So let’s start with the first thing every one of us has heard about before. Employers are looking beyond the GPA.

This blog post was written by Tina, our student services intern. Tina will be interning at the Vancouver Internships office until early fall, 2012.

They are interested in experiences that set us apart from other applicants and make us even more outstanding. But how can we make ourselves exceptional? Doing an internship could be an opportunity – the chances of being hired after doing an internship are as high as 67%. It shows to a prospective employer that we are able to adapt to different environments easily, we are proactive about our career as well as that we are willing to learn.

I see it myself; an internship is a chance to learn what we were never taught while studying. Of course, we will need our knowledge and skills that we have learned in university but the internship is a way to put it all into practice. It is like a preparation for the “real world”. It is different from being a student but we will benefit from an internship in multiple ways. It gives us a new perspective, more self-confidence as well as it is an opportunity to see if we have chosen the right work field. It’s really worth trying since there is nothing to lose, only to win.

Source for internship statistics: National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) report: 2011 ‘Internship & Co-op Survey’ http://www.naceweb.org/2011-intern-research-brief/

Click here to view the embedded video.

Incredible – This might be the best way to describe the journey I took last week. Being a real city girl, I never thought of how amazing and fascinating nature can be. Since I had to visit students in Banff and Lake Louise who are currently doing an internship there, I had the chance to travel to the Rocky Mountains. Taking the Greyhound bus was quite a journey but all worth it. The scenery is just breathtaking and the towns of Banff and Lake Louise just cute, special, and traditional.

The students who are staying in the Rockies absolutely love it. They really enjoy their work at the hotel. They surely had to get used to the cold but now, in March, when it´s starting to get warmer, it´s very nice. Of course, the snow still stays so the Rocky Mountains seem to be the place to be for all kinds of winter sport activities. There are lots of tourists snowboarding, skiing, snow walking, dog sliding, or just visiting different sights within the towns. So when one works there in the Rockies means meeting a lot of people from all countries from all over the world. Just walking through the streets made me recognize all the different languages spoken.

An absolutely unforgettable experience is to go on the top of the mountains. You take a gondola up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain and there it is – the gorgeous, untouched nature all round you. It is absolutely breathtaking and you literally feel like you were on top of the world. Unfortunately I didn´t see any wild animal but one squirrel. But I guess that might just be one of the many reasons to go back there one day.

FYI: To introduce myself to you– my name is Tina and I’ve been interning at Vancouver Internships for three weeks now. I am a Sociology student from Germany who is living the Canadian experience. After staying in the United States for one year when I was 16 years old I wanted to experience what is like to work in North America. To extend my living and cultural experience I decided to come to Canada.  I’ve found it so much more different from the US than I expected. I am going to stay here in Vancouver for five months before I’m going back to do my Masters.

Being new in Canada myself I know it can be a new and exciting experience to actually have a job interview here. Some questions might not be entirely different from what we are used to at home but the most challenging part in that matter might be the language itself. But do not get too stressed out. The intern host company knows about it and invited you because of your skills, education, and work experiences you made in the past. Just make the best out of it.

Since it is always challenging, be aware of some points and you will do just fine:

• Be prepared and think about possible questions the company may ask and answers you can provide.
• People talk about first impressions – this is not just a saying but the entire truth. As everywhere in this world it is not just the outfit that matters but also the smile and the eye-contact.
• Stay polite and show your interest in the company and their business by getting some information about them beforehand.
• Listen to questions carefully. Sometimes the vocabulary might be new so it is easy to misunderstand and you might give an answer that does not fit the question. So feel free to ask for repeating.

So in conclusion stay positive and do not get discouraged. Every interview is a chance. You will learn from it and I am sure each one of us finds an internship that just suits us best.

NB: Tina is our new intern here at Vancouver Internships. She is assisting with Student Support Services.  She is currently working on revamping our interview support materials.  She will be posting videos on that in the coming weeks.

Yesterday we dropped in on a student of ours named LeDuy, who was doing a split-placement – an internship in 2 different companies at the same time.  One of his internships is in medical technology, the other was in green technology.

For us the important thing to take away from his experience at the green tech firm is that it isn’t all about engineering (though that is available), green technology companies have internships open to people in almost any field.  We’ve had accountants, marketers,  business admin students, HR people – all out at these companies and learning in what we feel is probably one of the most rewarding environments around.

Here’s LeDuy talking about his internship experience (en français – we are a bilingual company after all):

Click here to view the embedded video.

CDP students make a huge commitment to come to Canada for such a long period – but it does pay off.  They universally gain the language skills and foreign internship experience needed to make them stand out among other job seekers. Unlike other interns who might have parental support – CDP students are footing the entire bill for their stay in Canada. Because of that, we have arranged for all companies hosting these students as interns, to provide them with a living allowance to help cover their bills while they’re doing their unpaid internship.

Just below here is a video from one of our internship students, Viviana.  Viviana did a marketing internship as part of her program at a Vancouver ESL school called Inlingua.  Here she is talking about her experience:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Interns are typically placed at larger 2, 3, and 4-star hotels.  During their internships, they have the opportunity to circulate throughout different departments and gain exposure to each aspect of hotel management – both in front line service delivery, and in back of house management.

Earlier this year we spoke with a hospitality management intern of ours who was just finishing up his internship at a 4-star hotel in downtown Vancouver – here he is describing his placement:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hotel management internships are available as part of our Student Internship Program.  For more information, contact our registrar, Robyn, at registrar @ vancouverinternships.ca or visit our site: http://vancouverinternships.ca/programs.html

This program is designed specifically for ESL students, giving them a chance to improve their English quickly.  Nearly all ESL students in this program self report a significant increase in their English comprehension skills within 1 month, more than two thirds report a significant increase in their speaking ability over the same period.

The resort placement option in this program stands out for the fastest increase in speaking skills and for a host of other benefits, most importantly shared subsidized staff accommodation.  Staff accommodation typically costs less than $20 per day – often much less.  The shared aspect helps students adapt to being far from where they studied, and gives them an immediate social life where they can practice their English even more.

As for the accommodation itself, we recently did a tour of staff accommodation at one of our host companies in the Rockies.  You can see that tour below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here she is talking a little bit about her placement:

Click here to view the embedded video.

NB: for all new videos we do, we’re using our corporate logo and brand identity (hence the mention of ‘Experience Education’ in the title slide).

Click here to view the embedded video.

NB: for all new videos we do, we’re using our corporate logo and brand identity (hence the mention of ‘Experience Education’ in the title slide).

Just back from hosting an internship fair today at our partner university, FDU.  Great turnout, and a lot of excellent feedback from students and from companies.  Below you can find a few quick snapshots we took during the event.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Louisa’s internship was done as part of our Student Internship Program (SIP).  The SIP places students in unpaid internships in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Internships are available in dozens and dozens of fields, from chemical engineering, to wood technology, to events planning.  For more info on the SIP for Canadian university students, please visit: www.vancouverinternships.ca/sip.html .  For information on the SIP for international students, please click here.

Downtown Banff

Last week, I had the privilege of going to Banff, Alberta to visit the students in our Casual Work Experience Resort program. The best words to describe my time there are “chilly” and “colourful,” because the leaves in Alberta are turning yellow and red even faster than here in Vancouver. It made the drive through the Rocky Mountains even more beautiful than usual. I had brought a good sweater, too, so the cold was no problem. In fact, it was kind of nice to bundle up in the mountains.

The first thing I wanted to do when I was in Banff was say hi to one of our hosts. She runs a major hotel right in the heart of town and one of our students had been working for her all summer. I had a chance to talk to the student, her name is Pon, for a few minutes:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Next, I went to visit a student named Renata who had just started her work term in Banff. She had been working in her hotel for less than two weeks, but you would never know it. She got along really well with her host and her coworkers, and she was extremely quick at cleaning rooms! There was a system to everything, and she was going to be a pro in no time. She also seemed to know her way around the gigantic hotel she worked in, which looked like a big disjointed maze to me.

Renata at her casual work placement

Most students in the Resort stream of the Casual Work Experience program get to live in subsidized staff housing. So after her shift, Renata took me to see where she lives. Her accommodation is about a 15 minute walk from her hotel right in the quiet, residential part of Banff. Once we got further from the tall hotels and closer to her apartment, we could see the mountains all around us.

Staff Accommodation

I think she could probably see them from every window in her place. (Part of the joy of living in a National Park). Her kitchen was cute, there was a lot of space in the living room, and her roommate seemed really nice. But that also could have been because she’d gotten to sleep all day.

It seemed like everyone in Banff was settled in and happy in their jobs, and so my work there was done. I went on my way and wandered the cozy town. When I was walking down a side street, I came across a couple deer outside of a church.

Getting too close to a deer.

I tried my best not to scare them away, and in the end they let me get as close as a metre away! It was a very serene experience until one of them looked up and stared me in the face. That’s when I decided it was time to move away from the wildlife. It was starting to rain anyway, so I ducked inside and got myself some prime Alberta beef.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nearly every student coming in to the Casual Work Experience program thinks their host company interview will be easy.  And nearly every student is surprised at how incredibly hard they can be after they’ve actually done one.

Casual interviews are hard.  Harder than internship interviews.  There are a few reasons for this:

1. For most students it’s a major career change.  A lot of students in the CWE program are lawyers, engineers, and other professional office staff.  Most have little to no hospitality or retail experience.  Additionally, host companies are always worried that people from an office environment will find retail and hospitality jobs boring, or that they’ll very quickly grow tired with them.
2. Students, especially those from office and technical backgrounds, tend not to prepare for a retail or hospitality interview.  Some students think because the job is more casual, they can be more casual about their interview.  Students will come in torn jeans, they will not have researched the company, they will have skipped interview practice.  And when they arrive at the company, they fail the interview.
3. The lower skilled the position, the more screening is required.  If you are applying for a job which requires a lower skill set, you will have a tougher interview than if you were applying for a job with a much higher skill set.  If you are hiring an accountant, you can sort people out before the interview just by looking at their education and work experience.  For a job as a dishwasher, almost any one can be considered a serious applicant, so all the sorting will need to be done at the interview.

BEFORE YOU START

When your interview is arranged, Vancouver Internships will send you an email giving you details of the casual work term position you are interviewing for, the date, the time, the name of the interviewer, directions – and finally the web address.  Example:

Hello Sam Pul,

How are you?

Good news!  You will have an interview this Friday, May 14th at 2:30pm.  The interview will be with a gastro-pub called O’Malley’s.  O’Malley’s is located in downtown Vancouver on 190 Granville Street.  Your interviewer’s name is Charlie – he is the chef.

You will be interviewing for a position as a busser.  As a busser you will help clear and set up tables, assist guests with basic items like water and condiments, and assist the waiters and serving food.

Before the interview, we want you to research the pub very carefully.  Please visit www.omalleys.fx .  Make sure you understand the menu, style of food, and how long they have been operating.

Someone from our office will go to the interview with you.  Please come to our office at 2:00pm and we will walk to the company together.  Remember to dress formally – no jeans or running shoes.

Good luck.  See you Friday.

Best regards,

Johnny Smith

Student Services

Vancouver Internships

You will probably get this email 2 or 3 days before the actual interview, though if you have failed interviews in the past, it is possible that you can get your notice 1 day before your interview.  Please use what time you have to research the host company website.  It will be important for you later.  A lot of the interview questions require that you know something about the company.  These websites are written for native speakers, so the English can be complex.  That means you can’t research the company at the last minute and hope to succeed – you need to research at least 1 day in advance in order to give yourself enough time to translate parts of the website, and to understand in detail what the company does.

Next – dress nicely.  Notice that in the email, it says – “dress formally, no jeans or running shoes”.  Here’s what that means – these are the kind of clothes you should wear – while some are more formal than others, almost any of these styles would be suitable (though you can usually leave the tie at home):

Source: http://www.corporatejourney2u.com/business/examples-of-business-casual-attire.html

Even if the company seems casual and relaxed on their website, even if your interviewer is in jeans, even if it only has 4 or 5 workers, dress nicely.  Not doing so, shows carelessness and a lack of respect and the company will notice it.

FYI – if you didn’t bring nice clothes with you, try:

• Joe Fresh Style – This is the cheapest place to buy nice clothes.  There’s a Joe outlet 50 metres from our office.
• H&M.  Same as in your country, cheap, affordable clothes – there’s one at Pacific Centre.
• Value Village.  Second hand (used clothes and shoes).  If you want to be super cheap, you can find a suit here for as low as $10.  You can find the best Value Village here.  To get there, take the number 20 bus from directly in front of our office.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Here are the questions that are asked 90% of the time:

Tell me about yourself – this is an icebreaker.  It’s meant to make you feel at ease, and it’s a good way to gauge how the rest of the interview will go.  You have a lot of control at this point and it’s a good moment to sell yourself. Try using this as a model for your answer (but don’t copy this word for word):

My name is John and I am from Italy. I have a degree in accounting and I decided to come to Vancouver to improve my English and experience living abroad. Vancouver is a beautiful and friendly place and also it’s possible to meet people from all over the world. I’m a determined, hardworking person, and I would like to have experience working in Canada.

Why did you decide to come to Vancouver? – the employer wants to know your opinion about Vancouver.  It could also be asked as ‘What do you think of Vancouver?.  Be positive.  Even if you have grown to hate the city with a burning intensity – keep it to yourself and only talk about the positive parts of being here.  Model answer:

I love Vancouver.  It’s such a beautiful city, I love the nature.  I’ve been kayaking and I visited Lynn Canyon and Stanley Park.  In my city we don’t have a lot of nature, so it’s amazing to be able to visit it each weekend here.  The people are very friendly and helpful too.

Do you have any previous customer service experience? – This question is  to find out if you are used to and capable of dealing with people. If you have the experience, it will be a good opportunity to explain your duties at your last job. Otherwise, in case you don’t have any experience in this field, just be confident. Model answer:

 I haven’t had previous work experience yet, but I would like to have this opportunity. I have had to work in a team on many occasions during school and have also volunteered and worked with the public.

Tell me about your last job – This is a great opportunity to talk about your past experience. Try to highlight past experience related to the position you are applying for. Be positive and never say bad things about your last job. Model answer:

I worked in a bank as a cashier and it was a good experience because I learned how to deal with different customers. I learned to be organized, patient and flexible. Based on this, I think that it would be great to work in a restaurant and increase my customer service skills.

Why did you leave your last job? – Pay attention to the answer that you will give the employer. In this case, the manager wants to understand the reason why you quit the job. Your answer will determine whether or not he/she feels you would be a good person to hire or not hire. So, try to be direct and don’t play “the victim”. Model answer:

I was working in a Bank, but I decided to quit the job in order to do an exchange and improve my English. I talked with my manager and he said that it was fine. I hope I will return to their company when I go back home.

Why did you decide to apply with us? – Be honest.  Companies don’t want insincere flattery.  Your English may be good, but it probably isn’t good enough (yet) to lie convincingly at a job interview.  Tell the interviewer that your counsellor at Vancouver Internships presented the company to you.  They want to know that you’re not applying to them randomly, but have some interest in their line of work. Also, we hope you’ve done your research, because it will matter here.  There is a 100% chance your host company will ask this question. Model answer:

My agency, Vancouver Internships, told me about your company. I did some research and I know that It’s a traditional restaurant focussed on Malaysian Cuisine. It’s one of the most popular restaurants of this kind of ethnic food and I’ve already had the experience to eat here before.

What kinds of skills are necessary for a (restaurant worker)? – This question is to know how familiar you are with this kind of environment. Model answer:

I believe that employees need to be hardworking, flexible and have the ability to work under pressure. They need to be organized, multi-tasking and have the ability to work in a team. Also, they need to be in a good mood and always with a big smile upon their face.

Do you prefer to work independently or with a team?  Give some examples of past jobs that involved team work.  – This question is just to evaluate what kind of person you are and understand a little bit more about your last experience. Model answer:

 I have the ability to work independently and on a team. I am able to do my tasks without supervision.  Also, I like to work in a team. I think that employees need to be able to work together. Once I was working in restaurant as a hostess and I was responsible for making customers feel comfortable and answering any questions or concerns that they had. I was also had to liaise with servers. Everybody needed to work in a group.

How would you describe yourself ? - This is where you should emphasize some skills that you’ve already had. Model answer:

I am a determined, responsible and punctual person. I consider myself an organized and  hardworking person too. Also, I always try to do my best whenever I start a new activity.

 If I spoke to one of your past co-workers, how would they describe you? – Employers ask this question to find out whether or not you had a good rapport with your previous coworkers. Model answer:

People usually say that I am a happy and fun person. They say that I am energetic, dynamic and also am a good team player.

How do you handle stress? – This is a typical question and employers ask it in order find out how you deal with different kinds of situations. Model answer:

 It’s very common to work under pressure and stress. It’s not a thing that we like to work with, but I always try to keep my priorities in order so that I can do the best job. I always try to keep focused.

What motivates you? Be positive and say what things make you want to work hard. Model answer:

I am motivated by an environment that I can learn and been part of a group. I like to help others and meet new people.

Have you ever been involved in a conflict with customers or co-workers?  If so, how did you handle the situation? – This question is asked in order to find out how you would act/react in the case of a problem. Model answer:

When I have a problem with someone, I try to talk with the person about the situation and solve the issue the best way that I can. I try to explain my point of view and listen to what the other person has to say. I try to figure out the best option so that both parties’ grievances are seen to.

What are you looking for in a job? – They want to know if you are applying for a specific position. Model answer:

I really want Canadian work experience and also hope to improve my English. I believe that this position will help me to achieve my goals.

What is your greatest strength? – This is a classic question.  And very straightforward – talk about what you are best at and give examples.  Avoid things which aren’t closely related to your working life.  Model answer:

I am very organized and I am good at multi-tasking.  In my last job, I was the team project leader, so my job was to take the project and break it down into smaller jobs for my team.  I coordinated all of their work and checked up on them to make sure that everything was ready on time for our client.

What is your greatest weakness? What are you doing to improve your weakness? – Another classic question.  Discuss something you don’t do well, and then explain how you are dealing with it.  In some cases, you may need to give an example of when that weakness caused problems for you and how you overcame those problems.  Don’t say you’re a ‘perfectionist’ – that’s not considered to be a valid answer.  If you want to discuss language problems here, that will be ok.  Model answer:

I have had trouble with English writing.  I think I don’t know a lot of important vocabulary.  In my old job, I had to write business letters to our New York office and it was difficult.  That’s why I came to Canada.  I’ve been learning English for 6 months, and it has helped a lot.  I still have some difficulties, but I have a tutor 2 times per week in the evenings and they help me to improve my writing.

Why should I hire you? – It is a typical question and a good moment to show the employer that you are the right person for the position. It’s time to sell yourself. Be confident. Model answer:

I believe that I have the skills that you are looking for in this position. I like to deal with different types of public and I have great customer service skills. I am flexible and hardworking which is very important for this job. I also have the willingness to learn.

How many hours a week do you expect to work, full or part time? – You need to give your true availability. If you are able to work 8 hours per day (full time) or just between 4 and 6 hours per day (part time) be honest.

Are you flexible? Are you able to work … (mornings / afternoons / evenings)? – Most places are looking for a flexible person in order to accommodate necessary changes on the schedule. You need to be honest about your availability and remember that as long as you have flexibility, your chances of getting the job increase.

Do you have your own transportation? Employers ask this question to find out if it’s possible for you to work late or if you depend on public transportation, so be honest.

How much do you expect to make an hour? This is a difficult question to answer. You don’t want to lose the employer’s interest, so It’s better to be flexible. Model answer:

My main interest is to improve my English, so I am fine with minimum wage.  Anything above that of course would be fantastic.

Do you have any questions for me? Here you can ask about dress code, company expectations, you can ask if they’ve ever had an intern before.  Whatever you ask though, please prepare your questions before the interview, and discuss them with a Vancouver Internships counsellor in advance.  Sample questions:

• What kind of person are you looking for in this position?
• What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?
• What personality do you think fits best with your company?
• When is the soonest I could start to work?

*Make sure that the questions you ask have not already been answered during the interview.

All these questions should give you an idea about typical interview questions and the types of answers most employers are looking for. Always remember to give answers that emphasize your skills and experience and that will be useful to the job you are applying for.

Don’t try to memorize your answers because you need to sound natural. This guide is to help you practice and prepare for your interview.

If you have any questions about how you can answer these questions, please write them down and bring them with you to your interview practice session at Vancouver Internships.

• Software Engineering
• Finance
• Law and Legal Services
• Social Media Marketing
• Politics and Advocacy
• Systems Administration

In video number 7, Janeth tells us about her internship in travel and tourism:

Click here to view the embedded video.

NB: we have a previous post about Janeth’s placement here.

This description comes from Jose. He’s just finishing an internship in software engineering, working with an IT company in West Vancouver.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jose’s internship is part of the Student Internship Program. Placements like his are available in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

FYI: In the presentation, we talked about resume templates.  The link shown in the presentation is password protected – but we have a few open sources here on our student support page.

This description comes from Donny. He’s just finishing an internship in finance, working with an investment team at a bank in downtown Vancouver.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Donny’s internship is part of the Student Internship Program. Placements like his are available in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.  Other videos from the series can be seen here:

Law & Legal Services

Information Technology

Social Media Marketing

Dundas Square in Downtown Toronto

Another busy summer week.  I was away at our Toronto office, but while I was, it was business as usual here in Vancouver.  Heaps of interviews this week, here are a few pictures from them, including one really weird one:

Going left to right from the top, the first picture we have is the weird one.  This is Viviana and a snake.  Sarah was taking her to an interview for a (CDP) office admin position and they ran into a guy taking his snake for a walk.  Next is Anna Clara, here she is at an interview for a food sciences internship.  After her is Rogelio at an IT interview.  He passed as well and will be doing a placement involving web design.  On the next row is Viviana again, this time at her interview.  Beside her is Helene – we were talking with her as part of a mid-term site visit.  We do these visits for most of our students.  During the visits we check up on them and see how they are doing, and how their host feels about their placement.  Beside her is Ricardo on the way to an engineering interview, and lastly, at the bottom is Edgar meeting with a host at a cafe.

Still, had to go to lots of meetings, and had the chance to tag along on a student interview.

First off, you might think it’s strange that a company called VANCOUVER Internships would have an office in Toronto.  It is strange – which is why out here, we are called Experience Education (www.experienceeducation.ca).

Anyhow, the meetings went well, I did a tour of the CN Tower with a host supervisor.  We have a student there in a sales position working on group and corporate sales.  It’s an interesting job – she has the chance to give tours to corporate clients, promote the tower as a destination for groups, and help manage bookings.  They have 300,000+ people come in to the tower each year through group and corporate tours, so it’s quite a big job.

They also told me about a new attraction they’re putting up – it’s a rail that goes around the top of the CN Tower, so you can walk around the outside of it.  Unfortunately the PR people were busy, so I wasn’t able to take any pictures, except for the student’s desk – which is here:

Our intern will be testing out the new attraction before it opens on August 1st, so hopefully we’ll get permission to put up pictures of that.  FYI – our intern was away today, she was out at the Zoo.  Students who intern at a major Toronto attraction like the CN Tower, Casa Loma etc… get a pass that gives them free entry to every other major Toronto attraction.  She’d be insane not to take advantage of that, and the Toronto Zoo really is several kinds of awesome, so I completely understand her being away today.

After the CN Tower, I dropped by a marketing agency to check in on another intern of ours.  He’s working in marketing, quite high end stuff, he’s on a project for the Cuban government, promoting tourism there.  Here’s his supervisor at his host company talking about what he does there, and about what other students can do there (sorry for the background noise, unavoidable):

Click here to view the embedded video.

After that, I took a break to go buy some empanadas at Kensington Market (my favourite food in Toronto), and then change and get ready for an interview in the afternoon.  This was for a student doing fashion design.  She passed her interview and will start Monday.  I didn’t realize it before I went there, but I’ve actually been to that shop before, ages ago to buy an Obama dress for a friend.  They’re really prominent here in Toronto.  Here are a couple pictures from the interview:

First, with the student waiting for the interview to start:

Next, with her supervisor in the silk-screening room:

Here’s one of the dresses from the shop – it’s really really cool:

Right then, first thing tomorrow back to Vancouver and our icy summer.

This description comes from Tazmin. She’s just finishing an internship in law and legal services, working with a legal advocacy organization at the Provincial Supreme Court.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tazmin’s internship is part of the Student Internship Program. Placements like hers are available in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

During this week, my supervisor, Marie, trained me how to fill out our application forms, research new companies, I watched some interview practice and went with a student to his interviews.

It is a great experience because I’m learning about the whole placement process and I am able to observe the student during their interview.  It is possible for me to see the interview in a different way. So, I would like to give some tips for students to have a good job interview.

First off, here are the questions I heard at every interview:

• Tell us about yourself
• Why did you decide to come to Canada (I’m a lot working with our ESL students – I’ll be working with our Canadian university program in a few weeks)
• What are you expecting from your internship
• What’s your greatest weakness

There isn’t a uniformly good answer for these questions.  Students need to direct, honest, and clear.  If they do that, it’s the best answer they can give as an individual.  When asked for example to ‘tell us about yourself’ – explain about where you’re from, your personal and educational background, why you decided on this specific field, talk about your life goals and how this internship opportunity can help you achieve those goals. It’s good to give some examples in all, to put some strength in your answers.

Also, the students should be well dressed (always give a good impression) and be confident about themselves. Do your best, because the right opportunity is waiting for you.

You can find more information on our main website: http://vancouverinternships.ca/currentstudents.html#interview