I interview to hire an intern every year, and generally several other FTE and contractor positions as well. More often than not these start with a phone interview, before progressing to a face-to-face.
Knowing something about the company and products we make is nice in that it shows you did your homework, but it ultimately has very little impact on how well you can code Java, support servers, or build and maintain the WAN.
Generally what I want to see in a candidate:
For the actual interview process, take notes about what questions are asked, then answer THAT question, not something sort-of related to it.
Be prepared for the behavioral/experiential type questions "Tell me about a time that XYZ happened and how you responded?" "Why did you respond that way?" "How could you have handled that differently?" etc..
And finally, be relaxed, you'll come across better. If you don't get this one, don't feel bad, there may be 200 candidates applying and you could still have been in the top 1%.
Personally, if I had an older candidate come through for an intern position, unless they came across as a total zero, I would take the experience as a big plus.
On the military experience, if they were a mid-grade noncom or better that also tells me they know how to take direction and then actually figure out the details of how to get it done, a big help in some positions, and rarely a negative. With single tour enlisted or officers I haven't observed as much consistency, so I'm not sure if there's much upside or downside really...
Good Luck!
Knowing something about the company and products we make is nice in that it shows you did your homework, but it ultimately has very little impact on how well you can code Java, support servers, or build and maintain the WAN.
Generally what I want to see in a candidate:
- Technical aptitude - This is assumed in any candidate that makes it to a face-to-face, and for some short-term positions may be the only skill needed. Knowing your "thing" whether it's coding, chemistry, or marketing, is probably the single most important item.
- General business acumen - If the person understands the need and processes used to prioritize, focus, and impact the most important parts of the business s/he will typically be able to pick up the other intangibles.
For the actual interview process, take notes about what questions are asked, then answer THAT question, not something sort-of related to it.
Be prepared for the behavioral/experiential type questions "Tell me about a time that XYZ happened and how you responded?" "Why did you respond that way?" "How could you have handled that differently?" etc..
And finally, be relaxed, you'll come across better. If you don't get this one, don't feel bad, there may be 200 candidates applying and you could still have been in the top 1%.
Personally, if I had an older candidate come through for an intern position, unless they came across as a total zero, I would take the experience as a big plus.
On the military experience, if they were a mid-grade noncom or better that also tells me they know how to take direction and then actually figure out the details of how to get it done, a big help in some positions, and rarely a negative. With single tour enlisted or officers I haven't observed as much consistency, so I'm not sure if there's much upside or downside really...
Good Luck!
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