Tips for Co-op/Internship Job Interviews
Preface: These are just some tips I thought of sharing based on the experiences I have had while giving interviews. Every interview is different and while there really isn’t a set template for them these are just some general suggestions that should be applicable to most.
If you haven’t checked out my previous article about tips to help with your resume you can check that out right here:
If you are a uWaterloo student, I have another article about the application process right here:
With that out of the way here are my tips for interviews!
- Do not overhype your interview and temper your expectations
First off congrats on the receiving an interview! You have impressed a recruiter enough with your resume to get through the first big hurdle and are one step closer to finally securing a co-op job! This is really impressive and you should be proud but I would be wary of telling more than a few close friends. The more of a big deal it becomes, the more stress and pressure you will tend to build on yourself which could end up with you bombing the interview big time. Please do not do something like post it on your Instagram and Snapchat stories because it is very unnecessary and will not help you in your interview in anyway (Yes I have seen it before) . Set your expectations reasonably and reflect on what strengths you showcased to get you this opportunity.
If you are in uWaterloo try booking your interview slot on WaterlooWorks as fast as you can. They fill up really quickly and you may or may not find someone willing to switch slots with you so it is better to get a suitable slot from the get go.
2. Gather as much information as you can
Typically with the interview confirmation, the recruiter will also give you the person you will be interviewing with. This is where I typically start from when gathering information that I can find online. Typically I aim to use platforms like LinkedIn and the company website to get some insight into the individual. It is a good strategy in order to get a feel with who you are interviewing with and find out what they might value in candidates. Try to gather as much knowledge on the tools used to build the project so you can familiarize yourself accordingly. Typically if you have HR interviewing you, they will conduct the interview follwing a template and not stray away too much from their predetermined questions. If you get an actual member of the team, the interviews are usually more relaxed and there are more opportunities to converse with them rather than strictly answer questions. Be warned though if they ask technical questions they can easily tell if you have no idea what you are talking about. After you look up your interviewer, you will want to find out more about the company. Try to find out the various projects that they have done in the past and what direction the company is heading towards. Usually most companies will post their values on their website so it is beneficial to try to know these as quoting them in an interview will leave a good impression on them.
If you are in uWaterloo you can see your competition on WaterlooWorks and whether or not you search them up is completely up to you. On one hand it does let you know exactly which type of students you are competing against but on the other hand it can make you more nervous especially if your competition is all upper years.
3. Practice for the interview but beware memorizing
You should ask your friends to help you with interview questions so you can get familiar with the types of questions you might face. Some general questions you may receive in your interview are:
Tell me about yourself (The old faithful first question).
Tell me about a time you worked in a group. Did you face conflict? What did you do to resolve this conflict?
Tell me about a project that you have made in the past.
Tell me about this experience (in reference to something on your resume)
These are just some general questions that might get thrown in any interview. Otherwise the questions completely depend on the type of job you applied for and your preparation should focus on relating the requirements of the job to the content on your resume. My biggest warning is to make sure you are not memorizing your answers and are just trying to gain familiarity with the type of questions that you might get in the interview. By memorizing your answers you are much more likely to stumble during the interview and in general, your responses will look really unnatural. Remember that this is a conversation not a prepared speech and so it is normal to have to think about your answers. Only practice till you feel comfortable and prepared and not much more than that.
4. Suit Up! (or at least don’t wear the same hoodie you rock to class)
You do not necessarily have to wear a suit but at least wear a nice shirt and dress pants to the interview. In my second coop, I got to interview people for my coop role and can confirm that wearing a Deadpool hoodie to your interview does not usually end up in a job offer. I personally always wear a suit to my interviews as I feel much more confident when I am wearing one and really get into the mindset to interview. Also it is always better to overdress than underdress as the last thing you want is for you to be giving the interview in jeans while your interviewer is wearing a three-piece suit like Harvey Specter.
Ok I think that is enough TV references for one tip. Just be smart, use your judgement and dress accordingly.
5. Bring a copy of your Resume and Prepared Questions
I know it might seem unnecessary to bring your resume to your interview but you never know when it might come in handy. I actually have a personal story with this tip as this was one of the reasons I got my first job. When I arrived at the interview, the interviewers asked if I had a copy of my resume which at the time I did. Turns out I was the only one and thus even with limited programming experience I was hired for a software developer position. Of course there were other factors in hiring me but I did confirm that this was one of the reasons they hired me. It does not cost much and is not that hard to do so why wouldn’t you bring one just in case. You also want to bring a list of questions for the typical end of interview question, “Do you have any questions for me?” Having a list of questions shows that you are invested in the job and that you have done your research on the role and company. Some questions you could ask are:
What is your favourite thing about working at company X?
What do you think is important for someone to excel in this role?
What is the culture at Company X like?
A quick google search reveals many more questions you could ask so please make sure you are prepared for that. DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK FOR THE PAY!!!! Seriously it is your right as a potential employee to know what the compensation for the role is. A company isn’t going to pull the offer because you asked how much money you will be making. This is a normal question to ask in a job interview and you should not be refrain from asking it.
6. Just relax and give it your best
Remember an interview is just a conversation to see if you are a good fit for the company and the requirements they need right now so just relax and let it come in stride. The interviewer will guide you throughout the interview so just follow their queues and say whatever comes naturally. If it they start asking technical questions, do not phase yourself out if you give the wrong answer. Just move on and answer the next batch of questions. A lot of times they are just trying to see your thought process and want to see if the way you think will be conducive to their working environment. Remember that it is normal to be nervous and interviewers will cut you some slack if you stammer a bit or throw a couple of “ums” while answering questions. While you are answering questions try gauging how the interviewer responds and seeing what type of tone they are trying to set. If your interviewer is responding very formally then tune your answers accordingly. If the interviewer seems to be responding in a more relaxed tone, do not be afraid to start answering a little more informally. Just judge your audience and act accordingly.
7. Do not get discouraged if it didn’t go well
At the end of the day, practice makes perfect and the more interviews you give the more comfortable you will be with them. So if one doesn’t go well take it as a learning experience and move on to the next one. Every interview, even bad ones, has some benefit to you in the long run and who knows maybe the one that you thought you did bad on went better than you thought.
These next tips are specifically for Waterloo students so if you are from another school just skip through these
8. If you get ranked for the job you want on WaterlooWorks
This doesn’t mean you are not getting the job! You still have a chance and you never know what other offers the candidate ranked 1 might take instead. If you have only one rank and no offers then there is no decision making to be done and simply just rank the job a one. If you have an offer and a rank, this is where it becomes more complicated with there being two options. The first one is just accepting the less desirable offered job anyway and thus securing a job. There is no shame in doing so as a job is a job especially when looking for your first one. The second is to rank the less desirable offered job a 7 or Not Rank and then email all the other candidates of the more desirable ranked job to see whether or not they are taking the offer. This doesn’t have that high of a success rate but sometimes it does work out. Another option is to check the WaterlooWorks Ranking Megathread on Waterloo Reddit as people do post the offers they will be accepting and turning down on there. Be warned by not taking the offer, you may end up having no job even if someone is not taking the offer as you are not necessarily ranked a 2. There might be someone ranked higher than you.
9. If you get the offer for the job you want on WaterlooWorks
Rank it a 1 and voila, you are now employed. It is now time to focus on all the school you missed cause of the coop search finals and make that obligatory “Starting Job at Company X” Facebook flex post.
10. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF CONTINUOUS
If you didn’t get an interview in main round or did not get matched with a job, do not fret continuous is more than alright. In fact, I firmly believe that most of you can actually get a better job in continuous as a first year than you would in main round. Continuous round, especially at the beginning, has lots of great jobs available and reduced competition as many of the upper years already got hired in main round. From my own personal experience, I have used my Not Rank on a job in main round every single term and gotten a far better one in continuous. In 1A, I turned down an administration job for TTC in main round and instead got an awesome dev position in continuous despite my very little programming experience. I know many people, much more qualified than me, who settled for a really mediocre job in main round because they were too scared to go to continuous. Continuous has a lot of startups and midlevel companies looking for students like you and offer great experience. Some companies actually only post in continuous because they prefer the quick cycle that it has. BETS, a program only posted in continuous, is a great program for first years and gets them experience at 3 Velocity startups which sets them up quite nicely for their next coop terms.
Hopefully these tips helped you out and you were successful in your job hunt. As always please share this article with anyone else who could benefit from these tips!
Let me know what you thought and if you have any other tips I may have forgotten. If you need any help, do not hesitate to contact me on LinkedIn or any another platform.
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Thanks for reading,
Daivik Goel
