How to Nail Your Internship Interview
02 June 2026
Securing an internship interview is an exciting milestone in your journey as a university student. Down under, in Australia, and in New Zealand, too, employers look for candidates who show a mix of technical potential, communication skills and a willingness to learn.
If you are an international student preparing for your first internship interview, the process can feel a bit scary. But remember, success comes down to careful preparation and understanding expectations. This brief guide breaks down how to prepare for your internship interview so you can walk into the room with confidence and give yourself the best chance to succeed.
Phase 1: Before the interview
1. Research the company like a professional
Go deeper than the host company’s website homepage. Spend at least 30 minutes learning about the business. What you should be looking for are things like:
On the company’s website, look at the "About Us" page and check their recent projects or services. Find out what major projects they have been involved in or what software and tools they use daily.
Look up the company page on LinkedIn. You can also search for your interviewer to see more info on them, what they do and how long they have worked at the company. Check also if the company has any other social media presence and if they do, what they have been posting about.
Apply what you have learned. You could write down one recent project or company value that interests you. You can mention this during the interview to show you have done your homework.
2. Think about your "STAR" stories
Interviewers want to hear examples and not generic answers like "I am a hard worker." Since you may not have a lot, if any, local work experience, you can use your university group assignments, laboratory work, capstone projects or technical competitions to give examples of your transferable skills and personal attributes.
For every skill on your resume, you could prepare a short story using the structured STAR method:
S is for Situation: What was the context or the challenge you faced?
T is for Task: What was your specific responsibility in that situation?
A is for Action: What did you do to complete the task? Mention the tools, methods or software that you used.
R is for Result: What was the outcome?
To learn more about the STAR method and how to use it in interviews, have a look at How to Use the STAR Method for Internship and Job Interviews.
3. Plan your route to the interview
When you’re doing an in-person interview, map your route on Google Maps a few days before. Public transport and other delays happen, so it’s better for you to plan to arrive in the area 30 minutes early. You can find a nearby café or another space to relax in and then walk into the host company’s office or site 10 to 15 minutes before your interview.
4. Think about what you would like to ask your interviewer
An interview is at its best a two-way conversation. As you prepare yourself for the interview, also think about the questions you want to ask the host company.
When you ask questions it shows that you are motivated and interested in the opportunity. It also helps you decide if the role and the company culture is a good fit for your learning goals.
Here’s how to prepare… Before the interview day, write down two or three questions about the daily tasks, the team structure or the projects you might work on.
You can write these questions down on a neat piece of paper and bring it to the interview. It is totally fine to refer to your notes, if you need to, at the end of the meeting when you get your chance to ask questions.
Phase 2: On the day
Australian and New Zealander business cultures are relatively flat and informal, yet professional. This means interviewers tend to be friendly and they expect you to engage in more of a chat rather than a strict question-and-answer session.
1. Master the entry and the first 30 seconds
From the moment you enter the host company’s office or site, put your best self forward, starting from the reception area. Smile, make eye contact and introduce yourself and your purpose for being there to whomever is receiving you (and it could be the company’s receptionist).
When you are introduced to a person or you enter the interview room, aim to offer a handshake to any person present in that space. Sometimes an interview might be in a boardroom with a large table separating you from the interviewer or the interview panel. Use your best judgment to decide if it’s feasible to walk around to shake hands or not. But if ever you have the chance to shake hands, do.
Interviews often start with a casual chat to build rapport. Be ready for questions like: "How was your weekend?" or "Did you find the office okay?" You don’t need to go into a lot of detail. This is a friendly way to get started and a short, polite answer is enough. As an example to the question about finding your way, you could say something like: "I found it easily, thank you. It is a beautiful area, and I noticed a great coffee shop downstairs."
Even if the office has a smart-casual dress code, you should dress well and professionally for the interview. It’s usually safer to overdress than underdress. Once you’ve secured your internship, you’ll learn all about the workplace culture in that company and how everyone dresses day to day.
Now, for a professional outfit, for men, a collared, long-sleeve shirt, trousers and smart shoes work well. If you are interviewing for a boutique finance company or a solicitors practice, it’s probably best to suit up. For women, a tidy blouse or collared shirt with corporate pants or a smart corporate skirt is suitable. And think about suitable shoes, too. Ensure your clothes are clean and ironed.
2. Tips for good communication
It’s totally normal to feel nervous before an interview. Doing it in English as an international student can add an extra layer of challenge, but don't worry! Just remember that your potential internship host company knows that you are an international student and they won’t expect perfect or native English. But they do expect clear and effective communication from you.
When people are nervous, they tend to speak too fast. So be conscious of that and slow your speaking pace down. This makes you sound calm and easy to understand.
Remember that it’s ok to ask for clarification. If you don’t understand a question or a slangy phrase, don’t guess the meaning. Instead you can ask: "Could you please rephrase that question? I want to ensure I understand and answer it correctly."
Take it easy. Take a breath. Before answering a difficult technical question, pause, smile and say: "That is a great question. Let me take a brief moment to think about the best example." This shows maturity and control.
If you'd like to learn more about good communication skills, have a look at How to Communicate Effectively in Professional Settings: A Guide for Students and Interns in Australia.
Phase 3: During the interview
Here are some ideas on how to answer the most common internship questions. Just remember that thing about an interview being a conversation at best. As you prepare for common questions, keep an open, flexible mind. That way you can answer the host company’s questions in a natural and not an overly rehearsed way.
Example question 1: "Tell me about yourself"
It’s a mistake to repeat your entire resume or talk about your personal life. This question is an opportunity to talk about your present situation, your past achievements and your future goals.
Your present situation would be a very brief description of where you are at with your degree and university studies. But don’t go into detail as it’s all in your CV already.
Your past achievements, or your achievements to date, would be about your key academic achievements, technical projects or skills you have developed. Here you can mention anything that is relevant to the host company and the internship role and puts you in a positive light.
The future part is about why you want to complete this internship and what you hope to gain from it in a way that is attractive to the host company.
Example (IT/Technology student):
"I am currently in my final semester of an IT degree at university, majoring in Cyber Security. Throughout my studies, I have developed a strong foundation in network security and cloud infrastructure. I recently completed a project where I configured a secure AWS network environment. I am excited about this internship because your company is expanding its cloud consultancy services and I want to learn how to apply my technical knowledge to real client challenges."
Example question 2: "Why do you want to intern with us?"
Don’t say it’s "Because I need to graduate" or "Because it is a requirement of my course". In many cases, yes, it’s true that you need an internship placement to satisfy your degree requirements. But you still need to put a good, positive spin on it.
Here, you can connect your internship goals and your skills and career development goals to what the company does, like in the below hypothetical scenario.
Example (Food Science student):
"I have been following your company's work in plant-based food alternatives. In my university laboratory classes, I have spent a lot of time on food quality assurance testing. I want to intern here because I want to learn how quality assurance processes scale from a university laboratory to a commercial production environment and I know your team does great work in this space."
Example question 3: "Tell me about a time you handled a disagreement"
Here, there are at least two ways that you should NOT go about this question. The first mistake would be to say "I’ve never had any problems or disagreements". The second mistake would be to blame others for whatever issues you’ve encountered in the past.
To answer a question of this type, you could use the STAR method again to show how you used your problem-solving skills or team work skills to handle the situation.
Example (Business student):
Situation: "During a group project, our team had a disagreement about which case study to choose for our final report. Two members wanted to focus on a local business, while the other two wanted to analyse a multinational corporation."
Task: "As the project deadline was approaching, we needed to reach an agreement so we could divide the research tasks and begin writing."
Action: "Instead of letting the argument continue, I suggested we create a simple list of pros and cons for each option based on our marking criteria. I organised a meeting where everyone could share their thoughts without interruption. Through this discussion, we realised that the multinational corporation had much more data available online, which would make our report stronger."
Result: "The team agreed to go with that choice. Because everyone felt heard, we collaborated smoothly, finished the report on time and went on to achieve a pretty good grade for the unit."
Phase 4: Finishing the interview in style
Asking good questions at the end of the interview proves you are motivated. Never say "No, I don't have any questions." Yep, we talked about this before, in Phase 1: Before the interview. It’s so important that it’s worth repeating here.
Just a word of caution: remember to stay vigilant and flexible during the interview. Some of the questions you prepared at home might get answered during the interview. So pay attention. And if any additional questions pop into your head during the interview, now it’s your chance to ask them.
Ask two or three relevant questions
When the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them, use the opportunity. You could ask something along the following examples:
"What does a typical day look like for an intern in this team?"
"If I am successful, what software skills or concepts should I review before my first day to help me prepare?"
"What are the main goals or projects you would like the intern to assist with over the 12 weeks?"
Confirm the details
Before you finish the interview, make sure you confirm the practical details of the placement before you leave:
Confirm your prospective start date.
Confirm the days of the week you are available, ensuring it matches your university timetable.
When your university has any specific documentation requirements, let the host company know all the paperwork is ready for signing if required.
The final impression
At the end, and before you leave, thank the interviewer(s) for their time. Shake hands if you are in person, smile and say something like: "Thank you so much for your time today. It was great meeting you and learning more about the team, and I look forward to hearing from you."
Make sure you continue to give a good impression of yourself until you have fully left the host company’s premises. For example, try to stay away from your phone and continue looking positive and friendly whilst walking yourself out of the host company’s office or site.
Phase 5: After the interview
The thank you email
Within a few hours of finishing your internship interview (if it is still during working hours), or by the following morning, send a short, polite email to the interviewer. If you got the interview through a CareerDC coordinator, then make contact with them as soon as you can with some feedback on the interview.
If you organised your interview yourself, you could email the host company interviewer along the lines of:
"Hi [Interviewer Name], Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today about the internship placement. I enjoyed learning about your upcoming projects and the work of the team. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the company as an intern. Kind regards, [Your Name]."
Make sure you personalise the email with the relevant details, such as the interviewer’s name, the internship role title and so forth. It’s good practice to send a thank you email. It could make a difference if the host company was tossing between choosing either you or another candidate. It could just make the balance tip in your favour.
A few final words
An internship interview is a chance to show host companies your enthusiasm, how well you could collaborate within a professional team environment and to showcase your potential. By researching the business and generally preparing yourself well, you’ll be good to go.
If you’re nervous, remember that every interview is a learning experience that builds your confidence. Follow these tips to give yourself the best chance of success with your interview. Good luck!
Read also: What Is It Like to Intern In an Australian Business?
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