Prepare yourself in advance to increase your chances of success!
If this is your first professional career experience, then you might be feeling nervous about the interview process. But have no fear! We’ve put together some tips to help you ace these three tricky questions so you’ll be jet-setting in no time.
1. “Tell us about yourself”
This seems like a straightforward question, but because there are so many ways to answer it, it’s really important to keep in mind to focus your answer on details of your life that relate to the job that you’re applying for and to paint a picture for the interviewer of who you are.
A good example of this would be to share with them where you’re from, what you’re currently studying, what experiences you’ve had that have led you to be interested in the role you’re applying for, and perhaps some of the hobbies you like to do in your free time.
2. “What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?”
This is a tricky question to answer because you want to position yourself in a way where you’re highlighting the best of your abilities and avoid spending too much time talking about weaknesses. The best way to navigate the answer is to spin a weakness to a positive, so that it doesn’t sound like a weakness at all.
Here’s an example: “I tend to worry about minor mistakes so I always make sure to double-check my work.” This example shows that the “weakness” is a tendency to worry, but because you’ve added that you check your work, the company has a positive feeling about how you respond to your weaknesses and can feel confident hiring someone who is thorough enough to double-check their work.
3. “Have you ever had a challenging experience?”
You want to make sure you prepare for this kind of question because the moment you are asked, it can be really tempting to answer with a simple “yes” and move on with the interview without explaining any examples. And if you wait to think of an example during the interview itself, you might find yourself sitting there silently trying to scramble to think of something to say.
So, before you have your interview, think of a few examples where you’ve faced a challenge. You can divide your challenging experience up into three parts: Scenario, Action, and Result. Explain the situation, what you did to resolve it, and what the final outcome was. This three-part concept can really help you illustrate quantifiable accomplishments to the interviewer and the magnitude of the results that you’ve achieved.
Aside from these tricky questions, you’ll likely be asked some simple culture-related questions to help the interviewers gain insight as to why you’re looking to intern abroad. Feel free to answer these questions candidly and show your passion for the culture and experiences you’re excited to have. Once you’ve prepared your answers to those listed above, you’ll be in a strong position to nail your interview!
Interested in our programs, be sure to explore our 14 locations to help you decide where to go. For more tips like these on interning abroad, check out our blog. And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at hello@beyondacademy.com.
