Seniors and select juniors participated in Interview Week Feb. 18-20 as part of a district initiative to provide a penalty-free interview experience. 

Interview Week gives participants a chance to gain valuable experience through being interviewed by members of the community. The program allows students to practice an interview and gain feedback from the interviewers. Administrative assistant Jessica Ray said that students can also ease some of their nerves through the practice interviews.

“It allows them to practice without penalty,” Ray said. “We don’t want a student’s very first time they have a real interview to be when they’re wanting to get a job. In this situation, they get to interview with somebody and get feedback on stuff they did well and feedback on things that they can improve for next time. You’re selling yourself; it needs to be something where you’re not super nervous.”

Seniors prepared for interview week in their English classes. They practiced various activities to help give them a better edge during their interview.

“They’ll do things like partner up with somebody and the students will interview each other,” Ray said. “They work on simple, but important things like how to shake hands, how to dress professionally, and how to make eye contact. Students are taught how to ask questions at the end of an interview. Some feedback we’ve gotten from an interviewer is that our students interview better than some adults she interviews, just because they can do things like selling themselves.”

The interviews help participants understand the process and what interviewers will expect in any field. Senior Ally McBroom said being interviewed as a senior felt more real and intense than it was as a junior.

“I felt more prepared, and I knew what to expect from the basic interviewing side of it,” McBroom said. “I learned a lot more of what to expect out of interviews in the medical field since I want a career in medicine. I learned that experience trumps all, especially in medicine. Your actions and overall presence dictates the direction of the interview, so you have to be aware of what you’re saying and how you say it. It was beneficial for me to experience that.”

McBroom said Interview Week is important because of the experience students gain from it.

“I feel more confident in my decisions for the future with a general understanding of what I need to do in order to get where I want to be,” McBroom said. “An interview is the first step in that direction, and everything after that will line itself up.”