Don't be this guy. Of course if you're young enough to be an intern, it's entirely possible you don't who this guy is. Sigh.

I’ve now been through the internship hiring process four times and have noticed the same trends keep popping up. Despite all the career training and resources offered, some students still seem totally unprepared for the interview or even the application process. And others completely shine.

So in the interest of saving everyone a little time and heartache, my list of the cardinal rules of internship applications and interviews that, unfortunately, are broken quite often:

Proofread everything. Cover letter, resume, writing samples, e-mails. I had one applicant misspell “business” in the first paragraph of her cover letter. For a writing job. At a business school. It even had the MS Word spell-check red squiggly underline.

Talk about ME. Well not me, but my company, my position I’m hiring for. You need to show off your own skills and personality too, but if your cover letter and interview answers say nothing specific about my internship, it comes off as if you’re just going through the motions.

Provide context. Don’t just drop in random work experience without explaining why it’s relevant to this job. If you’re submitting writing samples, please oh please I beg you, tell me what they’re from! It’s ok if it’s a class assignment–I just need to know what I’m reading.

Do research on yourself. If, during the interview, I realize I know your resume better than you, that’s a bad sign. Bring a hard copy with you for reference if necessary. Spend time beforehand reviewing your work history, class assignments, past challenges and successes, etc. especially as they might relate to this job.

Do research on us! Our internship is a writing position that contributes to our news blog and alumni magazine. Both are easily found on our website, and I expect you to have looked at them.

Check your e-mail. I know that’s so old-fashioned, but you’re not going to get an interview request via text or Facebook, so check your e-mail regularly. If you haven’t responded to me within 2-3 days, I start to doubt your interest.

Read instructions carefully. If you don’t submit the proper application materials or complete the writing test as instructed, that’s pretty much a guaranteed ticket to the “no” pile.

Be interested and show a little effort. The intern we just hired had less experience than other applicants, but she displayed the most passion and enthusiasm for both the job and the organization. Her cover letter demonstrated she did her homework on the organization and paid attention to the job description. She was prompt, engaged and professional in all her communications with us. And of course she had the talent and skills to back everything up.

Finally, hang in there. Keep applying. Keep networking. Keep being amazingly talented and connected to your field. I know it’s tough looking for a job. I did it for a year and a half after graduating! I apologize for companies that never respond to you, even if it’s just to tell you thanks, but no thanks. But hang in there.

Oh, and don’t ask if the internship is going to be a waste of your time and then lecture the hiring manager about being unprofessional.

Also check out Todd Defren’s Open Letter to Millenials for more great tips.

University of Kansas Professor Nancy Baym led an interactive session about conducting great interviews, whether for broadcast, print or recruiting. Some of the points were pretty standard, but overall it was a helpful discussion. Some main points:

• “What questions should I ask?” is not the first step in prepping for an interview.
• You have to understand who you’re interviewing, but also what audience the interview is for.
• Design questions with a story arc in mind.
• If crowdsourcing questions (i.e. “What would you like me to ask They Might Be Giants”) – make sure your crowd matches the audience the interview is for. Don’t ask fanboys to give you questions for an interview that’s meant for a general audience.
• Don’t call it an interview – say ‘I’d like to talk to you about ______” or “Let’s have a discussion.” Often less intimidating.
• Dry questions elicit dry answers. “What do you love about your job?” will probably pull out more passion from someone than “What’s the best part of your job?”
• Give people a chance to tell stories. Rather than ask “Are you a self-starter?” try “Tell me about a time when you had to build something from the ground up.”
• If you’ve noticed someone often repeats themselves in interviews, pull out one nugget from one of those interviews and ask them to elaborate and expand on that point. This will help get new answers.
• Instead of e-mail interviews, consider an online chat. Real time back and forth, and you’ve got a transcript of the interview built in.

I asked the crowd to share their favorite all-time interview questions and got some great responses:

• What’s next for you?
• Why do you keep coming back to this (line of work, perspective, city, etc.)?
• What do you wish people asked you?
• What do you wish I had asked you?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What’s your story?
• Do you have any questions for me?
• How have you changed? How have you grown?
• How have past experiences changed or informed your current situation?
• What gets you out of bed in the morning?
• What keeps you up at night?

For more on conducting great interviews, see my post on 10 Interview Tips from former Texas Monthly Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith.

Texas Monthly President and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith was the speaker at today’s Association for Women in Communication luncheon. He shared juicy stories from his experience hosting the Texas Monthly Talks series on KLRU and highlights of his favorite and most disastrous interviews. (Faves: Tom Brokaw, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. Least fave: Jerry Hall)

Here, his 10* tips for conducting great interviews:

1. Don’t underprepare – you must have command of all the facts in your head, not just on paper.

2. Don’t overprepare – don’t cram your head so full of facts that you can’t see straight or carry on a conversation. (Smith says he does all his prep the day before an interview, like cramming for a test, and doesn’t use notes.)

3. Listen – don’t just wait to talk.

4. It’s not about me – subordinate your ego. You’re not there to talk about yourself. You’re there to enable someone else to share their story.

5. Motivate the person you’re talking to. Understand why they’re doing the interview, and give them an opportunity to talk about that. But don’t let whatever they’re plugging be the sole focus of the interview.

6. Play to the audience (if you have one).

7. Forget the audience. Don’t let them drive the show or be a distraction. (Smith says his show should really be called “Overheard Bullshitting.” Has a nice ring to it, huh?)

8. Don’t be afraid to ask the hard question(s). Smith says this is one of the biggest mistakes inexperienced interviewers make. Don’t back down just because you’re nervous or starstruck.

9. Don’t let ‘em filibuster. This is an interview, not a monologue. Especially important for broadcast interviews.

10. Ask something off script. Your subject is used to hearing the same questions over and over again. Surprise them with an unexpected question, and you might get an answer that leads you to a place you didn’t know about. Find the odd detail in someone’s bio. Smith asked Billy Bob Thornton about his first job laying asphalt.

*BONUS:

11. Be polite and respectful. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation. (“Every interview is not Watergate,” Smith says.) Say please and thank you. This can go a long way with your interviewee.

UPDATE:
Thanks to Kathleen for reminding me about the hilarious clip Evan shared of his interview with Ted Nugent. Catch’s Evan’s facial expression at about the 1:05 mark. I think that says it all.

Adorable image source: zoomar