

1. the potential to kickstart our career
2. access to mentors and industry experts
3. the opportunity to learn new skills