externship interview - how to?

[Phipps]

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Hey all,

So, I will have an interview at my top choice and wonder whether people could share with me and the forum experiences in terms of what questions are being asked (it is NOT an internship but externship/practicum - 3rd y training), how to prepare and what to wear.. I am a little uncertain since it is not for an internship nor for the initial grad school - hwo do I get in - interview....

THANKS!! and g'luck to all who are also interviewing for externhips 😀

 

[Phipps]

Thanks for looking. Seems like nobody on this forum has anything to contribute to the area of externship interviews. I assume you all did at least one? But maybe a ridiculous question to ask.

 

[psyunknown]

It depends on what type of setting. As someone who interviewed mostly at UCC I needed to prepare answers questions regarding my theoretical orientation, multiculturalism, experience with brief therapy, goals for the externship year, why I wanted to be at the site etc.

To some extent the questions were similar to what I was asked on internship interviews.

I hope that helps. 🙂 GL

 

[PsychScience]

Hey all,

So, I will have an interview at my top choice and wonder whether people could share with me and the forum experiences in terms of what questions are being asked (it is NOT an internship but externship/practicum - 3rd y training), how to prepare and what to wear.. I am a little uncertain since it is not for an internship nor for the initial grad school - hwo do I get in - interview....

THANKS!! and g'luck to all who are also interviewing for externhips 😀

Externship/practicum interviews are almost like a mini-internship interview. The questions will likely be similar, with the exception that the person doing the interview will probably not expect your answers to be quite as articulate as they would if you were a more advanced student. That being said, my tips would be

1) Dress professionally. If you don't have a suit, there is no need to rush out and buy one yet (although you definitely should for internship interviews!), but you should still dress professionally. For all my practicum interviews I wore close to the suit, but minus the suit coat, and this seemed to be aligned with what others wore as well.

2) Think about your own questions that you have for that specific site. Do your homework, and have a good understanding of what types of training opportunities are available, and ask questions that show you did your homework.

3) Go through some of the threads here and read some of the interview questions that others have been asked, even for internship. Like I mentioned, and psyunknown stated before me, they questions will probably be similar in function and form. It may vary somewhat if you are applying for a therapy/intervention placement vs. an assessment placement, but you should be well versed in discussing your experiences to date that make you a good fit, areas that you are looking to develop, and be able to present a case and your approach to a case in an articulate and succinct way.


Good Luck!

 

[Phipps]

Thanks!! Very helpful 🙂