Education and experience aside, an important step in getting your dream job is knowing how to interview. Cuyahoga Heights High School juniors recently practiced the skills they learned by participating in mock interviews in the school’s media center.
The experience was a culminating activity after four lessons that focused on how to write a resume, how to make a professional introduction, what not to do in an interview, and practicing and critiquing each other in an interview. “Anytime students have a real-world experience, it helps them to feel more confident when they go out on their own," said Julie Regula, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center’s career specialist for Cuyahoga Heights Schools. Regula met with the students on four separate occasions during Brad Dipert’s English classes to teach them the skills needed to be successful.
She helped the students explore the latest trends in resume writing and assisted them in preparing and critiquing their own resumes. “Writing a resume is an art, but it’s not difficult if you just learn the basics,” she noted. They witnessed an interview skit and used rating sheets to assess how the interview went.” They practiced “speed interviewing” where they had just five minutes to introduce themselves and give their “elevator speech”, a short statement highlighting their key attributes. This exercise enabled them to think on their feet and prepare for questions that might be asked.
They also studied the key elements of body language, appropriate dress, how to make a good first impression, and professional etiquette. They even studied what makes for a good handshake. “I shook hands with each student to make sure their handshake was firm and confident,” noted Regula about the depth to which she prepared the students.
On November 19, the students took turns participating in a mock interview for a general customer service position. Volunteering to conduct the interviews were the following:
Peggy Young, Human Resource Generalist, Worthington Industries
Cassandra Alexander, Human Resource Manager, Bon Appetit, Case Western Reserve University
Lyndsey Chiera, Human Resources & Office Manager, JTC Installations Inc.
Matt Rose, Operations Manager, JTC Installations, Inc.
Kyle Kaczmarek, Business Owner, Plumbing Tech
Heather Malleo, Aquatic Regional Manager, Hastings Waterworks
Al Simonitis, Trainer Coordinator, Smart 33
Paul Shymske, Business Representative, Smart 33
Ignacio Ortiz, Production Trainer, Worthington Industries
To complete the process, students followed up with thank you letters to their interviewers.
“I feel like I learned a lot about the whole interview process,” said junior Zander Tichy. “I am grateful to have gotten this experience because, honestly, if I would have gone for my first interview without this preparation, I don't know where I would have ended up. I learned a lot and I am very happy that I got to do it.”
Classmate Jasmin Figard echoed his comments. “I think that this experience was really great, and I am glad that we did this,” she said. “Now I know how to write a resume, how to dress for an interview, how to introduce myself – just all of it !”
Regula felt the experience boded well for the students. “I wanted them to dress the part and truly feel as though they could ace an interview whether it be in high school, at college or after college,” said Regula about the goal of the exercise. “It's incredibly satisfying to see a student go from feeling nervous and unsure before the interview to smiling and confident afterward and to leave with the mindset of ‘I’ve got this!’”
