Internships and volunteer placements

What interviewers look for

• Attitude: you will do small tasks properly (filing, data entry, photocopying, notes in meetings) and ask when you are unsure, instead of waiting for “real work”.
• Learning speed: one clear example of something you learned fast on your own, such as a new tool, a new program or a new subject a project needed.
• Reliability: you arrive on time, finish what you start and tell your supervisor early when you are stuck. Panels check this through your stories and by calling a lecturer or a volunteer coordinator.
• Basic office skills: a clear email, a simple Excel table, a short report and tidy formatting in Word. Many panels give a short test, because this is most of what an intern does all day.
• Discretion: interns see beneficiary lists, customer accounts and internal reports. The panel wants someone who keeps that information inside the office.
• A learning goal: you know what the department does and what you want to learn there, so the supervisor can plan your tasks around it.

Questions they ask

1. 1“Why do you want to do your internship with us?”

   Why they ask: They want to see that you know what the organisation and the department do, and that you have a learning goal, not only “I need experience”.

   How to answer

   • Name the department and one thing it does that you read in the advert or on their website.
   • Link it to your studies: a module, a project or a subject you enjoyed.
   • Say one or two skills you want to learn there, and what you can give in return.

   I studied public health, and my final project looked at how mothers in our neighbourhood use the local health centre. Your nutrition programme works with health centres in this region, and the advert says the intern will help enter and check clinic data. I want to learn how monthly clinic data becomes a report for donors, because I hope to work in M&E. In return I can offer careful data entry, good Excel basics, and translation between Somali and English at community meetings.

2. 2“Tell us about a university project, club or volunteer activity you are proud of.”

   Why they ask: For an intern, this is the work experience. They check whether you can describe your own role, what you did and what came out of it.

   How to answer

   • Pick one activity and say your own role clearly: “I”, not only “we”.
   • Describe two or three things you actually did, step by step.
   • End with the result and one skill it gave you that this internship needs.

   In my third year I helped the students' union organise a blood donation day with a hospital in Hargeisa. My job was the registration list. I made a simple online form, shared it in the class WhatsApp groups, and every evening I sent the list to the hospital team in Excel so they could plan staff and supplies. On the day, more students came than had registered, so I set up a paper list at the door and entered it that night. I learned to keep records clean and to update people before they ask.

3. 3“What would you do if your supervisor gave you a task you did not understand?”

   Why they ask: Interns often guess, make a mistake and hide it. The panel wants to hear that you ask early, confirm the details and check back.

   How to answer

   • Repeat the task back in your own words and ask for an example or an older version.
   • Confirm the deadline and the format: Excel or Word, email or printed.
   • Show the first part early, so mistakes are caught before the whole task is done.

   I would ask straight away rather than guess. For example, if you asked me to clean the beneficiary list, I would say back what I understood, such as removing duplicate names and fixing phone numbers, and ask if there is an older clean list I can follow. I would also confirm when you need it. Then I would finish the first page and show it to you before continuing, so if I misunderstood something we lose ten minutes, not a whole day.

4. 4“This internship has only a small stipend, or none. How will you manage, and how long can you stay?”

   Why they ask: Organisations lose interns who leave after two weeks. They check that you understand the terms and will complete the placement.

   How to answer

   • Be honest about your plan: family support, an evening job, walking or shared transport.
   • Confirm the dates you can commit to, and then keep to them.
   • It is fine to ask politely what is covered (transport, lunch, a certificate, a reference letter) and whether there is a written agreement.

5. 5“What computer skills do you have? How good are you with Excel?”

   Why they ask: Interns do a lot of data entry, lists and letters. The panel checks your real level and whether you are honest about it, often with a test straight after.

   How to answer

   • Name exactly what you can do: SUM and AVERAGE, sort and filter, a simple chart, tables in Word.
   • Say what you are still learning and how, for example a free online course.
   • Give one place you used these skills: a project, a club list, the family shop.

   I use Excel every week. I can enter and clean data, use SUM, AVERAGE and COUNTIF, sort and filter a list, and make a simple bar chart. For my final project I entered all our survey answers in Excel and made the charts for the report myself. I have not used pivot tables at work yet; I am learning them from a free online course and can already make a basic one. I also type quickly and I am comfortable with Word and email.

6. 6“In this office you may see beneficiary lists or customer accounts. How would you handle that information?”

   Why they ask: Interns are given access to personal data early. The panel checks that you understand confidentiality before anyone gives you a login.

   How to answer

   • Use the information only for the task you were given, nothing else.
   • Never share names, numbers or photos of documents on WhatsApp, social media or with family and friends.
   • Lock your screen when you leave the desk, and ask your supervisor when you are not sure.

7. 7“What do you want to have learned by the end of this internship?”

   Why they ask: It shows whether you will use the placement well. Some supervisors use your answer to plan your tasks.

   How to answer

   • Name two or three concrete skills, such as writing a monthly report or using the organisation's system.
   • Link them to the job you want after the internship.
   • Say how you will track progress, for example weekly notes you share with your supervisor.

   By the end I want to write a short activity report on my own, from the field notes to the final version, and to understand how your finance team checks an invoice before payment. Those two skills appear in most junior officer adverts I have read. I would like to keep weekly notes of what I did and learned and share them with my supervisor at the end of each week, so we can both see whether I am on track.

8. 8“Tell us about a time you had several deadlines at once.”

   Why they ask: Interns get tasks from more than one person. The panel checks how you plan, choose what comes first and tell people when something will be late.

   How to answer

   • Describe the situation briefly: which deadlines clashed and why.
   • Explain your method: a list, a calendar, starting with what was due first or mattered most.
   • Give the result and what you still do today because of it.

Example answers are in English, the language most panels use. Say it in your own words.

Topics to revise

• Professional emailA subject line that says the purpose, a greeting, one short paragraph per point, a clear request or next step, and a sign-off with your name and role. They may ask you to write one to a supervisor, for example to say a task will be late.
• Reply, Reply all, CC and BCCReply goes only to the sender; Reply all goes to everyone on the email. CC is for people who should know; BCC hides the addresses from the other readers, which protects privacy when you write to many outside people. A common question: when would you use BCC?
• Excel formulas (SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, COUNTIF)Every formula starts with =. SUM adds a range such as =SUM(B2:B20), AVERAGE gives the mean, COUNT counts cells with numbers, and COUNTIF counts cells that match a rule, such as how many rows say “Burao”. Expect to total and count a small list.
• Sort and filterSort puts a list in order, for example by name or date. Filter hides the rows you do not need, for example to show one district only. Select the whole table before sorting, or the names and numbers will no longer match.
• Simple charts in ExcelA bar chart compares groups, a line chart shows change over time, and a pie chart shows the parts of one whole. Always add a title and label the axes. They may give you a table and ask for the right chart.
• Activity reportA short report on what was done: title and date, purpose, what happened, key findings or numbers, problems, and next steps. Use headings and short bullet points. Interns often write the first draft of a field visit or training report.
• Meeting minutesA record of a meeting: date, who attended, the main points, decisions, and action points with a name and a deadline for each. Interns are often asked to take minutes, so a panel may ask how you would do it.
• Word formatting (styles, tables, page numbers)Use heading styles instead of bold text, so a table of contents can be made. Insert tables for figures, add page numbers, and save the final version as PDF before sending. A test may give you a messy document to tidy.
• Time management toolsA daily to-do list, a shared calendar such as Google Calendar or Outlook, and reminders on your phone. Sort tasks by deadline and importance, and tell your supervisor early if two tasks clash. Panels ask how you organise your day.
• File naming and shared foldersName files so others can find them: date, topic, place and version, for example 2026-03-10_Training-report_Burao_v2. Save work in the shared folder, not only on your desktop, so nothing is lost when you leave.
• Data entry accuracyOne row per person or record, one type of information per column, no merged cells, and the same spelling every time. Check your rows against the paper form. Speed matters, but a list with errors has to be done again.

Practical tasks you may get

1. 1An email test: 15 to 20 minutes to write to a supervisor or a partner, for example asking for leave or reporting that a report will be late. Prepare by writing three practice emails with a subject line, a clear request and a polite close, and ask someone to check them.
2. 2An Excel exercise: enter a short list, total and average a column, sort it, count one category and make a chart. Practise on a list of about 30 rows you make yourself, time yourself, and save the file with a clear name.
3. 3A summary task: read a two-page document and write five bullet points or a half-page summary. Practise with a news article or an NGO report: find the purpose, the main facts and the next steps, and write them in your own words.
4. 4A typing or data entry test: copy paper forms into Excel or an online form. Accuracy counts more than speed. Practise on a free typing website and check every row before you hand it in.
5. 5A short translation: some NGOs and ministries ask interns to translate a notice or a paragraph between Somali and English. Practise by translating short public notices both ways, keeping the meaning rather than going word for word.

Mistakes to avoid

• Saying “I just want experience” or “I will do anything”, with no learning goal and no link to the department.
• Claiming Excel or other software skills you have not used. The test straight after shows the truth in five minutes.
• Accepting a placement without asking the basics: start and end dates, hours, stipend, who supervises you, and whether there is a written agreement.
• Paying anyone a fee to get an internship. Real organisations do not charge candidates; a request for money is a scam.
• Showing that small tasks are beneath you. Panels ask about filing and data entry on purpose to see how you react.
• Talking only about grades. Your GPA does not show teamwork, reliability or how you handle a problem; your stories do.

Quick check

5 questions. Answer each one to see the explanation.