Questions to Ask During an Internship Interview
Questions for an internship interview, covering the work you would actually be given, who supervises and reviews it, hours and pay, how past interns did, and how return offers get decided.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What would I actually be working on: one project, or a queue of small tasks?
Why ask it
One scoped project produces something you can describe afterwards. A queue of small tasks often means the team has capacity problems rather than a plan, and the summer ends with nothing to point at.
Who would I report to, and how often would we sit down together?
Why ask it
Named supervision with a scheduled check-in is the strongest predictor of a useful internship. Whoever is around usually means nobody, especially in the weeks when the team is busy.
What are the dates and hours, and are there days I need to be in the office?
Why ask it
Getting this in writing prevents the common collision with exams, a lease, or a second commitment. Answers that stay vague about hours often mean the real expectation is longer than advertised.
Is the internship paid, and is there any support for travel or housing?
Why ask it
Ask plainly and early. An unpaid internship in an expensive city is a cost decision, and knowing the number now lets you compare offers rather than accepting the first.
What does a good intern have finished by the end of the program?
Why ask it
This is the success criterion, and it should be concrete. If nobody can describe a finished outcome, the work has not been scoped and you will spend the first month looking for it.
Would I have access to the systems and data I need, or would I be waiting on approvals?
Why ask it
Access delays routinely eat two or three weeks of a twelve-week internship. Teams that have run interns before have this solved; teams that have not will not have thought about it.
Who reviews my work, and how would I find out if I were off track?
Why ask it
Review is where you actually learn. Ask whether feedback comes in a scheduled session or only when something goes wrong, because the second version means you find out late.
How many interns will be here at the same time, and are you running a structured program or placing people on teams?
Why ask it
A structured program brings training, cohort and events but sometimes less real work. A single placement on a team usually means more responsibility and less scaffolding. Neither is better, but they suit different people.
What happened to last summer's interns?
Why ask it
The honest answer to this question is worth more than any description of the program. Ask how many came back and how many wanted to.
When are return offer decisions made, and what do they depend on?
Why ask it
If offers depend on headcount decided in the fall, strong performance may still not produce one. Better to know that in the interview than in August.
What do interns here consistently underestimate?
Why ask it
Interviewers answer this specifically because it comes from experience. The answer is usually practical, such as how long code review takes or how much of the work is asking other teams for things.
Would I present my work at the end, and to whom?
Why ask it
Presenting to the team you worked with is normal. Presenting to a wider group tells you the work is expected to matter, and it is a good sign about how the project has been scoped.
What should I get comfortable with before I start?
Why ask it
This is both useful and a signal of seriousness. A specific answer gives you two weeks of preparation that pay off immediately; no answer suggests nobody has thought about the first week.
How much of the work is independent, and how much is paired with a full-time employee?
Why ask it
The balance tells you the learning model. Fully independent work in an unfamiliar codebase or process without pairing usually produces slow progress and quiet frustration.
Is there any part of the team's work that interns are not permitted to touch?
Why ask it
Every team has restricted areas, whether for confidentiality, risk or regulation. Knowing them prevents you proposing work you cannot do and shows you understand the constraint.
What happens if my project gets deprioritized part-way through?
Why ask it
Priorities shift and interns are the least protected. A team that has an answer has thought about your summer; a team that has not may leave you idle for weeks.
What is the team working on right now that I would be joining mid-flow?
Why ask it
Context you can only get by asking. It also tells you whether you are joining an active piece of work or being handed something parked because nobody had time for it.
Who outside this team would I interact with?
Why ask it
Internships that touch several teams build a wider view and more contacts. Answers that keep you entirely inside one small group suggest a narrow, self-contained task.
What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear?
Why ask it
Internship hiring runs on rigid academic timelines and you may be holding other processes. A date lets you manage them instead of guessing.
Is there anything in my application you would like me to clarify?
Why ask it
This gives you the chance to answer a doubt while you are still in the room, which matters more for applicants with little work history and gaps that look larger than they are.
Approaching an internship interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Preparing
- 1Read what the team actually does, not just the company page. A product blog post, a release note or a recent job posting for a full-time role tells you more than the careers site.
- 2Prepare two examples in detail: something you built or organized, and something that went wrong and what you changed. Class projects count if you can describe your own decisions in it.
- 3Have your dates, availability and any visa or work authorization constraints ready. These come up and hesitation causes real problems later.
- 4Write down four questions and choose them for what the answer would change, not for how the question sounds.
What the answers tell you
Specific beats enthusiastic
A team that can name your project, your supervisor and what finished looks like has planned for you. Warm answers with no specifics usually mean the internship was approved but not designed, and the first three weeks will be spent finding work.
Ask about last year, not about the program
Descriptions of the program are marketing. What happened to last year's interns, how many returned, and what they shipped are facts. Push politely for the second kind of answer.
Note who is interviewing you
If you meet the person who would supervise you day to day, ask about the work. If you only meet recruiters, ask about logistics, pay, dates and process, and ask whether you can speak to the team before deciding.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking questions whose answers are on the first page of the company website.
- Asking only about what you would receive, with nothing about what the team needs done.
- Leaving pay, dates and hours unclear because raising them feels awkward. They are the terms of the job.
- Promising availability you do not have to seem accommodating. It surfaces in week two.
- Not asking about the return offer process when a return offer is the reason you are applying.