Career Services to hold resume reviews, mock interviews

Students will have the opportunity to be sure that they have “covered all of their bases” this week. Career Services will host resume reviews and mock interviews from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the Memorial Union. The theme for this year’s walk-up workshop is “Are You Ready for the Major Leagues?”

“This is their opportunity to hear directly from employers,” said June Coleman-Hull, director of Career Services. “All the other events we do are simply to build skills for students… this is the opportunity where they sit down without a job at stake and they’re getting immediate feedback from hiring professionals.”

Students who attend the event are not required to dress professionally. During the walk-up workshops, students will be assessed on a scorecard by employers. During the mock interview, employers will evaluate interview elements such as handshake, confidence, thorough responses and positive attitude.

They will also evaluate student resumes and asses them according to format, education, relevant experience, effectiveness, spelling and grammar. Students will receive feedback from the employers about what they are doing well and what they can still improve.

This year, the event will be composed of all-new employers, including Wal-mart, The Arnold Group, Flint Hills Technical College, Emporia Public Schools, Koch Industries and Northwestern Mutual.

“Employers are very willing to participate,” Coleman-Hull said. “They like the idea of training students and helping in some way to get them ready for the workforce. A lot of times, employers find that students don’t quite have the professional skills in terms of interviewing and getting ready for jobs. They appreciate the idea of having to train them before they graduate.”

David Milford, assistant director of Career Services, will also be present to distribute information about available summer internship opportunities.

“Networking and internships are how you get your experience,” Milford said. “I encourage students, if they’re interested in an internship, to come here, fill out an intent-to-intern form… and I [will] go hunt one down.”

This is the second year for the workshop. Last year, it was co-sponsored by the ESU Marketing Club. Abdifatah Farah, senior marketing major and former president of Marketing Club, worked with Coleman-Hull last year to implement mock interviews as a part of preparing students for the workforce.

“We came up with the idea of mock interviews for graduating students as well as up-and-coming students right now so they have experience, or they get the experience of interviewing from real professionals,” Farah said.

Farah also believes that it is a good idea for students to attend the walk-up workshop.

“It’s better to start off early than to ask questions later,” Farah said. “If you don’t know what’s going on or how to interview with somebody, then you’re going to be in the ocean by yourself later on.”

Farah knows first hand that mock interviews can help to prepare students to enter the workforce.

“I’ve seen myself get progressively better and better at interviews,” Farah said. “Now I know how to interview with the best of them.”