It's not that hard to land a great summer internship at a financial services company. I know; I interview people for internships at my bank.

Basically, you just have to figure out your career theme - the career goal that will make sense of the string of accomplishments on your resume - and then exude enthusiasm in your interviews. Beyond that, though, there are a number of specific actions you should take to get the internship you want.

Study Your Resume

Before you go on a single interview for a summer internship, pull out your resume and read every single word of it. Think about everything listed on it. Think about what you accomplished in each experience mentioned on your resume.

If you spend some time on this exercise before your interviews, you'll never give another one of those startled, blank stares when an interviewer asks you a question about that job you had four years ago!

Make Your Resume Better

Does it include anything about your nonwork interests? If not, it should. Include a line or two about your interests and hobbies. It'll make you more unique in the eyes of the reader, and may result in the kind of personal connection between you and the interviewer that gets you the job.

Also, have you done any traveling? List the places you've traveled to at the bottom of your resume in that miscellaneous "Interests/Special Skills" section. Most financial services companies do business around the world, and are looking for interns who have traveled, since travel suggests open-mindedness and familiarity with cultures other than one's own.

Find Your Career Theme

Now, pretend you are Joe Schmoe, interviewer, and have never heard of this person - you - before. Figure out the story that will make you the best possible internship candidate in Mr. Schmoe's eyes. How? Pick out the common thread of your professional story - the logic of how and why you moved from Job A to Job B to Job C.

Next, look at the experiences and accomplishments listed on your resume, and think about how they have made you the right candidate for the internship you want.

Practice Your Spiel

Now, look in the mirror, take a deep breath, and relax. Go through each bullet point on your resume and elaborate on your experiences. Talk out loud and be yourself. Watch yourself as you speak.

If you feel stupid doing this alone in front of your bathroom mirror, ask your best friend or someone else you trust to listen to you in action. Are you muttering? Are you making eye contact? Do you have a booger popping out of your nose, or are you presentable?

Imagine difficult or surprising questions you might be asked; try to be unflappable as you answer them. Doing this will help prepare you for whatever question an interviewer might lob your way

Check Your Attitude at the Door

Don't be too cocky in your interviews. You need to be on your best behavior to do well. That doesn't mean you have to be boring and it doesn't mean you have to be phony. It just means you have to act like a professional.

Got a problem figuring out what that means? Think about how you act when you're with the parents of your girlfriend or boyfriend - respectful and respectable, but not too nervous to let your real personality shine through.

Be Specific

When I interview internship candidates, I'm not looking for seasoned professionals. All I want to see is that your skills fit in the most remote way to the internship you are vying for. That said, I still want specifics - to hear you describe your accomplishments in detail, and with an eye toward how they fit the internship you want.

If the internship you want is in commercial banking, talk about how you streamlined your company's letters-of-credit process, or how you helped cut costs in the treasury areas of your company.

If you are looking for a career in mergers and acquisitions, emphasize your negotiation skills with clients and vendors. A venture capital firm wants you to show your intuitive ability to read between the lines of companies' business plans and financial statements. If you're interested in corporate finance and risk management, know your derivatives inside and out.

A shop serving predominantly South American clients will want to hire people who are fluent in Spanish or Portuguese - and who can demonstrate how much they understand those cultures. Be sure to mention to your interviewer how you understand that Brazilians never like to rush headlong into business but like to talk about personal things firsttheir families, their weekend, soccer. I-banks might want to see if you possess in-depth knowledge of a particular industry - and if you have the stamina to work those killer hours.

Remember: Use specifics to sell yourself. Think of your interviews as an opportunity to flesh out the bullet points on your resume with interesting anecdotes.

The Personal Touch

While financial services companies will definitely want to see a demonstrated interest in their business, and numbers skills, these traits are just the beginning of what they're seeking.

For example, my firm loves people who worked in the Peace Corps or in engineering, as well as - believe it or not - people with liberal arts undergraduate degrees. Why? Because such people tend to be able to see the "big picture" and can come up with a coherent plan of attack to solve a problem. Folks like this also tend to enjoy exposure to a variety of different cultures and are more open-minded and adaptable to new situations. Selfish, illiterate boors need not apply!

Many interviewers will ask you what you like to do when you're not at work. They're trying to get you to relax and open up so they can see if you'd fit in with their company's culture. Don't dismiss the importance of these "soft" questions - they are just as important as the more technical questions.

What was it about working at that soup kitchen last semester that changed your perspective on the homeless? How did your first job out of college at a big construction firm make you realize you wanted to work in financial services?

What was it about waitressing in your father's Chinese restaurant that made you want to understand the financial workings behind the business? Did working with a bunch of burned-out, middle-aged, flat-footed waitresses stooped under trays of flaming pu-pu platters make you feel thankful to be taking out all those student loans? You better believe it, sister! Weave these stories into your interviews. They speak volumes about what kind of person you are.

Think Conversation, Not Interrogation

One of the worst things that can happen in an interview is that there are too many of those uncomfortable pauses; that means the recruiter doesn't know where to go because you haven't led her to her next question. Make your interviewer want to find out what happened next. How? By being enthusiastic and having lots of energy.

This does not mean that you should enter the interview and start talking nonstop for 30 minutes. Rather, you want to engage your interviewer in a conversation. Think dialogue, not monologue.

Most financial services companies conduct interviews for their summer positions with actual executives; HR usually does only the initial weeding out of resumes. Financial institutions also go out of their way to train employees to interview and recruit at their alma maters. Find out if your interviewer is an alum of your school; it will help you make a connection with that person. Work it!

During my "marathon day" of interviews at the bank where I work now, I tried to forget that I was being interviewed. Instead, I tried to make a personal connection with the executives interviewing me - and I aced all five of my interviews that day.

Don't Set Off the BS Detector

One of the interviews I faced to get my current job was one of those "psychological interviews" - which I was more than a little nervous about. I mean, what if they discovered I was some kind of whack job? But things ended up going very well.

The interviewer's first question was, "When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up, and why?"

I took a deep breath and thought, "Oh, what the hell," then proceeded to tell him that when I was young I wanted to be a classical musician. I explained that I had played the flute for years and loved it. I said that although I eventually lost hope of ever being good enough to play at Carnegie Hall, being immersed in the quantitative B-school world had made me realize how much I missed playing. I told him I was thinking of taking music lessons again to balance the left side of my brain with my right.

Should I have said I had dreamed my whole life of being a bond analyst? Not unless I meant it - otherwise, the guy's BS detector would have gone off in a big way. As it turned out, my interviewer had once been a professional jazz musician who played sax, clarinet, and flute (my instrument!). I was so happy I told the truth - and I got the offer!

Get Psyched Up

Remember that game in which you scored the winning goal, or the recital you gave in which you totally kicked ass? Everything flowed perfectly, right? How did you get into that zone?

Simple: You practiced like crazy, you knew your stuff inside and out, and you were pumped up and couldn't wait to get out there and strut your stuff. You need the same mind-set when you're going on interviews.

So - are you prepared? Are you psyched? Yes? Excellent. You've got yourself a head start on getting the interview you want.

* Jennifer Bruni has a BA in history from Barnard College and a Global Professional-MBA in finance from Fordham University. She is a management associate at Citibank and is currently on an overseas assignment in London.