Steps 5 and 6: The Interview Process

You sent out your application, including both your undistinguished resume and a polite but oddly worded cover letter.  Next, you followed up with the company by getting drunk and leaving desperate voicemails for human resources.

Then the unthinkable happened.  Someone called you for an interview.

5) Preparing for the interview.

Preparing for the interview is an absolute necessity.  Write down your responses to a variety of questions and topics.  Common inquiries include a summary or your strengths and weaknesses, why you are the perfect candidate for the job, and why you chose that company.  You may also discuss your ability to handle conflicts and confrontations, or how you work under pressure. Answering these questions beforehand will make you seem more fluid and confident during the actual interview.

When you write answers, make sure to use examples.  No interviewer wants to hear you say "I'm awesome"—anyone could say that.  The company wants examples of you being awesome.  (No, they don't.  Do not talk about your awesomeness in an interview.)  For my prewritten response to the question of whether I consider myself a leader, I discussed how I organized a three person Spanish presentation.  We had to divide the topics differently because we had three people instead of four, and I took the lead in asking people what they wanted to do.  That's it.  Hardly an example of me tearing down the world with my incredible leadership skills.  

"You worked on a student project?  I, for one, see no reason why you shouldn't be president."

However, this example demonstrates my ability to take charge of a situation. As such, it becomes invaluable in separating me from other candidates.

6) The interview.    

The Phone Interview:

The phone interview is both the easiest and the hardest type of interview.  You don't have to make eye contact and you can dress like a slob.  Most importantly, your prewritten document is sitting in front of you—don't read your answers word for word, obviously, but use them.

Unfortunately, the lack of personal contact with an interviewer has the tendency to make the process more difficult.  Try to avoid asking the interviewer to repeat things, and don't make jokes.  Not that you should anyway, but humor through a phone rarely works as intended.

 Also, be sure to have tissues on hand for your inevitable bloody nose.  Use them when said bloody nose begins to spew red mucus all over your computer and desk.  I mention this because it happened to me in the middle of my interview with my current boss at Folio Literary Management.  Our conversation was progressing reasonably well despite my leaving a crimson stain on my bedroom's carpet, and I felt confident in my chances of securing the internship until this exchange:

"I'll get back to you within a few days regarding my decision.  To be honest, I expected you to be more nervous than this!"

"Well, I am bleeding all over the floor right now."

Pro tip: do not reveal bodily functions via telephone interviews.


The Skype Interview:


The Skype Interview contains many of the same challenges as the phone interview; you cannot, for instance, start either one with a confident handshake.  Unfortunately, the Skype interview requires you to be well dressed and well prepared.  You can't frequently reference a document on your computer screen because it will be obvious you aren't looking at the interviewer.
   
However, you will be better able to gauge how well the interview is going.  You can read the interviewer's face and tell which answers they like and don't like.  Watch their body language.


The In-Person Interview:


My advice for an in person interview?  Dress nice, be prepared, and don't show up too early.  People tend to think showing up ten or fifteen minutes ahead of time demonstrates some invaluable skill.  In reality, it pressures the interviewer to finish his current interview early—automatically establishing you in a negative light.

Most internships do not require in person interviews, so if you have one, it's generally a big deal.  Marvel, for instance, requires an in person interview at their office in New York.



And, with that, I come to the end of this series.  I hope my advice has helped you secure a publishing internship, and if not I hope you at least enjoyed reading my articles.

My next publishing series will be about life as an intern at Folio Literary Management.

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