Senior Mock Interviews Return to Kenwood

On October 27 and 28, the tradition of the Kenwood senior mock interview experience made a comeback. This gives all seniors a chance to have real life experience in participating in an interview and to receive feedback on their interview skills. Many staff members, teachers, and twenty-five individuals  from Baltimore County/local businesses chipped in to help interview the students during their English classes over the two days.

 While senior mock interview day used to be a tradition, it discontinued at the height of the pandemic. During the interview, students are assessed on things like whether they offer their hand for a handshake and maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Many of the components they were evaluated on would’ve been hard to judge through a screen. In general, an interview would be much harder to conduct virtually. Many teachers and staff, like Ms. Meehan found that “It was beneficial enough to keep doing” and she felt it was an experience that “always helped students in real life”.

Senior mock interviews are always hosted down in Bluebird Library. A senior and an interviewer were assigned a table where they sat across from each other. Interviewers were given a paper with ten basic questions which included things like, asking for general information about the student, difficult situations they’ve been in, what they’d look for in a job and more. Students were then evaluated from a scale of 1-3 on whether they demonstrated composure, answered question thoroughly, and their appearance and more.

 Once they were given back their evaluation sheet, they could compare their scores to their own self-evaluation. Often in an interview you don’t get feedback, and this makes it harder to pinpoint why you might’ve been denied a job and what you need to improve. This opportunity provides students feedback before they even attend their first or next real life job interview. 

 Forbes reports that Millennials and Gen Z kids will make up more than 60 percent of the work force by 2025. The majority of Gen Z kids, who will make up about 27 percent of the workforce by 2025, are still in school. Helping them improve their skills while they are still in school essentially improves the future of the workforce. “Any help we can give students for their future jobs and careers is a win for us,” adds Kenwood English Department Chair Ms. Blackert. 

Many seniors have recognized the impact of senior mock interview day; one student even got offered a job on the spot. Many have expressed that they found it to be “helpful” and that they’d like to do it again in the spring. This experience is also rewarding for teachers and staff as they get to see their students show up and take a step towards their future.