When writing these lines, we are beginning the month of January. While the launch of this new year means a return from vacation and the start of new resolutions for some, this period also rhymes with the search for the perfect summer internship for many. If you are reading this, I assume that you belong to this second category: a student wishing to find a career opportunity for the upcoming months.

As you know, an interview can generate stress, uncertainty, and anxiety for many even if, objectively, it should not be the case! If you really think about it, it’s an opportunity to make yourself shine through your strengths, your accomplishments, and, ultimately, it’s a chance to question your future employer about the company work culture and different aspects of the role you are applying for.

You may often hear that the key to a successful interview is, without a doubt, preparation. But what does preparation even mean concretely? The following lines will serve as food for thought and add to your toolbox in order to land the internship of your dreams!

  1. Do your research! We like it when the interviewee shows interest and enthusiasm for our company and our projects. A simple visit to the organization’s website combined with an overview of company news won’t go unnoticed. After your research you may not have grasped everything about our company and product! But don’t worry about it, at Coveo, we love seeing interest translate into questions.
  2. Focus on the positives of your accomplishments. Focus on highlighting the positive in every situation. Instead of seeing failure when talking about a past situation, turn it into a learning opportunity. We believe it’s all about wearing the right glasses: an apprenticeship, a new way of working, a way of approaching things differently for the next time, etc.
  3. Being able to identify a weakness is an asset. If you are able to communicate what you would like to improve, it demonstrates other excellent qualities such as your openness to feedback and introspection. The idea here is not to talk about what you are not good at, but rather about what you want to work on.
  4. Before the interview, keep your successes top of mind and the impact you’ve had with them. Whether it’s your contribution to a team project, an idea developed in the context of a hackathon or a case competition, you certainly have something to bring to the table! By thinking about these milestones prior to the interview, you will be able to effectively communicate your accomplishments and successes with ease to your future employer.
  5. The last advice I can give you (but not the least); is to know what you are looking for! An internship is built on a give and take relationship: you are looking for additional experience and as your employer, we want to offer an opportunity that really makes you vibrate and motivates you to achieve your professional and personal goals. It’s also perfectly normal to appear unsure of exactly what you want, an internship is all about exploring new fields and getting to know yourself. However, acknowledging the environment you like to work in, the type of projects you like to work on, the industry in which you see yourself evolving are important aspects to question when looking for your internship.

I’d like to seize this opportunity to remind you that the university recruitment team is always there to help and support you during the interview process.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions! At Coveo, we have internship opportunities in several teams, for technical and non-technical positions, that take place during each university semester.

To learn more, visit www.coveolife.com.