Nacogdoches High School seniors in the Career and Technical Education Department got a chance to practice their interview skills with employers Wednesday at the Malcolm Rector Center for Advanced Careers and Innovation.
The sessions – where 40 students sat down for two interview opportunities – serve as preps for the Youth Career Summit taking place at NHS on April 11. Held in partnership with Workforce Solutions of Deep East Texas, the career summit connects area employers with students who will soon be graduating. In some instances, those employers with openings will go ahead and conduct interviews on site that day.
“The mock interviews are a great way to prepare students for actual interviews that might take place at the career summit,” said Coy Van Valkenburgh, NISD’s Director of College and Career Readiness. “The goal is to have students come to the career summit with resumés in hand and ready to be interviewed if there’s an opportunity.
On Wednesday, students sat down with volunteers from Nacogdoches-area industry partners or NISD administrators. The interviewer conducts an actual session, then provides instant feedback to the student for areas they might work on ahead of the career summit.
“I’m grateful for our volunteers who were on hand today,” Van Valkenburgh said. “These mock interviews will have a positive impact on our students as they prepare for the career summit and other future opportunities.”
