Hutchings Academy hosts mock interviews
Hutchings College and Career Academy hosted mock interview sessions for more than two hundred high school students in February to gain experience with professional interviews.
Students prepared for their interviews by writing a resume and cover letter. They were also taught how to dress professionally for an interview, a skill that some students are never taught, according to Cassandra Miller-Washington, the Executive Director of Career, Technical and Agricultural Education at the Bibb County School District.
“A lot of times we talk about interviewing, and once they graduate from high school, or they’re actually interviewing for a scholarship, that might actually be their first time interviewing,” Miller-Washington said.
The mock interviews are an annual event for high school students who are dual enrolled at Central Georgia Technical College. Miller-Washington said many students return and say the interviews helped them later on.
“They’ll come back and say, you know, that opportunity to practice, or that feedback that I received allowed me to do better on my scholarship interview,” Miller-Washington said.
Although many applications are now online only, Miller-Washington said that interviewing can be crucial for students going into pre-career pathways such as nursing or graphic design.
“We want kids to understand that when you’re interviewing, you are going up against competition,” Miller-Washington said. “And sometimes you can look great on paper or not, and an interview will seal the deal for you.”
Hutchings’ annual interviews are a collaborative event with local employers partnered with the school. While all students gain practice from the event, some may even leave with job offers.
“Nine times out of 10, a student will get hired today,” Miller-Washington said.
By working with partners, Miller-Washington said the event benefits the whole community.
“This gives students an opportunity to get a head start on college and get a head start of being that pipeline for our future workforce,” Miller-Washington said.
