We are relieved to say that the internship hunt is over and I wish luck to everyone in their new digital challenge! Many of us had to go through a long and thorough recruitment processes so we had a lot of opportunities to improve our pitch and find a lucky outfit for an interview. Find below our best practices on how to fine-tune your resume or handle a collective interview! Please share more in the comment section.
Apart from our internal SKEMA platform, students use the following websites to search for job offers:
- Company websites
- Indeed
- Welcome to the Jungle (focus on digital agencies and startups)
- Viadeo
- Un job dans la pub (focus on digital agencies)
- Wizbii
- FashionJobs
- GoingGlobal
- Recruitment companies such as Hays, Adecco, La relève
Students use the following tools to design their resume:
- Word
- Photoshop
- PowerPoint
- Keynote
- Canva (online)
- SKEMA templates (on the YEP)
- Affinity Designer
Resume (CV)
- Use the same address as the job location (recruiters prefer people already in town so it can speed up the hiring process)
- Short introduction about who you are and what you’re looking for (as on LinkedIn)
- References they can contact (your professor or boss)
- Don’t dismiss personal interests as something too banal. But instead of the standard « music, cinema, travelling », add something more interesting and concrete that makes you stand out, ex. add latest readings or particular travel experience so it’ll be easier to strike up a conversation
- Visual aids or icons to quickly grasp your level of skills
- Add tools you used in your previous jobs
- Personalize for each offer – you can always find little tasks from a previous job that will more fit to one job opening than another
- Be aware of mixing French and English
- Don’t forget to mention any volunteering experience, it shows your character
Cover letter
- Be direct and don’t write complicated sentences
- Show your value regarding the position
- Find templates online which fit the country in which you apply
- Give examples of your character and background which will prove why you’re a good fit for the job. (No one cares about your unrelated skills or experiences so do not write generic stuff.)
- Add a picture with the logo of the company
- Don’t forget to unify to format and check the name of the company and the recruiter before sending out
Standard interview
- Create a file where you write down answers to standard questions such as “Tell me about your latest professional experience? What did you like? Didn’t like? What did you learn?” detailing everything on your resume. If you’re French and not comfortable enough in English, translate it to English as well. This part is generic, reusable for every interview. Then of course, you could create a new file for every position where you put specific information about the company, recruiter, links to articles about the company and your pitch adapted to this job. Then you can just copy paste the generic part and you’ll have only one document with every information needed that you can quickly browse through on your way to the company. This way, you can just read the whole document every time before an interview and you will have a quick and appropriate answer ready in any language. You’ll memorize the answers soon and you won’t have to recreate them every time they ask you.
- Learn body language and train yourself. Get rid of bad habits.
- Try to eliminate your weaknesses by taking online courses (ex. Excel). It will make a great impression on recruiters knowing that you try to catch up on your skills in your free time.
- Prepare a 1-minute pitch – briefly describe who you are, your past experiences and background but mostly why you’re here today, what you’re looking for. Don’t recite your resume in a chronological order. (Here’s a summary of my pitch: “I’m a student of a MSc Digital Marketing at SKEMA Business School and I’m looking for a 6-month internship. During my last semester at SKEMA, I was trained on Google Analytics and Google Adwords. I was passionate about both tools which encouraged me to find an internship in this field. During my last internship, I was a junior account manager in a digital agency. I truly enjoyed the diversity of working on different projects with different clients but what I lacked was a focus on more technical and analytical skills. And that’s why I’m here today.”)
- Wear something professional but comfortable at the same time. If you’re not comfortable and move too much, recruiters will feel it.
- Be transparent. Don’t lie about something that could be verified later on.
Skype interview
- Check in advance – camera, sound, Internet connection, lighting, find a good spot (don’t put yourself in front of an open closet)
- Let the recruiter see your posture and don’t sit too close to the screen
Phone interview
- Use headphones so you can write at the same time
- Try to give a good vibe using your voice
- Don’t cut the interviewer
Collective interview
- Show them you can collaborate with your competitors, don’t “kill” them
- Talk at the right moment, don’t be shy but don’t dominate the discussion
- Try to participate without interrupting others
- Don’t get into arguments
Salary negotations
- Explain why you need that amount using financial metrics, instisting that you have a rent to pay and that it’s not enough to live properly with what they offer
- Say that the internship is really what you want but the salary is definitely an issue
- Never accept the first offer
- Negotiate at the final day, don’t ask on the first interview
Questions to ask the company
- “Do you use PC or MAC?”
- “Which tools do you use?” For example you could inquire about project management tools such as Slack or Trello which will show your knowledge.
- “Are there any foreigners?”
- “Will I use any foreign languages?”
- “How many people would I work with?”
- “Is there a foreseeable evolution after the end of my internship?”
- “In the past, did you hire interns for this position and what was their experience like?”
- “Is there a skill I should learn before the internship starts?”
- “What are the company’s values?”
Tips for foreigners looking for an internship
- Put a picture on your resume
- Don’t do your cover letter the English way but rather the French way: 1st paragraph about the company , 2nd about you and 3rd about what you can achieve together
- Find companies doing business in your region or your language
- Show how you learn the language and how well you got used to the new environment
- Learn French 🙂
