How to Prepare for a Scholarship or Internship Interview

Know what to expect

Formats vary. Some are a 20-minute video call with one person, others are a panel of three to five people, and some include a short presentation or a group exercise. Read the invitation carefully and ask the organizers for details if something is unclear: the duration, the language, the platform, and whether you need to prepare anything.

Do your research

• Re-read the program description and what it says about its goals, values and the kind of people it supports.
• Learn about the organization, its recent news, and, if relevant, the people who will interview you.
• Re-read your own application, especially your motivation letter. Interviewers often ask you to expand on what you wrote, and contradicting yourself is easy to avoid.
• Prepare two or three real questions to ask at the end, for example about the program's structure, support for participants, or what past participants did afterwards.

Common questions and how to answer them

These questions come up again and again. Prepare a short, honest answer to each.

• "Tell us about yourself." Give a one-to-two-minute summary of who you are, what you have done, and why you are here, and end by connecting it to this opportunity. Do not read out your CV.
• "Why do you want this scholarship/fellowship/internship?" Combine your goals with specifics about the program.
• "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Choose genuine strengths and give an example. For weaknesses, name a real one and explain what you are doing to improve.
• "Tell us about a time you faced a challenge or led a team." Use the structure described below.
• "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Be realistic and describe how the opportunity helps you get there, and how you intend to give back.
• "Why should we choose you?" Briefly sum up your strongest, most relevant points.

Use a simple structure for examples

For questions about past experience, the STAR method keeps answers clear and short: Situation (the context), Task (what you were responsible for), Action (what you did, in the first person), and Result (what happened, ideally with a number or concrete outcome and what you learned). Aim for about two minutes per example. Prepare four or five stories that you can adapt: a challenge you overcame, teamwork, leadership, a failure and what you learned, and a time you took initiative.

Online interviews

• Test your internet connection, camera, microphone and the platform an hour or two before, and have a phone as backup.
• Choose a quiet place with a plain background and good, front-facing light.
• Look at the camera when you speak, and have a glass of water and a notepad nearby.
• Be online five minutes early, and silence notifications on all devices.
• If the connection drops, rejoin calmly and politely explain. Interviewers understand that technology fails sometimes.

On the day

• Dress as you would for a professional meeting.
• Listen to the whole question before you answer, and ask them to repeat or clarify it if needed. A short pause to think is fine.
• Be concise, specific and honest. Do not exaggerate, and if you do not know something, say so and explain how you would find out.
• Show interest and be respectful with every person on the panel, not only the one who asks the most questions.
• At the end, ask your prepared questions and thank them for their time.

After the interview

Send a brief thank-you email within a day or two if the format allows it, mentioning something specific from the conversation. Then go back to your other applications while you wait. If you are not selected, politely ask whether feedback is available; it can be very useful for your next attempt.