08832323.2010.480992
Journal of Education for Business
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional
Internships on Students’ Perception of the
Importance of Employment Traits
Brian Patrick Green , Patricia Graybeal & Roland L. Madison
To cite this article: Brian Patrick Green , Patricia Graybeal & Roland L. Madison (2011) An
Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional Internships on Students’ Perception of the
Importance of Employment Traits, Journal of Education for Business, 86:2, 100-110, DOI:
10.1080/08832323.2010.480992
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Date: 11 January 2016, At: 22:12
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR BUSINESS, 86: 100–110, 2011
C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Copyright
ISSN: 0883-2323
DOI: 10.1080/08832323.2010.480992
An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional
Internships on Students’ Perception of the
Importance of Employment Traits
Brian Patrick Green and Patricia Graybeal
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 22:13 11 January 2016
University of Michigan–Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
Roland L. Madison
John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, USA
The authors measured the effects of a formal internship on students’ perceptions of the importance of traits employees consider during the hiring process. Prior studies have reported that
accounting firms perceive students with internship experience as better entry-level accountants. This perception may be related to changes in student beliefs after participating in an
internship program. The authors report student and employer values of specific hiring traits.
The found that students distinguish between the value of various traits described as important
to employers during the interview process. They also found that the values students apply to
these traits change after their internship period.
Keywords: employers, hiring traits, internship, interviews, student perceptions
INTRODUCTION
Faculty in business programs may comment on the differences between students with and without an internship experience. Students with internship experience appear to bring
more to the classroom, link the importance of classroom
discussions to practice, and demonstrate a significant maturation process lacking in non-internship students (English &
Koeppen, 1993). Faculty perceptions of the benefits of internships are not without research support. Swindle and Bailey
(1984) reported that accounting firms perceive students with
internship experience as better entry-level accountants. However, there are few data-driven studies supporting internship
benefits. One of the benefits of an internship may be a change
in the significance students place on traits that are important
to obtain professional employment. This study is primarily
motivated by understanding those value differences between
employers and students, thus allowing faculty to mentor with
knowledge and not rely on anecdotal evidence or opinion. Although the prior literature has discussed potentially impor-
Correspondence should be addressed to Brian Patrick Green, University
of Michigan–Dearborn, Department of Accounting & Finance, 19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, MI 48126, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
tant traits, it lacks data-driven evidence directly measuring
their perceived importance. The study is further motivated by
adding to the literature a significant benefit of professional
internships. Researchers have not examined whether student
perceptions of traits important to employment decisions are
affected by an internship experience.
The purpose of this study is to measure the effects of
a formal internship program on students’ perceived values
of traits, such as an individual’s personality or technical
traits, important to employers during the interview process.
We examined four aggregate categories of traits as well
as individual traits that fall under each classification. We
also measured changes in student values of employment
traits immediately before and after their internship experience. Changes in student values were measured using four
student cohort semesters (fall 2007, winter 2008, summer
2008, and fall 2008) in which interns completed a comparable pre- and postinternship survey measuring values of
specific traits, such as a strong work ethic, ability to work
with others, or their present GPA. We further compared and
identified significant differences between student and employer perceptions. Understanding these differences allow
faculty to properly mentor students’ transitions from academic to professional careers as they participate in the hiring
process.
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
BACKGROUND
cal/business, interpersonal, and background or other traits.
Our study was designed to answer the following research
questions:
The value of internships has long been recognized by the academic and business communities. In 1952, the American Accounting Association (AAA) indicated that a period of practical experience incorporated into the academic preparation of
a student would enhance the overall value of the educational
experience. Not long after the AAA study was published, the
AAA and American Institute of Accountants (AIA; 1955),
predecessor to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), made a joint statement concerning the
standards and responsibilities of internship programs.
Research by Lang (1979), Paperman (1979), DeFilippis
(1982), and Chandra and Paperman (1983) identified advantages of internship programs that were consistent with those
outlined in the 1952 AAA study. These included benefits to
sponsoring institutions, employers, and student interns. Previous studies by Schmutte (1986) and Beard (1998) found
that student internships were increasingly incorporated into
the business curriculum. Schmutte reported that over 69% of
respondents offered internships, whereas Beard reported that
number had risen to more than 75% of respondents provided
internship or cooperative experiences for undergraduate students. One explanation for the increased participation in internships may be that internships can be part of the solution to
the added cost of education (Accounting Education Change
Commission, 1990). Additionally, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and Financial Executives Institute
(FEI) jointly reported that entry-level employees fall short
of employer expectations because they lack practical experience. Furthermore, 20% of employers stated they would prefer to hire a job applicant who had a bachelor’s degree that
included an internship program (Siegel & Sorensen, 1994).
Pasewark, Strawser, and Wilkerson (1989) studied the effects of internships on students’ relative interviewing success. The results showed that previous internship experience
had a significant positive impact on the probability of students receiving an off-campus (e.g., office visit) interview.
However, results also showed that their success in receiving
a job offer was not enhanced in the office interview. Our
study extends prior research by examining student traits important in the hiring process. In this study traits are defined as
personality characteristics, technical competencies, interpersonal skills, and other background information commonly
discussed during an interview. Specifically, does the internship provide an experience sufficient for the student to more
clearly understand factors that are important to securing an
off-campus office visit and obtain an entry-level position?
Research Question 1: What values do employers place on
interview traits?
Research Question 2: What values do students place on interview traits?
Research Question 3: Are there differences between perceived employer and student values of interview traits?
Research Question 4: Do student’s perception of values
placed on interview traits change after an internship experience?
Prior Research
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101
Research Questions
Our study examines four categories of traits identified by
employers and prior research as important during the interview process. These categories include personality, techni-
METHOD
Sample
We surveyed business school students taking part in a formal
internship program immediately before and after their initial
internship experience. The study took place at a regional,
nonresidential university in the Midwest with approximately
9,200 students (1,400 in the business college). The sample
was drawn from four semesters between fall 2007 and fall
2008. The preinternship survey had 105 student responses,
while the postinternship survey collected 58 responses.
English and Koeppen (1993) had a sample size of 57 respondents. We also received 21 employer responses to the
survey. Students were highly encouraged but not required to
complete the survey. It was not practical to require a response
to the postinternship survey due to the short time frame between completion of the internship, assigning credit for the
course, and in some cases graduation. However, we found no
significant differences in the preinternship survey responses
among 58 of the 105 students who responded to the post
survey and 47 of the 105 students who did not complete
the postinternship survey. Responses were returned without
identification to assure response confidentiality. The 15-week
internship is offered as a three-credit elective for juniors and
seniors having earned at least 12 credit hours in their major
areas of management, finance, accounting, marketing, management information systems, human resources, or supply
chain management. Recently, the business college had allowed graduate students to also participate in the program.
All intern candidates, regardless of major, go through the
identical formal internship process and requirements. Furthermore, students from all majors have similar internship
experiences, closely monitored by a professionally staffed
internship office. Students are required to attend three internship preparation seminars and sign internship contracts prior
to accepting assignments. The preinternship survey was administered at the beginning of the first 3-hr seminar. Though
there can be concerns with the use of student responses, prior
research supports the reliability of student self-reported data
(Marsh 1987; Seldin, 1993).
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102
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
All internships were full-time (at least 40 work hours per
week), paid positions lasting for 4 months and were recognized for their educational component. Interns also participated in discussion groups via Blackboard and submitted a
final paper regarding the employer’s business and their work
performed. The postinternship survey was e-mailed to students immediately after the completion of their requirements.
Each semester approximately 25–30 companies employ
interns. In fall 2007 employers were also surveyed using
the identical student instrument to develop a benchmark for
the study. The employer set standards for the student at the
beginning of the period and completed the process with a performance evaluation at the end of the work period. Although
these metrics are critical to improving the program, they do
not give a complete measure of changes in the student during the internship. A t test with related p values was used to
measure significant differences. In prior learning assessment
studies, with consistent research design, it was hypothesized
that student values or abilities change due to a maturation
effect. These same studies have also reported movement in
student perceptions and values toward benchmark employer
responses (Green & Calderon 2005). We originally hypothesized similar outcomes under both the first and second interview scenarios.
Survey
The survey used a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from
1 (extremely important) to 7 (extremely unimportant). We
measured student perception under a first and second interview scenario. We also measure changes in the traits perceived importance after students gain experience through
an internship. The categories and the specific traits under
each category were developed through an exploratory survey with the 26 internship employers. Employers’ perceived
value of each trait was then measured using the identical
student survey found in Appendix A. Although the prior
literature does discuss potentially important traits, it lacks
data-driven evidence directly measuring their perceived importance. Trait categories include (a) personality traits, such
as attitude and being personable; (b) technical and business
traits, such as core competencies and technical skills; (c)
interpersonal skills, such as professionalism and communications; and (d) background and other traits, such as work
experience and GPA.
RESULTS
Demographics
Our sample was drawn from four semesters during 2007 and
2008. A total of 105 “first internship” students completed
the preinternship survey (see Table 1). About one half of
the respondents were women (52) and one half were men
(53). A total of 46 students were seniors, 52 were juniors,
and 7 students marked were other. The majority of students
were undergraduates (94), with a few MBA (5) and MS (5)
interns. It is not uncommon for MS students to actually begin their master’s program during the same semester as they
complete their undergraduate degree. The mean GPA was
3.393 (on a 4-point scale) with a mean age of 22.72 years
old. There were 58 postinternship survey responses. This
sample had slightly more women (34) than men (24). The
postinternship group was not statistically different from the
preinternship group, with a mean GPA of 3.385 and age of
22.71 years. Both groups had nearly identical distributions
for majors (accounting, finance, marketing, and other), as
well as mean professional (about 1 year) and nonprofessional
(about 4 years) work experience. After removing graduate
students the mean professional experience declined to 0.56
years. The only significant difference between groups was
the distribution between seniors (52) and juniors (6) for the
postinternship survey group compared to the preinternship
survey group. However, this difference was expected since
most juniors completing their internship would now have
earned credit hours to become seniors. Although this study’s
major focus was on the overall effects of internships on business students, we were unable to test for significant differences between majors due to the smaller response size of
the postinternship group. A total of 21 employers responded
to the survey in the fall of 2007. We considered this a high
response rate because we averaged 26 internship employers
per semester. Seventeen of the respondents were directly involved in the interview process, whereas 13 participated as
intern supervisors. Ten of the 21 employer respondents had
both interview and supervisor duties.
Student and Employer Interview Traits
Students were initially asked to rate the overall importance
of each of the four aggregate trait categories for personality, technical, interpersonal, and background skills. For all
first and second interview scenarios, students perceived less
value for each category than employers. However, student
and employer rank ordering of categories were identical. The
category of personality traits showed the least significant differences. Preinternship students did not report a difference
in the importance of aggregate personality traits between the
first and second interviews. However, postinternship students
placed significantly less value on personality traits during the
second interview (2.069) than the first interview (1.724) at
p > .05. Employers still valued personality traits (1.476) as
extremely important during the second interview.
Pre- (p > .10) and postinternship students (p > .05) also
placed significantly less value on technical skills for the first
interview scenario than did employers. Postinternship students also reported a significantly lower value than employers (p > .10) for the second interview. Although employers
reported only a slight increase in the value of technical skills,
moving from the first (2.333) to second interview (2.095),
103
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
TABLE 1
Demographics
Panel A (n = 105)
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Variable
Age (years)
GPA
Gender
Male
Female
Year in school
Senior
Junior
Other
Major
Accounting
Finance
Marketing
Other
Degree
BBA
MBA
MS
Other
Work experience (years)
Professional
Nonprofessional
Involvement
Interviewer
Supervisor
Other
Industry
Public accounting
Financial accounting
Manufacturing
Other
n
M
Panel B (n = 58)
SD
n
22.72
3.393
M
Panel C (n = 21)
SD
n
SD
22.71
3.385
53
52
24
34
46
52
7
52
6
37
23
24
22
20
17
14
8
14
94
5
5
1
58
11
10
1
1.02
3.98
M
13
8
7
0.87
3.47
15.14
10
3
5
3
Note. For Panel B, most graduating seniors did not complete a post internship survey, and many students advanced from second-semester juniors to
first-semester seniors. For Panel C, 10 employers listed 2 positions of involvement.
students reported significant value increases. Preinternship
student mean values increased from 2.800 (somewhat important) to 2.105 (to important, where p > .001 level), and
postinternship students’ value of importance moved from
3.241 to 2.655 (p > .05).
Interpersonal traits were valued consistently across all
comparisons (see Tables 2 and 3). Preinternship students did
show a significant increase (p > .05) in the value they place
on interpersonal skills from the first to second interview.
Employers valued background skills, such as experience and
GPA, significantly (p > .05) more than did students under
most scenarios. However, postinternship students valued
background skills significantly less than dud preinternship
students during a second interview. Interestingly, students
perceived the most value for personality and interpersonal
skills, such as listening well and being personable, and
the least value on technical and background traits, such
as problem solving and GPA. In other words, students
may view being a likable person as more important to
future success than core knowledge and skills learned
in the business school. Students did distinguish between
the four aggregate trait categories, consistently ranking
personality traits as the most important for both first and
second interviews, valued as high as 1.476 (1 = extremely
important). Interpersonal traits were also rated as high as
1.581. Students saw technical traits as least (somewhat)
important during the first interview (3.241), and background
as least valuable during a second interview (2.931).
Personality Traits
Table 4 presents means for individual traits in the personality category. Students and employers valued all personality
traits from extremely important to important. Preinternship
students (1.401), postinternship students (1.828), and employers (1.238) consistently rate a positive attitude as the
most important trait during the first interview. A strong work
ethic followed closely with respective ratings of 1.429, 2.036,
104
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
TABLE 2
Importance of Trait Categories
M
Trait
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Panel A
Personality
Technical
Interpersonal
Background
Panel B
Personality
Technical
Interpersonal
Background
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
1.476
2.800
1.704
2.619
1.724
3.241
2.241
2.862
1.333
2.333
1.524
2.190
.4099
.0763
.3437
.0479
.2927
.0150
.0571
.0386
.4884
.1514
.1413
.4005
1.552
2.105
1.581
2.752
2.069
2.655
1.929
2.931
1.476
2.095
1.429
2.095
.6862
.9670
.3488
.0025
.1666
.0726
.3060
.5569
.1223
.1018
.1346
.0084
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
TABLE 3
Panel C: Comparison of First to Second Interviews (p
Values)
Trait
Personality
Technical
Interpersonal
Background
Preinternship first
to second
interviews
Postinternship
first to second
interviews
Employer first to
second interviews
.196
4E-09
.042
.171
.0303
.0477
.3551
.7452
.0829
.1349
.1623
.7049
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral)
to 7 (extremely unimportant).
†p = .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
and 1.333. Charismatic personality was valued the least for
first and second interviews. Employers rated a positive attitude and strong work ethic for the first (1.238 and 1.333) and
second interviews (1.190 and 1.143). This was significantly
more important than for postinternship students during the
first (1.828 and 2.036) and second (1.821 and 1.929, respectively) interviews. The employer value was also marginally
more important compared to preinternship students for the
second interview. Unfortunately, the greatest significant difference between students and employers was a strong work
ethic. Postinternship students only saw a 0.142 difference in
the importance between having a vibrant personality and the
strength of their work effect.
TABLE 4
Importance of Personality Traits
M
Trait
Panel A
Vibrant personality
Charismatic personality
You are personable
You like people
Positive attitude
Strong work ethic
Panel B
Vibrant personality
Charismatic personality
You are personable
You like people
Positive attitude
Strong work ethic
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
2.038
2.057
1.705
1.790
1.410
1.429
2.241
2.379
1.966
2.345
1.828
2.036
2.238
2.286
1.762
2.000
1.238
1.333
.3552
.3426
.7989
.3509
.1961
.4516
.993
.810
.540
.336
.094
.072
.543
.358
.442
.114
.264
.135
1.894
1.924
1.648
1.714
1.400
1.410
2.071
2.107
1.893
2.107
1.821
1.929
2.000
2.238
1.667
1.571
1.190
1.143
.619
.231
.973
.352
.092
.034
.850
.742
.517
.124
.065
.029
.590
.599
.491
.276
.258
.188
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
105
TABLE 5
Importance of Technical Business Traits
M
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Trait
Panel A
Solve problems
Deal with ambiguity
Decision making process
Core competencies (major area)
Other technical skills
Work experience in business area
Panel B
Solve problems
Deal with ambiguity
Decision making process
Core competencies (major area)
Other technical skills
Work experience in business area
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
2.133
2.448
2.305
2.238
2.510
2.288
2.655
2.759
2.690
2.655
3.172
2.793
2.000
2.238
1.667
1.571
1.190
1.143
.564
.634
.354
.540
.215
.161
.070
.181
.009
.003
1.7E − 09
2.2E − 05
.102
.311
.260
.196
.013
.118
1.724
1.914
1.857
2.048
2.124
2.229
2.214
2.357
2.286
2.679
2.679
2.500
1.619
1.762
1.714
1.952
2.190
2.150
.573
.420
.453
.580
.849
.622
.116
.100
.145
.071
.191
.341
.182
.198
.256
.102
.128
.478
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
Technical Business Traits
The mean values for individual technical traits are presented
in Table 5. Employers value other technical skills (1.190)
and work experience (1.143) as extremely important during
the first interview. Compared to employers, postinternship
students valued four of the six traits significantly lower. Although employers rated traits from extremely important to
important, postinternship students viewed these same traits
as only somewhat important. The traits included decision
making (p > .01), core competencies (p > .01), other skills
(p > .001), and experience (p > .001). During the second
interview the employers focused equally on problem solving
(1.619), dealing with ambiguity (1.762), and decision making (1.714). In contrast, both pre- and postinternship students
viewed these same traits as only somewhat important.
Further analysis shows employer means’ changed significantly for all six business traits, increasing in importance for
solving problems (p > .05) and dealing with ambiguity (p >
.01), and decreasing for decision making (p > .05), core competencies (p > .01), other technical (p > .001), and experience (p > .01). In contrast, students indicated that, except for
core competencies and work experience, technical business
traits had significantly more importance during the second
interview. Preinternship students reported that the four trait
values significantly increased in importance at least at p >
.001. Postinternship students also saw a significant increase
in the same trait values, but only at the p > .05. Students might
have felt that competencies and experience were examined
before the second interview through resume and transcripts.
Interpersonal Skills
We examined 11 interpersonal traits (shown in Table 6), finding them consistent across most sample comparisons. How-
ever, employers rated a candidate’s potential to learn as the
second most important interpersonal skill, in both the first
(1.429) and second (1.190) interviews. Preinternship students
valued this trait significantly lower at 1.810 and 1.705, respectively. Postinternship student values for importance were
2.241 and 2.000, respectively. It is possible that postinternship students believed they had less to learn because of their
limited experience. Pre- and postinternship students also perceived listening skills as significantly less important during
the second interview. In contrast, employers rated listening
well (1.143) as the most important skill under all categories.
Under further analysis employers reported that 9 of the
11 interpersonal traits significantly increased in importance
from the first to the second interviews. Preinternship students also showed a significant increase in importance for 9
of the 11 traits. For preinternship students, the most significant changes occurred for written communications, being
decisive, and an effective leader (p > .001). For employers,
significant changes were found for potential to learn, effective leader, oral communication, and written communication
(p > .05). However, students did not include listening well as
their most important or increasing in importance characteristic. Students perceived less importance on critical speaking
and listening skills during a second (office) interview.
Background and Other Traits
Background traits (see Table 7), individually and as a
category, were rated as the least important traits during both
the first and second interview scenarios by all groups. This
is understandable, given that many of the background traits
where used as screens before the interview. Items such as
GPA and extracurricular activities are given to employers
through resumes, transcripts, and letters of recommendation.
For example, GPA was consistently viewed as somewhat
106
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
TABLE 6
Importance of Interpersonal Skills Traits
M
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Trait
Panel A
Professionalism
You listen well
Oral communication
Written communication
Self-motivated
Work with older
Be decisiveness
Effective leader
Potential to learn
Adapt to corporate life
Manage time
Panel B
Professionalism
You listen well
Oral communication
Written communication
Self motivated
Work with older
Be decisiveness
Effective leader
Potential to learn
Adapt to corporate life
Manage time
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
1.552
1.543
1.676
2.352
1.895
2.057
2.314
2.076
1.810
2.257
1.933
1.931
1.862
1.862
2.690
2.310
2.931
2.690
2.414
2.241
2.310
2.069
1.333
1.286
1.762
2.333
1.810
3.095
2.667
2.524
1.429
2.333
1.857
.210
.124
.723
.891
.553
.010
.249
.166
.019
.992
.491
.105
.122
.785
.367
.170
.747
.951
.772
.032
.957
.545
.287
.390
.619
.354
.275
.044
.305
.375
.324
.956
.878
1.400
1.590
1.562
1.962
1.705
2.320
1.990
1.800
1.705
2.019
1.667
1.857
1.821
1.857
2.286
2.214
2.893
2.393
2.071
2.000
2.107
2.214
1.238
1.143
1.500
1.762
1.571
2.714
2.333
2.143
1.190
1.857
1.381
.293
.003
.678
.238
.398
.278
.274
.220
.002
.367
.054
.099
.057
.300
.137
.078
.710
.868
.850
.026
.534
.031
.222
.527
.405
.376
.175
.188
.241
.548
.532
.973
.227
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
important to neutral. However, employers did value GPA
slightly more important (p > .10) than did preinternship
students. Employers also saw a GPA as significantly more
important during the first interview (2.571 compared with
2.905). It is interesting to note that extracurricular activities
were anecdotally described as extremely important, although
employers valued this trait between “somewhat important”
and “neutral” (3.190).
Employers valued as “extremely important” during the
first and second interview (1.667 and 1.381 .01).
Several years ago, a student was asked for a reason to work
for a Big Four firm. The student’s only response was, “well
this is a CPA firm, isn’t it?” As faculty, business professors
may want to work on this one.
Further analysis indicated that postinternship students
(2.714) placed significantly less value on their understanding of the company, than did employers (1.857) during the
second interview. This may be critical since employers view
this value as significantly more important during the second
interview (p > .01). From pre- to postinternship students,
there were significant decreases (p > .05) in the value of
understanding the company. For the first interview, the value
decreased from important (2.105) to somewhat important
(2.931), and for the second interview it decreased from important (1.819) to somewhat important (2.714). The maturation effect, from pre- to postinternship students tended to decrease their values for many traits, while increasing the number of and severity of significant differences between postinternship students and employers. This becomes a critical issue for traits valued as extremely important by employers.
DISCUSSION
Student perceptions of the importance of interview traits
often differ from those of employers. Understanding these
differences allow faculty to properly mentor students’ transitions from academic to professional careers as they participate in the hiring process. Comparing a group of pre and
postinternship students showed the decreased student perception of the importance of many traits. Preinternship students tended to map the perceived importance of traits with
employers. With experience, postinternship students significantly evolved their view of importance for many traits,
lessening some traits’ importance while holding others equal
to preinternship values. Student experience also increased
the number and severity of significant differences between
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
107
TABLE 7
Importance of Background & Other Traits
Panel A: First Interview
M
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Trait
Panel A
Why you want internship
General work experience
Job related life experiences
Why chose university
Why chose major
Made up for past failures
Understanding of the company
Your goals and how obtained
GPA
Extra curriculars
When graduate
Panel B
Why you want internship
General work experience
Job related life experiences
Why chose university
Why chose major
Made up for past failures
Understanding of the company
Your goals and how obtained
GPA
Extra curriculars
When graduate
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
1.705
2.200
2.210
2.886
2.276
2.295
2.105
2.210
3.057
2.796
2.848
2.276
2.517
2.897
3.310
2.724
2.897
2.931
2.586
3.138
2.966
2.893
1.667
2.143
2.238
3.238
2.714
2.429
2.381
2.190
2.571
3.050
2.810
.873
.763
.925
.290
.158
.719
.277
.750
.063
.531
.729
.119
.267
.074
.853
.979
.257
.112
.179
.141
.826
.830
.123
.327
.042
.149
.143
.111
.021
.211
.939
.752
.916
1.895
2.343
2.211
3.000
2.552
2.190
1.819
2.038
3.276
2.867
2.705
2.357
2.571
2.750
3.464
2.857
2.500
2.714
2.679
3.786
3.429
2.786
1.381
2.238
2.240
3.143
2.714
1.905
1.857
1.905
2.905
3.190
2.619
.006
.686
.922
.634
.613
.120
.962
.365
.154
.374
.585
.010
.375
.195
.410
.727
.096
.029
.035
.038
.554
.680
.196
.481
.151
.178
.429
.408
.022
.092
.220
.178
.994
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
students and employers. This may be due to exposure to professionals in their major areas. Although employers valued
nearly all traits as either extremely important or important,
students tended to distinguish between traits, ranging from
extremely important to neutral, consistently placing less importance on each category of traits than did employers. Preinternship students did not distinguish the importance between
aggregate trait categories. However, postinternship students
placed less value on personality traits than did employers
during the second interview. Postinternship students also put
less importance on background skills such as problem solving
and GPA during the second interview. In contrast, employers still viewed these traits as extremely important. Students
need to understand and be mentored by faculty that during
the second interview employers are looking for a fit in their
firm or company.
Within individual personality traits, all groups rated positive attitude as extremely important. However, employers
placed significantly greater value on the importance of a
strong work ethic than did postinternship students. This result
appears to support faculty anecdotal perception concerning
students and hard work. Students need to understand that vibrant personalities do not compensate for a weak work ethic.
Postinternship students also perceived technical traits as sig-
nificantly less important than did employers. They viewed
decision making, core competencies, experience, and dealing with ambiguity as only somewhat important. Students
may believe that experience and core competencies are examined through their resumes, but need to be mentored that
these traits are essential during the hiring process. Not all
professionals spend significant time reading resumes, and
the extent and details of experience and competencies do not
come through a single line. The interview offers students an
opportunity to expand and bring life to their technical business skills. With students’ high rating of personality traits,
they may view that being a likable person is more important
to future success than core knowledge and skills learned in
the business school.
Both interpersonal and background traits offer basic mentoring opportunities for faculty. Students need to remember
that the interview is also an opportunity to learn about the
employer. For students, listening skills need to become very
important. They also need to understand the company and
why they want the position before the interview.
Limitations and Future Research
Although the prior literature does discuss potentially
important traits, it lacks data driven evidence directly
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108
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
measuring their perceived importance. The present study was
exploratory in nature, bringing data to discussions previously
supported by anecdotal evidence. However, the employer
group was a small sample. Respondents were also lost between the pre- and postinternship surveys. The limited sample size reduced the ability to measure significant differences.
Our sample consisted of business internship students attending a regional, nonresidential university in the Midwest. The
results reported in our study may not be able to be generalized beyond the present sample. Although the experience
of a professional internship may have a significant effect on
students, the effect may not be completely caused by their
experience. Students’ perceptions may also be affected by
approaching graduation and preparing to leave the academic
world. Other events during the internship period may have
some effect on student values, though we cannot predict the
magnitude or direction of these effects.
There are two natural extensions of this study. First, students’ value of importance may be compared to the values of
academics. Second, students’ values may also be compared
to the values of internship directors. Both internship directors
and academics have significant influence on student beliefs,
as well as ample opportunity and responsibility to mentor
students.
REFERENCES
Accounting Education Change Commission. (1990). Objectives of education for accountants: Position statement number one. Issues in Accounting
Education, 5, 307–312.
American Accounting Association. (1952). Report of the Committee on
Internship Programs. The Accounting Review, July, 316–323.
American Accounting Association and American Institute of Accountants. (1955). Statement of standards and responsibilities under public accounting internship programs. The Accounting Review, April,
206–210.
Beard, D. F. (1998). The status of internships/cooperative education experiences in accounting education. Journal of Accounting Education, 16,
507–516.
Chandra, G., and Paperman, J. B. (1983). Accounting internships and CPA
firms. The CPA Journal, September, 75–76.
DeFilippis, R. A. (1982). Internship in small practice. The CPA Journal, The
CPA Journal, 81–82.
English, D. M., & Koeppen, D. R. (1993). The relationship of accounting
internships and subsequent academic performance. Issues in Accounting
Education, February, 292–299.
Lang, A. F. (1979). The value of interns to a regional or local firm. The Ohio
CPA, Autumn, 162–163.
Green, B. P., & Calderon, T. G. (2005). Assessing student learning and
growth through audit risk simulations. Advances in Accounting Education, 7, 1–25.
Marsh, H. W. (1987). Students’ evaluations of university teaching: Research
findings, methodological issues, and direction for future research. International Journal of Educational Research, 11, 253–388.
Paperman, J. B. (1979). Internship programs I accounting. The Ohio CPA,
Autumn, 159–161.
Pasewark, W. R., Strawser, J., & Wilkerson, J. Jr. (1989). An empirical
examination of the effect of previous internship on interviewing success.
Journal of Accounting Education, 7, 25–39.
Schmutte, J. (1986). Accounting internships: The state of the art. Journal of
Accounting Education, 4, 227–236.
Seldin, P. (1993). The use and abuse of student ratings of professors. Chronicle of Higher Education, July, A40.
Siegel, G., & Sorensen, J. (1994). What corporate America wants in entrylevel accountants. Montvale, NJ: Institute of Management Accountants
and the Financial Executives Institute.
Swindle, C. B., & Bailey, E. R. (1984). Determining the feasibility of an internship program in public accounting. Journal of Accounting Education,
2, 155–160.
APPENDIX A—SURVEY
The Objective of an Interview
Student Instrument
The purpose of this survey is to gain an understanding of
students’ perceptions of trait values in the interview process.
Please complete the following multi-part survey.
Part 1: Demographics
Please tell us about yourself.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Student Number:
Gender: Male
Female
Age:
Year in School: Junior
Senior
Other
Major: Accounting
Finance
Marketing
HRM
MIS
Other
When do you expect to graduate? Year
Semester
What is your expected degree? BBA
BS
MBA
MS
Other
Prior Work Experience:
a.
b.
Non-Professional—Years
Professional—Years
Months
Months
9)
If you have professional work experience, how much
was on a full-time basis? Years
Months
10) What is your GPA? Major
Overall
Part 2: The Importance of Trait Categories
The following table lists four categories of traits that may
be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how
important you believe each trait category is to be successful
during the initial interview process. Rate the value of each
trait on a seven point scale: where 1 is extremely important,
2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is
somewhat unimportant, 6 is unimportant, and 7 is extremely
unimportant.
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
109
Panel A: Importance of Trait Categories During the Initial Interview
Trait/Value of Trait
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1) Personality traits such as being personable or having a positive attitude.
2) Technical/Business traits such as analytical or accounting skills.
3) Interpersonal Skill traits, such as communication skills and leadership.
4) Background/Other traits such as GPA or work experience.
The following table lists four categories of traits that may be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how important
you believe each trait category is to be successful during the second interview process. Rate the value of each trait on a seven
point scale: where 1 is extremely important, 2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is somewhat unimportant,
6 is unimportant, and 7 is extremely unimportant.
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Panel B: Importance of Trait Categories During the Second Interview
Trait/Value of Trait
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1) Personality traits such as being personable or having a positive attitude.
2) Technical/Business traits such as analytical or accounting skills.
3) Interpersonal Skill traits, such as communication skills and leadership.
4) Background/Other traits such as GPA or work experience.
Part 3: The Importance of Individual Traits in an Initial Interview
The following table lists individual traits that may be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how important
you believe each trait is to be successful during the initial interview process. Rate the value of each trait on a seven point
scale: where 1 is extremely important, 2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is somewhat unimportant, 6 is
unimportant, and 7 is extremely unimportant.
Trait/Importance of Individual Traits
1) Demonstrate a vibrant personality
2) Demonstrate a charismatic personality
3) Demonstrate that you are personable
4) Demonstrate that you like people
5) Demonstrate a positive attitude
6) Demonstrate a strong work ethic
1) Demonstrate the ability to solve problems
2) Your ability to deal with ambiguity and to solve problems with incomplete information
3) Demonstrate your decision making process
4) Describe your core competencies (major area)
5) Describe your other technical skills
6) Describe your work experience in your business area
1) Demonstrate professionalism
2) Demonstrate that you listen well
3) Demonstrate that you have strong oral communication skills
4) Demonstrate that you have strong written communication skills
5) Describe how you are self motivated
6) Describe your ability to work with those who are two or three times your age
7) Demonstrate your ability to be decisiveness
8) Describe how you are an effective leader
9) Demonstrate your potential to learn
10) Describe your ability to adapt to corporate life
11) Demonstrate your ability to manage time
1) Describe why you want an internship with the company/firm
2) Describe your general work experience
3) Discuss life experiences that relate to job/career
4) Discuss why you chose your university
5) Discuss why you chose your major
6) Describe how you have made up for past failures/when you have fallen short of standards
7 Demonstrate your depth and understanding of the company through your questions
8) Discuss specific your goals and how you obtained those goals
9) What is your GPA
10) Discuss the extra curricular activities that you have participated in
11) How long until you graduate
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
110
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
Part 4: The Importance of Individual Traits in a Second Interview
The following table list individual traits that may be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how important you
believe each trait is to be successful during a second interview. Rate the value of each trait on a seven point scale: where 1 is
extremely important, 2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is somewhat unimportant, 6 is unimportant, and 7
is extremely unimportant.
Trait/Importance of Individual Traits
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1) Demonstrate a vibrant personality
2) Demonstrate a charismatic personality
3) Demonstrate that you are personable
4) Demonstrate that you like people
5) Demonstrate a positive attitude
6) Demonstrate a strong work ethic
1) Demonstrate the ability to solve problems
2) Your ability to deal with ambiguity and to solve problems with incomplete information
3) Demonstrate your decision making process
4) Describe your core competencies (major area)
5) Describe your other technical skills
6) Describe your work experience in your business area
1) Demonstrate professionalism
2) Demonstrate that you listen well
3) Demonstrate that you have strong oral communication skills
4) Demonstrate that you have strong written communication skills
5) Describe how you are self motivated
6) Describe your ability to work with those who are two or three times your age
7) Demonstrate your ability to be decisiveness
8) Describe how you are an effective leader
9) Demonstrate your potential to learn
10) Describe your ability to adapt to corporate life
11) Demonstrate your ability to manage time
1) Describe why you want an internship with the company/firm
2) Describe your general work experience
3) Discuss life experiences that relate to job/career
4) Discuss why you chose your university
5) Discuss why you chose your major
6) Describe how you have made up for past failures/when you have fallen short of standards
7 Demonstrate your depth and understanding of the company through your questions
8) Discuss specific your goals and how you obtained those goals
9) What is your GPA
10) Discuss the extra curricular activities that you have participated in
11) How long until you graduate
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional
Internships on Students’ Perception of the
Importance of Employment Traits
Brian Patrick Green , Patricia Graybeal & Roland L. Madison
To cite this article: Brian Patrick Green , Patricia Graybeal & Roland L. Madison (2011) An
Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional Internships on Students’ Perception of the
Importance of Employment Traits, Journal of Education for Business, 86:2, 100-110, DOI:
10.1080/08832323.2010.480992
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2010.480992
Published online: 23 Dec 2010.
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Date: 11 January 2016, At: 22:12
JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR BUSINESS, 86: 100–110, 2011
C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Copyright
ISSN: 0883-2323
DOI: 10.1080/08832323.2010.480992
An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional
Internships on Students’ Perception of the
Importance of Employment Traits
Brian Patrick Green and Patricia Graybeal
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 22:13 11 January 2016
University of Michigan–Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA
Roland L. Madison
John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, USA
The authors measured the effects of a formal internship on students’ perceptions of the importance of traits employees consider during the hiring process. Prior studies have reported that
accounting firms perceive students with internship experience as better entry-level accountants. This perception may be related to changes in student beliefs after participating in an
internship program. The authors report student and employer values of specific hiring traits.
The found that students distinguish between the value of various traits described as important
to employers during the interview process. They also found that the values students apply to
these traits change after their internship period.
Keywords: employers, hiring traits, internship, interviews, student perceptions
INTRODUCTION
Faculty in business programs may comment on the differences between students with and without an internship experience. Students with internship experience appear to bring
more to the classroom, link the importance of classroom
discussions to practice, and demonstrate a significant maturation process lacking in non-internship students (English &
Koeppen, 1993). Faculty perceptions of the benefits of internships are not without research support. Swindle and Bailey
(1984) reported that accounting firms perceive students with
internship experience as better entry-level accountants. However, there are few data-driven studies supporting internship
benefits. One of the benefits of an internship may be a change
in the significance students place on traits that are important
to obtain professional employment. This study is primarily
motivated by understanding those value differences between
employers and students, thus allowing faculty to mentor with
knowledge and not rely on anecdotal evidence or opinion. Although the prior literature has discussed potentially impor-
Correspondence should be addressed to Brian Patrick Green, University
of Michigan–Dearborn, Department of Accounting & Finance, 19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, MI 48126, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
tant traits, it lacks data-driven evidence directly measuring
their perceived importance. The study is further motivated by
adding to the literature a significant benefit of professional
internships. Researchers have not examined whether student
perceptions of traits important to employment decisions are
affected by an internship experience.
The purpose of this study is to measure the effects of
a formal internship program on students’ perceived values
of traits, such as an individual’s personality or technical
traits, important to employers during the interview process.
We examined four aggregate categories of traits as well
as individual traits that fall under each classification. We
also measured changes in student values of employment
traits immediately before and after their internship experience. Changes in student values were measured using four
student cohort semesters (fall 2007, winter 2008, summer
2008, and fall 2008) in which interns completed a comparable pre- and postinternship survey measuring values of
specific traits, such as a strong work ethic, ability to work
with others, or their present GPA. We further compared and
identified significant differences between student and employer perceptions. Understanding these differences allow
faculty to properly mentor students’ transitions from academic to professional careers as they participate in the hiring
process.
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
BACKGROUND
cal/business, interpersonal, and background or other traits.
Our study was designed to answer the following research
questions:
The value of internships has long been recognized by the academic and business communities. In 1952, the American Accounting Association (AAA) indicated that a period of practical experience incorporated into the academic preparation of
a student would enhance the overall value of the educational
experience. Not long after the AAA study was published, the
AAA and American Institute of Accountants (AIA; 1955),
predecessor to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), made a joint statement concerning the
standards and responsibilities of internship programs.
Research by Lang (1979), Paperman (1979), DeFilippis
(1982), and Chandra and Paperman (1983) identified advantages of internship programs that were consistent with those
outlined in the 1952 AAA study. These included benefits to
sponsoring institutions, employers, and student interns. Previous studies by Schmutte (1986) and Beard (1998) found
that student internships were increasingly incorporated into
the business curriculum. Schmutte reported that over 69% of
respondents offered internships, whereas Beard reported that
number had risen to more than 75% of respondents provided
internship or cooperative experiences for undergraduate students. One explanation for the increased participation in internships may be that internships can be part of the solution to
the added cost of education (Accounting Education Change
Commission, 1990). Additionally, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and Financial Executives Institute
(FEI) jointly reported that entry-level employees fall short
of employer expectations because they lack practical experience. Furthermore, 20% of employers stated they would prefer to hire a job applicant who had a bachelor’s degree that
included an internship program (Siegel & Sorensen, 1994).
Pasewark, Strawser, and Wilkerson (1989) studied the effects of internships on students’ relative interviewing success. The results showed that previous internship experience
had a significant positive impact on the probability of students receiving an off-campus (e.g., office visit) interview.
However, results also showed that their success in receiving
a job offer was not enhanced in the office interview. Our
study extends prior research by examining student traits important in the hiring process. In this study traits are defined as
personality characteristics, technical competencies, interpersonal skills, and other background information commonly
discussed during an interview. Specifically, does the internship provide an experience sufficient for the student to more
clearly understand factors that are important to securing an
off-campus office visit and obtain an entry-level position?
Research Question 1: What values do employers place on
interview traits?
Research Question 2: What values do students place on interview traits?
Research Question 3: Are there differences between perceived employer and student values of interview traits?
Research Question 4: Do student’s perception of values
placed on interview traits change after an internship experience?
Prior Research
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101
Research Questions
Our study examines four categories of traits identified by
employers and prior research as important during the interview process. These categories include personality, techni-
METHOD
Sample
We surveyed business school students taking part in a formal
internship program immediately before and after their initial
internship experience. The study took place at a regional,
nonresidential university in the Midwest with approximately
9,200 students (1,400 in the business college). The sample
was drawn from four semesters between fall 2007 and fall
2008. The preinternship survey had 105 student responses,
while the postinternship survey collected 58 responses.
English and Koeppen (1993) had a sample size of 57 respondents. We also received 21 employer responses to the
survey. Students were highly encouraged but not required to
complete the survey. It was not practical to require a response
to the postinternship survey due to the short time frame between completion of the internship, assigning credit for the
course, and in some cases graduation. However, we found no
significant differences in the preinternship survey responses
among 58 of the 105 students who responded to the post
survey and 47 of the 105 students who did not complete
the postinternship survey. Responses were returned without
identification to assure response confidentiality. The 15-week
internship is offered as a three-credit elective for juniors and
seniors having earned at least 12 credit hours in their major
areas of management, finance, accounting, marketing, management information systems, human resources, or supply
chain management. Recently, the business college had allowed graduate students to also participate in the program.
All intern candidates, regardless of major, go through the
identical formal internship process and requirements. Furthermore, students from all majors have similar internship
experiences, closely monitored by a professionally staffed
internship office. Students are required to attend three internship preparation seminars and sign internship contracts prior
to accepting assignments. The preinternship survey was administered at the beginning of the first 3-hr seminar. Though
there can be concerns with the use of student responses, prior
research supports the reliability of student self-reported data
(Marsh 1987; Seldin, 1993).
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102
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
All internships were full-time (at least 40 work hours per
week), paid positions lasting for 4 months and were recognized for their educational component. Interns also participated in discussion groups via Blackboard and submitted a
final paper regarding the employer’s business and their work
performed. The postinternship survey was e-mailed to students immediately after the completion of their requirements.
Each semester approximately 25–30 companies employ
interns. In fall 2007 employers were also surveyed using
the identical student instrument to develop a benchmark for
the study. The employer set standards for the student at the
beginning of the period and completed the process with a performance evaluation at the end of the work period. Although
these metrics are critical to improving the program, they do
not give a complete measure of changes in the student during the internship. A t test with related p values was used to
measure significant differences. In prior learning assessment
studies, with consistent research design, it was hypothesized
that student values or abilities change due to a maturation
effect. These same studies have also reported movement in
student perceptions and values toward benchmark employer
responses (Green & Calderon 2005). We originally hypothesized similar outcomes under both the first and second interview scenarios.
Survey
The survey used a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from
1 (extremely important) to 7 (extremely unimportant). We
measured student perception under a first and second interview scenario. We also measure changes in the traits perceived importance after students gain experience through
an internship. The categories and the specific traits under
each category were developed through an exploratory survey with the 26 internship employers. Employers’ perceived
value of each trait was then measured using the identical
student survey found in Appendix A. Although the prior
literature does discuss potentially important traits, it lacks
data-driven evidence directly measuring their perceived importance. Trait categories include (a) personality traits, such
as attitude and being personable; (b) technical and business
traits, such as core competencies and technical skills; (c)
interpersonal skills, such as professionalism and communications; and (d) background and other traits, such as work
experience and GPA.
RESULTS
Demographics
Our sample was drawn from four semesters during 2007 and
2008. A total of 105 “first internship” students completed
the preinternship survey (see Table 1). About one half of
the respondents were women (52) and one half were men
(53). A total of 46 students were seniors, 52 were juniors,
and 7 students marked were other. The majority of students
were undergraduates (94), with a few MBA (5) and MS (5)
interns. It is not uncommon for MS students to actually begin their master’s program during the same semester as they
complete their undergraduate degree. The mean GPA was
3.393 (on a 4-point scale) with a mean age of 22.72 years
old. There were 58 postinternship survey responses. This
sample had slightly more women (34) than men (24). The
postinternship group was not statistically different from the
preinternship group, with a mean GPA of 3.385 and age of
22.71 years. Both groups had nearly identical distributions
for majors (accounting, finance, marketing, and other), as
well as mean professional (about 1 year) and nonprofessional
(about 4 years) work experience. After removing graduate
students the mean professional experience declined to 0.56
years. The only significant difference between groups was
the distribution between seniors (52) and juniors (6) for the
postinternship survey group compared to the preinternship
survey group. However, this difference was expected since
most juniors completing their internship would now have
earned credit hours to become seniors. Although this study’s
major focus was on the overall effects of internships on business students, we were unable to test for significant differences between majors due to the smaller response size of
the postinternship group. A total of 21 employers responded
to the survey in the fall of 2007. We considered this a high
response rate because we averaged 26 internship employers
per semester. Seventeen of the respondents were directly involved in the interview process, whereas 13 participated as
intern supervisors. Ten of the 21 employer respondents had
both interview and supervisor duties.
Student and Employer Interview Traits
Students were initially asked to rate the overall importance
of each of the four aggregate trait categories for personality, technical, interpersonal, and background skills. For all
first and second interview scenarios, students perceived less
value for each category than employers. However, student
and employer rank ordering of categories were identical. The
category of personality traits showed the least significant differences. Preinternship students did not report a difference
in the importance of aggregate personality traits between the
first and second interviews. However, postinternship students
placed significantly less value on personality traits during the
second interview (2.069) than the first interview (1.724) at
p > .05. Employers still valued personality traits (1.476) as
extremely important during the second interview.
Pre- (p > .10) and postinternship students (p > .05) also
placed significantly less value on technical skills for the first
interview scenario than did employers. Postinternship students also reported a significantly lower value than employers (p > .10) for the second interview. Although employers
reported only a slight increase in the value of technical skills,
moving from the first (2.333) to second interview (2.095),
103
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
TABLE 1
Demographics
Panel A (n = 105)
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Variable
Age (years)
GPA
Gender
Male
Female
Year in school
Senior
Junior
Other
Major
Accounting
Finance
Marketing
Other
Degree
BBA
MBA
MS
Other
Work experience (years)
Professional
Nonprofessional
Involvement
Interviewer
Supervisor
Other
Industry
Public accounting
Financial accounting
Manufacturing
Other
n
M
Panel B (n = 58)
SD
n
22.72
3.393
M
Panel C (n = 21)
SD
n
SD
22.71
3.385
53
52
24
34
46
52
7
52
6
37
23
24
22
20
17
14
8
14
94
5
5
1
58
11
10
1
1.02
3.98
M
13
8
7
0.87
3.47
15.14
10
3
5
3
Note. For Panel B, most graduating seniors did not complete a post internship survey, and many students advanced from second-semester juniors to
first-semester seniors. For Panel C, 10 employers listed 2 positions of involvement.
students reported significant value increases. Preinternship
student mean values increased from 2.800 (somewhat important) to 2.105 (to important, where p > .001 level), and
postinternship students’ value of importance moved from
3.241 to 2.655 (p > .05).
Interpersonal traits were valued consistently across all
comparisons (see Tables 2 and 3). Preinternship students did
show a significant increase (p > .05) in the value they place
on interpersonal skills from the first to second interview.
Employers valued background skills, such as experience and
GPA, significantly (p > .05) more than did students under
most scenarios. However, postinternship students valued
background skills significantly less than dud preinternship
students during a second interview. Interestingly, students
perceived the most value for personality and interpersonal
skills, such as listening well and being personable, and
the least value on technical and background traits, such
as problem solving and GPA. In other words, students
may view being a likable person as more important to
future success than core knowledge and skills learned
in the business school. Students did distinguish between
the four aggregate trait categories, consistently ranking
personality traits as the most important for both first and
second interviews, valued as high as 1.476 (1 = extremely
important). Interpersonal traits were also rated as high as
1.581. Students saw technical traits as least (somewhat)
important during the first interview (3.241), and background
as least valuable during a second interview (2.931).
Personality Traits
Table 4 presents means for individual traits in the personality category. Students and employers valued all personality
traits from extremely important to important. Preinternship
students (1.401), postinternship students (1.828), and employers (1.238) consistently rate a positive attitude as the
most important trait during the first interview. A strong work
ethic followed closely with respective ratings of 1.429, 2.036,
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B. P. GREEN ET AL.
TABLE 2
Importance of Trait Categories
M
Trait
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Panel A
Personality
Technical
Interpersonal
Background
Panel B
Personality
Technical
Interpersonal
Background
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
1.476
2.800
1.704
2.619
1.724
3.241
2.241
2.862
1.333
2.333
1.524
2.190
.4099
.0763
.3437
.0479
.2927
.0150
.0571
.0386
.4884
.1514
.1413
.4005
1.552
2.105
1.581
2.752
2.069
2.655
1.929
2.931
1.476
2.095
1.429
2.095
.6862
.9670
.3488
.0025
.1666
.0726
.3060
.5569
.1223
.1018
.1346
.0084
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
TABLE 3
Panel C: Comparison of First to Second Interviews (p
Values)
Trait
Personality
Technical
Interpersonal
Background
Preinternship first
to second
interviews
Postinternship
first to second
interviews
Employer first to
second interviews
.196
4E-09
.042
.171
.0303
.0477
.3551
.7452
.0829
.1349
.1623
.7049
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral)
to 7 (extremely unimportant).
†p = .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
and 1.333. Charismatic personality was valued the least for
first and second interviews. Employers rated a positive attitude and strong work ethic for the first (1.238 and 1.333) and
second interviews (1.190 and 1.143). This was significantly
more important than for postinternship students during the
first (1.828 and 2.036) and second (1.821 and 1.929, respectively) interviews. The employer value was also marginally
more important compared to preinternship students for the
second interview. Unfortunately, the greatest significant difference between students and employers was a strong work
ethic. Postinternship students only saw a 0.142 difference in
the importance between having a vibrant personality and the
strength of their work effect.
TABLE 4
Importance of Personality Traits
M
Trait
Panel A
Vibrant personality
Charismatic personality
You are personable
You like people
Positive attitude
Strong work ethic
Panel B
Vibrant personality
Charismatic personality
You are personable
You like people
Positive attitude
Strong work ethic
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
2.038
2.057
1.705
1.790
1.410
1.429
2.241
2.379
1.966
2.345
1.828
2.036
2.238
2.286
1.762
2.000
1.238
1.333
.3552
.3426
.7989
.3509
.1961
.4516
.993
.810
.540
.336
.094
.072
.543
.358
.442
.114
.264
.135
1.894
1.924
1.648
1.714
1.400
1.410
2.071
2.107
1.893
2.107
1.821
1.929
2.000
2.238
1.667
1.571
1.190
1.143
.619
.231
.973
.352
.092
.034
.850
.742
.517
.124
.065
.029
.590
.599
.491
.276
.258
.188
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
105
TABLE 5
Importance of Technical Business Traits
M
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Trait
Panel A
Solve problems
Deal with ambiguity
Decision making process
Core competencies (major area)
Other technical skills
Work experience in business area
Panel B
Solve problems
Deal with ambiguity
Decision making process
Core competencies (major area)
Other technical skills
Work experience in business area
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
2.133
2.448
2.305
2.238
2.510
2.288
2.655
2.759
2.690
2.655
3.172
2.793
2.000
2.238
1.667
1.571
1.190
1.143
.564
.634
.354
.540
.215
.161
.070
.181
.009
.003
1.7E − 09
2.2E − 05
.102
.311
.260
.196
.013
.118
1.724
1.914
1.857
2.048
2.124
2.229
2.214
2.357
2.286
2.679
2.679
2.500
1.619
1.762
1.714
1.952
2.190
2.150
.573
.420
.453
.580
.849
.622
.116
.100
.145
.071
.191
.341
.182
.198
.256
.102
.128
.478
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
Technical Business Traits
The mean values for individual technical traits are presented
in Table 5. Employers value other technical skills (1.190)
and work experience (1.143) as extremely important during
the first interview. Compared to employers, postinternship
students valued four of the six traits significantly lower. Although employers rated traits from extremely important to
important, postinternship students viewed these same traits
as only somewhat important. The traits included decision
making (p > .01), core competencies (p > .01), other skills
(p > .001), and experience (p > .001). During the second
interview the employers focused equally on problem solving
(1.619), dealing with ambiguity (1.762), and decision making (1.714). In contrast, both pre- and postinternship students
viewed these same traits as only somewhat important.
Further analysis shows employer means’ changed significantly for all six business traits, increasing in importance for
solving problems (p > .05) and dealing with ambiguity (p >
.01), and decreasing for decision making (p > .05), core competencies (p > .01), other technical (p > .001), and experience (p > .01). In contrast, students indicated that, except for
core competencies and work experience, technical business
traits had significantly more importance during the second
interview. Preinternship students reported that the four trait
values significantly increased in importance at least at p >
.001. Postinternship students also saw a significant increase
in the same trait values, but only at the p > .05. Students might
have felt that competencies and experience were examined
before the second interview through resume and transcripts.
Interpersonal Skills
We examined 11 interpersonal traits (shown in Table 6), finding them consistent across most sample comparisons. How-
ever, employers rated a candidate’s potential to learn as the
second most important interpersonal skill, in both the first
(1.429) and second (1.190) interviews. Preinternship students
valued this trait significantly lower at 1.810 and 1.705, respectively. Postinternship student values for importance were
2.241 and 2.000, respectively. It is possible that postinternship students believed they had less to learn because of their
limited experience. Pre- and postinternship students also perceived listening skills as significantly less important during
the second interview. In contrast, employers rated listening
well (1.143) as the most important skill under all categories.
Under further analysis employers reported that 9 of the
11 interpersonal traits significantly increased in importance
from the first to the second interviews. Preinternship students also showed a significant increase in importance for 9
of the 11 traits. For preinternship students, the most significant changes occurred for written communications, being
decisive, and an effective leader (p > .001). For employers,
significant changes were found for potential to learn, effective leader, oral communication, and written communication
(p > .05). However, students did not include listening well as
their most important or increasing in importance characteristic. Students perceived less importance on critical speaking
and listening skills during a second (office) interview.
Background and Other Traits
Background traits (see Table 7), individually and as a
category, were rated as the least important traits during both
the first and second interview scenarios by all groups. This
is understandable, given that many of the background traits
where used as screens before the interview. Items such as
GPA and extracurricular activities are given to employers
through resumes, transcripts, and letters of recommendation.
For example, GPA was consistently viewed as somewhat
106
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
TABLE 6
Importance of Interpersonal Skills Traits
M
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Trait
Panel A
Professionalism
You listen well
Oral communication
Written communication
Self-motivated
Work with older
Be decisiveness
Effective leader
Potential to learn
Adapt to corporate life
Manage time
Panel B
Professionalism
You listen well
Oral communication
Written communication
Self motivated
Work with older
Be decisiveness
Effective leader
Potential to learn
Adapt to corporate life
Manage time
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
1.552
1.543
1.676
2.352
1.895
2.057
2.314
2.076
1.810
2.257
1.933
1.931
1.862
1.862
2.690
2.310
2.931
2.690
2.414
2.241
2.310
2.069
1.333
1.286
1.762
2.333
1.810
3.095
2.667
2.524
1.429
2.333
1.857
.210
.124
.723
.891
.553
.010
.249
.166
.019
.992
.491
.105
.122
.785
.367
.170
.747
.951
.772
.032
.957
.545
.287
.390
.619
.354
.275
.044
.305
.375
.324
.956
.878
1.400
1.590
1.562
1.962
1.705
2.320
1.990
1.800
1.705
2.019
1.667
1.857
1.821
1.857
2.286
2.214
2.893
2.393
2.071
2.000
2.107
2.214
1.238
1.143
1.500
1.762
1.571
2.714
2.333
2.143
1.190
1.857
1.381
.293
.003
.678
.238
.398
.278
.274
.220
.002
.367
.054
.099
.057
.300
.137
.078
.710
.868
.850
.026
.534
.031
.222
.527
.405
.376
.175
.188
.241
.548
.532
.973
.227
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
important to neutral. However, employers did value GPA
slightly more important (p > .10) than did preinternship
students. Employers also saw a GPA as significantly more
important during the first interview (2.571 compared with
2.905). It is interesting to note that extracurricular activities
were anecdotally described as extremely important, although
employers valued this trait between “somewhat important”
and “neutral” (3.190).
Employers valued as “extremely important” during the
first and second interview (1.667 and 1.381 .01).
Several years ago, a student was asked for a reason to work
for a Big Four firm. The student’s only response was, “well
this is a CPA firm, isn’t it?” As faculty, business professors
may want to work on this one.
Further analysis indicated that postinternship students
(2.714) placed significantly less value on their understanding of the company, than did employers (1.857) during the
second interview. This may be critical since employers view
this value as significantly more important during the second
interview (p > .01). From pre- to postinternship students,
there were significant decreases (p > .05) in the value of
understanding the company. For the first interview, the value
decreased from important (2.105) to somewhat important
(2.931), and for the second interview it decreased from important (1.819) to somewhat important (2.714). The maturation effect, from pre- to postinternship students tended to decrease their values for many traits, while increasing the number of and severity of significant differences between postinternship students and employers. This becomes a critical issue for traits valued as extremely important by employers.
DISCUSSION
Student perceptions of the importance of interview traits
often differ from those of employers. Understanding these
differences allow faculty to properly mentor students’ transitions from academic to professional careers as they participate in the hiring process. Comparing a group of pre and
postinternship students showed the decreased student perception of the importance of many traits. Preinternship students tended to map the perceived importance of traits with
employers. With experience, postinternship students significantly evolved their view of importance for many traits,
lessening some traits’ importance while holding others equal
to preinternship values. Student experience also increased
the number and severity of significant differences between
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
107
TABLE 7
Importance of Background & Other Traits
Panel A: First Interview
M
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Trait
Panel A
Why you want internship
General work experience
Job related life experiences
Why chose university
Why chose major
Made up for past failures
Understanding of the company
Your goals and how obtained
GPA
Extra curriculars
When graduate
Panel B
Why you want internship
General work experience
Job related life experiences
Why chose university
Why chose major
Made up for past failures
Understanding of the company
Your goals and how obtained
GPA
Extra curriculars
When graduate
p
Prestudent
Poststudent
Employer
Pre to employer
Post to employer
Student pre to post
1.705
2.200
2.210
2.886
2.276
2.295
2.105
2.210
3.057
2.796
2.848
2.276
2.517
2.897
3.310
2.724
2.897
2.931
2.586
3.138
2.966
2.893
1.667
2.143
2.238
3.238
2.714
2.429
2.381
2.190
2.571
3.050
2.810
.873
.763
.925
.290
.158
.719
.277
.750
.063
.531
.729
.119
.267
.074
.853
.979
.257
.112
.179
.141
.826
.830
.123
.327
.042
.149
.143
.111
.021
.211
.939
.752
.916
1.895
2.343
2.211
3.000
2.552
2.190
1.819
2.038
3.276
2.867
2.705
2.357
2.571
2.750
3.464
2.857
2.500
2.714
2.679
3.786
3.429
2.786
1.381
2.238
2.240
3.143
2.714
1.905
1.857
1.905
2.905
3.190
2.619
.006
.686
.922
.634
.613
.120
.962
.365
.154
.374
.585
.010
.375
.195
.410
.727
.096
.029
.035
.038
.554
.680
.196
.481
.151
.178
.429
.408
.022
.092
.220
.178
.994
Note. Survey results ranged from 1 (extremely important) to 4 (neutral) to 7 (extremely unimportant).
= .1. ∗ p = .05. ∗∗ p = .01. ∗∗∗ p = .001.
†p
students and employers. This may be due to exposure to professionals in their major areas. Although employers valued
nearly all traits as either extremely important or important,
students tended to distinguish between traits, ranging from
extremely important to neutral, consistently placing less importance on each category of traits than did employers. Preinternship students did not distinguish the importance between
aggregate trait categories. However, postinternship students
placed less value on personality traits than did employers
during the second interview. Postinternship students also put
less importance on background skills such as problem solving
and GPA during the second interview. In contrast, employers still viewed these traits as extremely important. Students
need to understand and be mentored by faculty that during
the second interview employers are looking for a fit in their
firm or company.
Within individual personality traits, all groups rated positive attitude as extremely important. However, employers
placed significantly greater value on the importance of a
strong work ethic than did postinternship students. This result
appears to support faculty anecdotal perception concerning
students and hard work. Students need to understand that vibrant personalities do not compensate for a weak work ethic.
Postinternship students also perceived technical traits as sig-
nificantly less important than did employers. They viewed
decision making, core competencies, experience, and dealing with ambiguity as only somewhat important. Students
may believe that experience and core competencies are examined through their resumes, but need to be mentored that
these traits are essential during the hiring process. Not all
professionals spend significant time reading resumes, and
the extent and details of experience and competencies do not
come through a single line. The interview offers students an
opportunity to expand and bring life to their technical business skills. With students’ high rating of personality traits,
they may view that being a likable person is more important
to future success than core knowledge and skills learned in
the business school.
Both interpersonal and background traits offer basic mentoring opportunities for faculty. Students need to remember
that the interview is also an opportunity to learn about the
employer. For students, listening skills need to become very
important. They also need to understand the company and
why they want the position before the interview.
Limitations and Future Research
Although the prior literature does discuss potentially
important traits, it lacks data driven evidence directly
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108
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
measuring their perceived importance. The present study was
exploratory in nature, bringing data to discussions previously
supported by anecdotal evidence. However, the employer
group was a small sample. Respondents were also lost between the pre- and postinternship surveys. The limited sample size reduced the ability to measure significant differences.
Our sample consisted of business internship students attending a regional, nonresidential university in the Midwest. The
results reported in our study may not be able to be generalized beyond the present sample. Although the experience
of a professional internship may have a significant effect on
students, the effect may not be completely caused by their
experience. Students’ perceptions may also be affected by
approaching graduation and preparing to leave the academic
world. Other events during the internship period may have
some effect on student values, though we cannot predict the
magnitude or direction of these effects.
There are two natural extensions of this study. First, students’ value of importance may be compared to the values of
academics. Second, students’ values may also be compared
to the values of internship directors. Both internship directors
and academics have significant influence on student beliefs,
as well as ample opportunity and responsibility to mentor
students.
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Beard, D. F. (1998). The status of internships/cooperative education experiences in accounting education. Journal of Accounting Education, 16,
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Schmutte, J. (1986). Accounting internships: The state of the art. Journal of
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Seldin, P. (1993). The use and abuse of student ratings of professors. Chronicle of Higher Education, July, A40.
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APPENDIX A—SURVEY
The Objective of an Interview
Student Instrument
The purpose of this survey is to gain an understanding of
students’ perceptions of trait values in the interview process.
Please complete the following multi-part survey.
Part 1: Demographics
Please tell us about yourself.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Student Number:
Gender: Male
Female
Age:
Year in School: Junior
Senior
Other
Major: Accounting
Finance
Marketing
HRM
MIS
Other
When do you expect to graduate? Year
Semester
What is your expected degree? BBA
BS
MBA
MS
Other
Prior Work Experience:
a.
b.
Non-Professional—Years
Professional—Years
Months
Months
9)
If you have professional work experience, how much
was on a full-time basis? Years
Months
10) What is your GPA? Major
Overall
Part 2: The Importance of Trait Categories
The following table lists four categories of traits that may
be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how
important you believe each trait category is to be successful
during the initial interview process. Rate the value of each
trait on a seven point scale: where 1 is extremely important,
2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is
somewhat unimportant, 6 is unimportant, and 7 is extremely
unimportant.
EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
109
Panel A: Importance of Trait Categories During the Initial Interview
Trait/Value of Trait
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1) Personality traits such as being personable or having a positive attitude.
2) Technical/Business traits such as analytical or accounting skills.
3) Interpersonal Skill traits, such as communication skills and leadership.
4) Background/Other traits such as GPA or work experience.
The following table lists four categories of traits that may be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how important
you believe each trait category is to be successful during the second interview process. Rate the value of each trait on a seven
point scale: where 1 is extremely important, 2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is somewhat unimportant,
6 is unimportant, and 7 is extremely unimportant.
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Panel B: Importance of Trait Categories During the Second Interview
Trait/Value of Trait
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1) Personality traits such as being personable or having a positive attitude.
2) Technical/Business traits such as analytical or accounting skills.
3) Interpersonal Skill traits, such as communication skills and leadership.
4) Background/Other traits such as GPA or work experience.
Part 3: The Importance of Individual Traits in an Initial Interview
The following table lists individual traits that may be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how important
you believe each trait is to be successful during the initial interview process. Rate the value of each trait on a seven point
scale: where 1 is extremely important, 2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is somewhat unimportant, 6 is
unimportant, and 7 is extremely unimportant.
Trait/Importance of Individual Traits
1) Demonstrate a vibrant personality
2) Demonstrate a charismatic personality
3) Demonstrate that you are personable
4) Demonstrate that you like people
5) Demonstrate a positive attitude
6) Demonstrate a strong work ethic
1) Demonstrate the ability to solve problems
2) Your ability to deal with ambiguity and to solve problems with incomplete information
3) Demonstrate your decision making process
4) Describe your core competencies (major area)
5) Describe your other technical skills
6) Describe your work experience in your business area
1) Demonstrate professionalism
2) Demonstrate that you listen well
3) Demonstrate that you have strong oral communication skills
4) Demonstrate that you have strong written communication skills
5) Describe how you are self motivated
6) Describe your ability to work with those who are two or three times your age
7) Demonstrate your ability to be decisiveness
8) Describe how you are an effective leader
9) Demonstrate your potential to learn
10) Describe your ability to adapt to corporate life
11) Demonstrate your ability to manage time
1) Describe why you want an internship with the company/firm
2) Describe your general work experience
3) Discuss life experiences that relate to job/career
4) Discuss why you chose your university
5) Discuss why you chose your major
6) Describe how you have made up for past failures/when you have fallen short of standards
7 Demonstrate your depth and understanding of the company through your questions
8) Discuss specific your goals and how you obtained those goals
9) What is your GPA
10) Discuss the extra curricular activities that you have participated in
11) How long until you graduate
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
110
B. P. GREEN ET AL.
Part 4: The Importance of Individual Traits in a Second Interview
The following table list individual traits that may be possessed by a potential employee. Please tell us how important you
believe each trait is to be successful during a second interview. Rate the value of each trait on a seven point scale: where 1 is
extremely important, 2 is important, 3 is somewhat important, 4 is neutral, 5 is somewhat unimportant, 6 is unimportant, and 7
is extremely unimportant.
Trait/Importance of Individual Traits
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 22:13 11 January 2016
1) Demonstrate a vibrant personality
2) Demonstrate a charismatic personality
3) Demonstrate that you are personable
4) Demonstrate that you like people
5) Demonstrate a positive attitude
6) Demonstrate a strong work ethic
1) Demonstrate the ability to solve problems
2) Your ability to deal with ambiguity and to solve problems with incomplete information
3) Demonstrate your decision making process
4) Describe your core competencies (major area)
5) Describe your other technical skills
6) Describe your work experience in your business area
1) Demonstrate professionalism
2) Demonstrate that you listen well
3) Demonstrate that you have strong oral communication skills
4) Demonstrate that you have strong written communication skills
5) Describe how you are self motivated
6) Describe your ability to work with those who are two or three times your age
7) Demonstrate your ability to be decisiveness
8) Describe how you are an effective leader
9) Demonstrate your potential to learn
10) Describe your ability to adapt to corporate life
11) Demonstrate your ability to manage time
1) Describe why you want an internship with the company/firm
2) Describe your general work experience
3) Discuss life experiences that relate to job/career
4) Discuss why you chose your university
5) Discuss why you chose your major
6) Describe how you have made up for past failures/when you have fallen short of standards
7 Demonstrate your depth and understanding of the company through your questions
8) Discuss specific your goals and how you obtained those goals
9) What is your GPA
10) Discuss the extra curricular activities that you have participated in
11) How long until you graduate
1
2
3
4
5
6
7