On January 16 and 17, the tradition of the Kenwood mock interview returned for not just seniors but this year juniors as well. This gives juniors and seniors a chance to have real life experience in participating in an interview and to receive feedback on their interview skills.
Several KHS staff members and volunteer individuals from Baltimore County/local businesses chipped in to help interview the students during their English classes over the two days.
Students are expected to dress for success and come prepared with a resume they constructed in their English classes. During the interview, students are assessed on things like whether they offer their hand for a handshake and maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Senior interviewee found the experience to be, “very positive as it helped me realize that the interview is not stressful and gave me insight on what a real interview will be like,” shared senior Jeff B.
Mock interviews are always hosted down in Bluebird Library. 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.
This week students were given their interviewer’s feedback. 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.
“I found that this was a positive experience because I enjoyed talking to my interviewer. They were very helpful, and they helped refine my vision on the line of work I want to do,” shared senior Lincoln M.
Though students may be nervous about the anticipated mock interview day, once they’ve completed the challenge many recognize the valuable experience that comes from participating in the process. Many have expressed that they found it to be “helpful” and “positive” experience. 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.
