By Ainsley Hale
With summer internships right around the corner, internship applications and interviews are in full swing! This time can be stressful and confusing, so Ladd Flock, Director of Moody College Career Center, joined Texas PRSSA to break down the interview process and share his best advice. He also provided information on perfecting your LinkedIn profile, which can play a big role in landing your dream internship.
Below, I'll detail my biggest takeaways and the tips I found the most helpful!
LinkedIn:
Look at your classmate's profiles– This is an excellent way to see what improvements you want to make to your own profile! It's not stalking, so don't be shy!
Make your headshot and background reflect the job you want– Dress the way people in your industry dress and make your banner relevant and memorable. It's your first impression!
Change your location to where you want to work– LinkedIn and employers use your location to filter and find candidates.
It's okay for your page to be lengthy – Think of your page as your professional portfolio. You don't want to leave anything out!
Try to connect and speak with at least one alumni a week– Check out UT Austin's LinkedIn page and use filters to search for students and alumni that interest you!
Interviewing:
Use the STAR method– When answering behavioral questions, interviewers expect that you use the STAR method. For details, click here.
Practice, practice, practice– All of your answers should be around two minutes. Practice to make sure you can give a good response and stay within the time limit.
Connect all your answers to components of your resume– When an interviewer looks at your resume, it should remind them of your interview answers.
Tell a good story– Show emotion! You may find the story boring, but someone else might find it really interesting.
ALWAYS send a thank you letter– Plan ahead to make sure you have your interviews contact info. Click here for a thank you letter template!
For more information, visit the Moody Career Center website and take a look at their course materials page. You can also access the meeting slides here! These resources are extremely useful and will help you feel prepared for whatever comes your way!
Texas PRSSA wishes you the best in creating an outstanding LinkedIn profile and landing an awesome internship! You got this!!