Senior Interviews are a spectacular chance to prepare for real interviews. My experiences were quite amazing. I’ve never had an interview before since I am used to being the interviewer, however I can say it is quite fun to be on the other side. This is the key for interviews: Be serious yet remain calm. You’re not in a jury after all. The questions asked were not difficult and should be easy to answer. It’s about you. Following my interview, I interviewed Jackie Hill of the Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation. In my interview I asked many questions such as how long they have been doing these interviews and how they are set up. Her response was as followed:

“We have been doing interviews for probably ten years or longer.  Students have the opportunity to sit  down with somebody in the field that they are interested in and talk about future plans and get some advice and suggestions. We contact volunteers and professionals from our community that come in and conduct the interviews and match them up with students interested in that field. We’ve had numerous people from Schneck Medical Center that help students going into health care. We’ve had industry people here that interviewed students going to manufacturing, engineering, IT, and computer.

It’s interesting over the years how students are prepared for the most part. We’ve collected their resumes and cover letters; They come in and a majority are dressed ready for the interview. It runs pretty smoothly. Students for the most part have shown up early and they will receive an evaluation form that gives them an idea of things they did good and things they maybe need to work on. It’s a great exercise.

I enjoy being out here in the school atmosphere, interacting with the students. I find it refreshing that students take this seriously and dress up. I think just the interaction and knowing that for some students that aren’t going to college and going straight into the workforce this becomes a real job interview for them and they can make the connection. Our goal is to get a lot of the seniors to stay in Jackson county for employment.

I would advise the lower grades to work on that cover letter and resume. Make sure you keep that up to speed. Sometimes you don’t have a lot to put on that resume so look for activities, classes that you’re in, any type of activities you’ve been involved in. Community involvement as well. Maybe do some homework on interviewing skills so that you come prepared. But mostly, take it seriously because it is a great experience for you. There’s a lot you can learn from us so I hope that students look at it as being helpful for them and not something they have to do because it’s school requirement. 

I’m appreciative to the school for allowing us to come in to do this with the students. I’m appreciative to the employers that take time out of their busy schedules to come in.”

Sam Schmidt added: “My interviewer gave me a lot of valuable information about how to have a more successful interview and how to make a better resume. To prepare for the interview I prepared some answers for basic question that most interviewers asked. I made sure that I was familiar with what was on my resume in case I was asked about it. My advice to the juniors is to not only prepare to answer questions but at the end, be prepared to ask questions. The interviewer will probably say, “Do you have any questions for me?” Be prepared to ask a good question because that is always better than saying no.”