Congrats! You have landed a campus or on-site interview! As soon as you arrive, someone will greet you at the front desk. They will introduce themselves. Introduce yourself proudly, smile, and give a firm handshake. You will get walked to the interviewing room. Start a conversation with that person (ex asking how their day is going).
You will get into the room and be asked a series of behavioral questions. Just after you sit down, ask if they need a copy of your resume, would like a business card, and need a copy of your transcript. That will make you look very well prepared. Then open up your folder, grab your pen, and the interview will start. The first question will usually be to “tell them a little bit about yourself”. This will be the interviewer's first true impression of you. Present yourself like you're proud of who and what you represent. This is where you give your 30 second commercial. You usually mention your major, your involvement in school, hobbies, etc. Make sure to show emotion in your voice and not sound like an interviewing drone/robot, especially when you're sick and tired of interviewing. If that's not the first question, then it will most likely be the second question, following the interviewers asking what you know about the company.
Sometimes before the interviewers ask you questions, they may just give you an overview of the job description. If so, write it down and it will show you're interested in the job you are interviewing for.
Don't say “ummm”, stare blankly into space, or fidget if you're stuck on a question. If you're not sure what to answer or are drawing a blank, ask for the interviewer to either repeat the question or clarify the question so you can gain a better understanding of the answer they are looking for.
Following the behavioral interview is the technical interview. Here, you will be asked a series of questions regarding the tasks you will be performing when doing the job. The interviewer is looking to see if your IT skills are a good match for the position. You will be asked around 10 questions or so regarding programming keywords, how to solve a problem, etc. Sound confident in your answer, even if you have no clue what the answer is. If you're really stumped, say that you're unsure and would love to learn more about the given subject and they will usually tell you the answer to the question. You don't have to know every single answer, so no need to worry. Usually if you do, that would in some cases mean you're overqualified. Yes, you need to know the majority of the questions so you seem competent. There needs to be room to be trained as well.
Warning: you may get asked to write out syntax from memory. Make sure you of course study syntax ahead of time. If you don't know the exact answer to the question, at least try to talk yourself out loud through the problem so if your syntax is off and you are certain of the logic, at least make an educated guess of the syntax and clearly explain the logic to the interviewers so you can show your competence of the given subject. If you are completely stumped, at least try something and even if you completely forgot how to answer the question, don't let the interviewers know. It would sound better to them if you say you've never learned it before and would love to learn more about the given subject (and of course, ask for the answer).
If there are multiple rounds and a senior member/manager of the team you'd be interviewing for is interviewing you, they would typically ask behavioral questions regarding your personal accomplishments and such.
At the very end of the interview or each round, you will be asked if you have any questions. If you say no, the interview will end earlier, which usually is not a good thing. The longer the interview lasts, that's usually a good sign. For example, if they say the interview is supposed to last 45 minutes and it lasts over an hour, that usually means you have established a connection with the interviewers. That doesn't mean too much, but that puts you a few steps in the right direction. This is the moment where you ask away to find out more information regarding the company, the job or internship program, and how the culture of your work environment. Make sure to take notes of what the interviewers answer to your questions. Writing it down looks more professional. And if you don't write it, you may not remember clearly. You can also reference this sheet when you're making your decision whether or not to accept an offer (if you get one). Sometimes, if the interview is supposed to last an hour and it lasts exactly an hour, that usually means you're fine because the interviewers may have multiple candidates interviewing that day and can't hold you longer than the interview was supposed to last for. If you ever feel rushed out, that's usually the reason why.
A good thing to do at the end is ask the interviewers for their business card or contact information so you can send them thank you notes after the interview is over, but make sure to do this within 24 hours. Don't worry, you can potentially outsmart the interviewers if they forget their business cards! Also, DO NOT FORGET TO FOLLOW UP. Make sure to ask what the next steps of the interview process are.
Before you leave the room, make sure to shake everyone's hand (firmly) again and thank them for their time. Sound sincere. Giving an impression of being polite is extremely professional. When one of the people is walking you out, make sure to keep a conversation going with them and of course, shake their hand and thank them for their time and tell them to have a great day or take care (or some kind of polite goodbye).
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