​Tips and Tricks to Landing an Internship

Getting the interview:

• Ensure that you have a LinkedIn profile that is professional and up-to-date, and grow your network by adding professional contacts
• Include a “professional” photograph – a smartphone photo works well, if it’s a close-up headshot and you’re looking into the lens
• List business courses completed that demonstrate general knowledge that may be relevant to the position
• Specify any applications you use that may be relevant, especially ones in which you are certified (e.g., Microsoft Excel certification)
• Include extracurricular activities, including sports, volunteer positions, and jobs held during the school year or breaks, particularly highlighting leadership roles and any awards received
• Similarly, polish your resume to accentuate your academic, time management, and extracurricular achievements, including proficiency in applications — your resume should be a close match to your LinkedIn profile
• Work with your career development office, and monitor job postings through your college or university
• Target companies where you would like to work, and monitor external job posting sites
• Attend job fairs and other career events offered by your college or university
• If not already a member, consider getting a student membership with The IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors). Even if not a member, there is public information on The IIA website that may help you learn more about the profession

Succeeding in the interview process (whether it is in-person, a phone call, or through Skype):

• Do as much research on the company as you can before the interview, and be prepared to ask some questions based on your knowledge
• Be certain you know where to meet, if in-person, and how long it will take to get there
• If by phone or Skype, ensure that you will be in a place with limited distractions
• Be on time
• Look and/or sound professional
• Answer each question calmly and thoroughly
• Try to make the interview conversational, if possible, without “cutting off” the interviewer
• At the end of the interview, after asking your questions, thank the interviewer for their time, re-emphasize your interest, and enquire about next steps in the process

You’ve been selected as an intern! To get the most from your internship:

• Find out if your school provides scholastic credit for your internship, and if so, how many hours you may need to work and what forms you will need to complete
• Once you arrive, ask your manager what is important to them to ensure you are meeting goals, objectives, and expectations
• Let your manager know that, if possible, you would like to be part of a project, from start to finish
• Offer to take notes during opening meetings, interviews, and closing meetings
• Offer to draft observations and report sections — professional writing takes practice!
• Attend team meetings, and if you have thoughts about ways to make processes more efficient, speak up
• Be curious and inquisitive, and ask questions if you don’t understand something
• Be upfront about your schedule with your manager — most should understand there will be times when your course load or other obligations have become more demanding than anticipated
• Attend, if possible, lunches or other events for interns outside of internal audit, to expand your circle of connections
• Send invitations to all of your new contacts to connect on LinkedIn
• Update your LinkedIn profile to reflect your internship, responsibilities, and specific accomplishments, keeping in mind not to share confidential company information
• At the end of your internship, if there is no formal performance appraisal process, ask that your manager discuss with you your strengths and weaknesses
• Request that your manager add your updated resume to the company’s database, for future employment consideration

If you have other tips or questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I can be reached at Nancy_Haig@piacllc.com.