Interviewing 101

Graduation is near and students have been gearing up for life after high school. On April 28, 2016, students in the JAG Program at New Britain High School participated in one-on-one mock interviews with numerous professionals in the school and in the community. Before the interviews, students chose an appealing position that they would apply to in real life and began doing research on that specific establishment. Students identified their personal strengths and aligned them with the company’s mission to make meaningful connections with the potential employer.

Students said that this experience has really prepared them because they now have a better idea of what to expect in an interview setting. Students found it beneficial that interviewers did not only ask the questions they had anticipated, but they also included follow-up questions that caught them off guard.

There were three to four interview stations set up (depending on the class size during that period). Students were matched with an interviewer and were given 10 minutes to sell themselves for the desired position. After the 10 minutes spent with the “employer” was up, the students were given both positive and negative feedback on things they did well and things they could improve upon for future interviews.

Samantha Kilduff stated “as a JAG participant, I was honored to have the chance to get constructive criticism on a lifelong skill that can open so many doors for me. Having Ms. Fox as an interviewer was challenging, but the best opportunity because she is so efficient at interviewing. I appreciate that she took the time out to help me become more ready for the interviews I’ll come across in the near future. I now feel ready and confident for my soon to come interviews.

Mock interviewers included: Paulette Fox (Executive Director of O.I.C.), Chez Chamberlain (Career Competencies Classroom Instructor of O.I.C.), Liz-Dupont-Diehl (CT JAG Director), Sondra Sanford (Finance Teacher at NBHS), Jenny Jimenez-Sullivan (Career Center Specialist at NBHS), Christina Lumbreras (Engineer at Arris), Andres Sovero (CCSU TRIO Program), and Keylon Levine (JAG Specialist at Hartford Public H.S.).