How to ace your internship interview at Chime
Many interviews have made history, whether for how controversial they were or simply for how hard the interviewer pressed their subject. Prince Harry and Megan Markle left a lasting impression after their tell-all, tough-as-nails interviews with their interviewer, Oprah Winfrey, who knows how to leave a room slack-jawed at how they got someone to open up.
One interview we hope never makes headlines or history is your internship interview with Chime. Interviewing for an internship position should be fun, comfortable, and in no way controversial. We sat down with Jennifer Hillard, Chime’s Head of Early Talent, to hear her advice on preparing for your internship interview (and knocking it out of the park). And while these tips might not prepare you for your sit down with Oprah, they will help you feel confident walking into an interview with Chime.
1. Do your research
“First off, it’s important to know the space the company you’re interviewing with is in. Knowing a company’s industry and stage of growth, as well as its competitors, is a great way to better understand the organization’s priorities. For example, Chime is a later-stage fintech startup, and we’re around 1300 people.
Also, getting to know a company’s mission, values, product, and customers will help you tailor your interview responses to be relevant. All of this knowledge will help you have context going into your interviews and show that you took the initiative to learn about Chime.”
2. Stick to what you know
“The best experience to bring to the table in any interview is your own. So share what you know and refer to your own experiences and learnings, whether they’re from your university program or life outside of it. If you’re in a technical interview, use the coding language you’re most comfortable with (instead of trying to use the language you think your interviewer — or Chime — wants you to use). If you speak from your own experience, you’re more likely to get your point across, be able to answer follow up questions, and give your interviewer an authentic view of your abilities, areas of expertise, and where you can improve.”
3. Get prepared
“Getting ready for your interviews should go beyond just researching Chime as a company. I recommend three ways to prepare yourself:
- Self-reflect: Arrive at your interviews with an idea of what’s important to you, what you’d like to learn during your internship, and what work you’d like to do.
- Gather some questions: The interview process is as much about Chime getting to know you as it is about you getting to know Chime, so treat it accordingly. Prepare at least three questions for your interviewers about their experience at Chime, the role you’re interested in, or the company’s culture. These questions will help you know if Chime is the right place for you.
- Practice interviewing: Go to your career center and do some mock interviews, or practice with colleagues, classmates, or friends. Getting comfortable with answering interview questions is key to avoiding feeling nervous on the day of your interviews. If you’re interviewing for a technical role, take some practice coding tests online.
And remember: we’re interviewing you as an intern, so you won’t be asked the same questions as a senior candidate. Prepare yourself based on your level of knowledge, not that of anyone else.”
4. Be specific in your behavioral interview
“You’ll have two interviews — one that’s role specific and one that’s behavioral. During your behavioral interview, you’ll be asked to share your experience of working as part of a team and project. Think about situations where you took initiative or learned something new — we’re looking for situational examples where you can share what you did and what you learned, not personality traits. Remember that it’s ok if the experiences you share aren’t totally relevant to the role you’re interviewing for. Our goal is to learn how you handle situations and will work with your team.”
5. Don’t overthink it
It’s as simple as that — get prepared, but then don’t overthink it! You’ve got this.
After your interview, you can expect updates from your recruiter on the status of your candidacy within a couple of weeks. And if you get an offer from us, rest assured, we’ll touch base with you closer to your start date about your role and the project you’ll be working on. Your internship experience is our priority, so we’ll help you get prepared before your first day.
We hope these tips are helpful in preparing you for your interviews with Chime. If you have any additional tips for fellow intern interviewees, drop them in the comments!
To learn about how former Chime interns landed their internships — and made the most out of their time at Chime, check out our Early Talent featured blog posts.
