<p>In the past I’ve interviewed and hired interns. My sense is that corporate interviewers have a good understanding of how to interview undergraduates, and that special recipes for interviewing aren’t necessary.</p>
<p>I have two suggestions. The first is for your S to actively follow-up with each of the firms that interviewed him, including those that have “rejected” him. The best way is to do this is with a personal letter. In the letter thank them “again” for the opportunity to have considered him for the intern position, summarize his skills in the context of the position – specifically how they would serve the company in succeeding in the intern assignment, and to state that should the situation at the company were to change “he is very interested” and “would be excited” to work there. For those positions that he has not yet received a reply, he would do well to call and state his interest. Even when the economy is strong, funding for intern positions comes and goes, and sometimes (and it’s happened to me) funding re-appears in late spring.</p>
<p>The second suggestion is in regard to future interviews. The companies that interview him already have a sense of him academically. They know his college. They see his transcript. What they need to know is whether he’ll do the job that they have in mind with passion, energy and persistence. All too often juniors and seniors have high expectations, and in intern positions they are disappointed by what the real world needs. In practice intern positions are rarely technically challenging, but they are difficult in “other” real-world ways. The candidate’s ability to communicate “humility”, “interest” and likely dedication to the work during the interview makes a big impression on those that interview him. Following through on those traits distinguished the potentially successful candidate from the one who’ll be disappointed by the position. All this comes across quickly to experienced interviewers.</p>
<p>Your S would benefit from talking to past interns about what they did, and how the company viewed their work – good or bad. That will go further than any number of mock interviews.</p>