Features

From writing the perfect resume to surviving the dreaded interview, the whole process of getting a job is a stressful and difficult one. But after participating in a mock job interview project, the students in business teacher Jesse Hockenberry’s Intro to Business classes might be able to find it all just a little easier when the time comes for them to do the real thing.

On Tuesday, April 9th and Wednesday, April 10th, three representatives from the Clearfield branch of CNB Bank, employment experience specialist Lorrin Rishell, recruitment specialist Katelyn Lutz, and recruitment specialist intern Taylor Hepler, came to PAHS to conduct mock interviews with the thirty students in Hockenberry’s classes. Rishell was responsible for setting up the interviews with the students and collaborating with Hockenberry, and Lutz and Hepler conducted the interviews and scored the students on a rubric for their performances. The students interviewed for a wide variety of jobs ranging from game wardens to department store managers, but according to Lutz, most of the interviews were conducted in a similar way that challenged the students to think critically about the job they were interviewing for.

“During the interviews,” she said, “we typically ask the students their plans, like where they see themselves in five years; what makes them the best candidate for the position they are interested in; their strengths and weaknesses; and how they would handle difficult situations at work.”

However, the project was not simply a way for the students to practice job interviews for the future; instead, it was a part of the unit Hockenberry taught them about the entire process of getting a job. During the weeks leading up to the interviews, Hockenberry led the students in activities such as searching for a job they could have with their current credentials; creating a resume for the job that summarized their skills, abilities, and experience; learning about the ins and outs of a job interview; and preparing questions that they would ask the interviewer. He says that the interview was not a test of the students’ abilities, but instead an opportunity for them to reinforce and practice their learning further than simply studying the concepts.

“It was more of a learning interview,” said Hockenberry. “They [the interviewers] record the interviews, and afterward they give them [the students] ideas on what they should and shouldn’t do, and they tell them things that they can work on. It was a way for them to get experience and feedback before they do it for real.”

The students who went through the mock job interviews agreed that the experience was beneficial for them, even if it was challenging. Derek Ishman, a junior at PAHS who was interviewing for a position as a farm hand, posits that he learned how to be a better interviewee in several aspects.

“I learned how to relax in an interview and answer the questions in a calm and complete way,” he said.

Getting a job is by no stretch an easy task, and one must clear countless hurdles such as the resume and the interview before crossing the finish line to success. However, as with all things, practice makes perfect, and through the experience they gained in the mock interview project, Hockenberry’s students will have a leg up when it comes time for the real deal.