PhD/PsyD Is there anything that you’re looking for in an internship that this site does not have?

[blakjak12]

Hi all,

Prepping for internship interviews, and I have been told that it is common to get the question(s) "Is there anything that you're looking for in an internship that this site does not have?" or "Is there anything about our site that you do not like?"

I have heard that it is best to say SOMETHING here (rather than saying that a site is perfect and that you have nothing), but even after talking to my DCT, I'm not sure of the best way to handle this question. Any tips or advice? Thank you very much in advance!

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[temppsych123]

FWIW, I never got asked this question. I don't think there's a standard answer you can give; I think it will depend on the site. Obviously, I wouldn't say something you want that they don't have that's a huge deal breaker ("well, I want to spend my career working with children, and this site is a VA, so you don't have that...").

I think if there's something that the site COULD theoretically offer, but doesn't in any kind of formal way, you could spin that pretty well. For example, "while I'm primarily looking to get experience in X and Y on internship, and you have rotations targeting those things, I have always been interested in gaining some exposure to Z population, which I know isn't a primary focus here. I would love to learn about whether there might be ways to supplement my training on internship here so that I could get some exposure to Z, for example, through picking up clients with Z characteristics on X and Y rotations, or through sitting in on didactic training in other programs that might be relevant to Z, or by working with mentor A who has expertise in Z...".

Hope that helps!

 

[PsychPhDone]

Agree with above poster -- never asked it, but come up with something that could plausibly be offered.

 

[PsyDr]

Omelette bar.

 

[WisNeuro]

Meh, I'm not a big breakfast person. How about a regular bar? With happy hour that starts right after my work day ends

 

[deleted343839]

"I was told there would be a bar cart in the intern lounge. I didn't see it, though. Is it being restocked?"

 

[smalltownpsych]

You guys are incorrigible!

Seriously though. I have always struggled with those kinds of negative questions. I think they actually did ask a variation of that on my internship interview and I answered that I was disappointed that there was no adolescent, just adults as I had enjoyed some of my experience working with the kids during practicums, but on the other hand I applied here precisely because I wanted more experience with adults. They must have liked the answer cause I matched there and it turned out that I did get a chance to work with adolescents. I even got experience with small kids which I wasn't looking for at all.

 

[PsychPhDone]

Where is this internship with the omelet bar and bar bar? I'd redo the year.

But no adolescents, please.

 

[Sanman]

Not sure about drinks and an omelet bar, but my internship site had a killer expresso cart. I'm pretty sure it was 50 percent of the reason we passed our jcaho inspection when I was there.

 

[foreverbull]

Seriously though. I have always struggled with those kinds of negative questions. I think they actually did ask a variation of that on my internship interview and I answered that I was disappointed that there was no adolescent, just adults as I had enjoyed some of my experience working with the kids during practicums, but on the other hand I applied here precisely because I wanted more experience with adults. They must have liked the answer cause I matched there and it turned out that I did get a chance to work with adolescents. I even got experience with small kids which I wasn't looking for at all.

Good way to spin it. If the site lacks something, you would identify it and then spin your answer to say "but I'm confident I can get that experience later down the road. What you do offer (teaching, assessment, diversity, fill the blank) was something I was really looking for and makes your site unique to me.."

I was never asked this question in my interviews.
I was asked why I lacked a certain experience in my CV (low assessment hours!). That was a shock for me in the moment but you just have to roll with it. Some students will write all the interview questions down afterward to pass along to the next cohort so they'll be more prepared. That can be immensely beneficial for those who are more introverted and have a harder time being caught off guard by questions.

 

[blakjak12]

Thanks everyone for both the helpful and lighthearted responses! Glad to hear that this question didn't come up for everyone at least too.

 

[CheetahGirl]

Hi all,

Prepping for internship interviews, and I have been told that it is common to get the question(s) "Is there anything that you're looking for in an internship that this site does not have?" or "Is there anything about our site that you do not like?"

I have heard that it is best to say SOMETHING here (rather than saying that a site is perfect and that you have nothing), but even after talking to my DCT, I'm not sure of the best way to handle this question. Any tips or advice? Thank you very much in advance!

Oh, I meant to reply to your post...

So I attended as many internship open houses as my schedule would permit. One thing I noticed was sometimes the site was lacking in research opportunities or (like someone said above assessment experience, etc.), so when I interviewed with the program directors, I made sure to acknowledge what I saw as their limitations by prefacing this to my overwhelming interest.

Something like full-disclosure..."I noticed during the open house there seems to be more limited research possibilities unless you actively seek them here - However, I wanted to let you know that I was fully dedicated to research on my own time, and all other opportunities definitely align with what I was hoping for in a site."