Internship interviews are different from experienced-hire interviews in one important way: everyone in the room knows you haven't done this job before. The interviewer is not expecting deep professional experience. They are expecting genuine enthusiasm, evidence of the right foundation, and signals that you'll make the most of the opportunity. Understanding this changes how you prepare.
What internship interviews actually assess
Internship interviewers are looking for: curiosity and a genuine interest in this specific field or company, coachability (will you take feedback and learn?), academic and extracurricular evidence of the relevant skills, and professional basics like communication, preparation, and reliability. They're not expecting you to have five years of work experience. They are expecting you to show up prepared.
Most common questions with sample answers
"Tell me about yourself"
"I'm currently in my second year studying economics at [University]. I've been focused on the finance side of my degree and I've developed a particular interest in corporate finance, especially through a markets module I took last term. Outside of studies, I've been part of the investment society for 18 months and I help run the equity research team where we analyse and pitch stocks. I'm applying for this internship because I want to see how these skills work in a real business context, and [Company] specifically because of your focus on [relevant area]."
"Why do you want this internship?"
"I've been interested in [field] for the last two years and I've been deliberate about preparing for it: [specific steps you've taken]. I'm applying here specifically because [something concrete and specific about this company's work, culture, or reputation in the field]. I want to understand how the work I'm theoretically interested in actually operates in practice, and from what I've read about the programme, this is a place where interns do real work from day one."
"Tell me about a challenge you've overcome"
"In my first year I struggled significantly with the statistics module. It wasn't clicking with how it was being taught. Rather than just doing the same thing harder, I found a different textbook, watched some tutorial videos that explained it differently, and formed a study group with two other students who were having similar difficulties. We ended up all passing, and I actually found that understanding how to learn something that isn't coming easily was more useful than the statistics itself."
How to handle the experience gap
When you don't have professional experience, draw from: academic projects (especially if they involved real problems, data, or deliverables), extracurricular roles (committee positions, running events, coaching, competing), part-time or voluntary work, and self-directed projects (a portfolio, a personal project, something you built or wrote). All of these provide legitimate examples for behavioural questions. Don't apologise for drawing from university experience: that's what the interviewer expects at this stage.
Questions to ask at the end
- "What does a typical week look like for an intern here?"
- "What do the interns who progress well after the placement tend to have in common?"
- "Is there a specific project you're hoping the intern in this role will contribute to?"