Think back to your very first job interview. Maybe your palms were sweating. Maybe you talked too fast. Maybe you got the job. Maybe you didn’t.
Whatever the outcome, it’s likely your next interview went smoother than the first. You were more confident in your abilities, more comfortable talking about yourself and fielding curveball questions. Because, as with anything, practice makes perfect.
In December, Avenue Scholars (avescholars.org) partnered with dozens of Omaha-area professionals who volunteered to provide interview practice to more than 250 Scholars. At these Mock Interviews, Scholars from each of the program’s 13 partner high schools were paired with volunteer interviewers who asked them common interview questions, such as: What are your three greatest strengths? Tell me about a time you made a mistake and how you handled it. What’s something you did that made you proud this year?
The interviewers graded Scholars on their confidence, professionalism, enthusiasm, and the clarity of their responses. Avenue Scholars, which helps guide participating youth to high-wage, high-demand careers, later provided the feedback to each Scholar to help them prepare for the real interviews they will encounter on their career journey. Volunteer interviewers came from a wide array of industries: healthcare, technology, cybersecurity, the skilled trades, project management, and others.
In between interviews, Scholars had the chance to have a professional headshot taken by Omaha’s Churlish Media. They were encouraged to use the photo on professional-facing platforms to help them in their job
search. For more information on partnering with Avenue Scholars on other upcoming programs, reach out to Blake Ursch, director of communications, at bursch@avescholars.org.