Rotarians help prepare students job interview skills

On November 14th six members of the Granville Rotary Club,led by Granville R.C. Club President Bob Meldrum, conducted mock interviews of 21 students from David Cosey’s Social Studies Class at Granville High School .Such interviews are intended to prepare students for the interviews they will necessarily face on applying to college or for job opportunities.

The interviews followed a format designed by Granville R.C.s’ sister club in the U.K., WrexhamErddig( in Wales). They are designed to help interviewees improve their resume presentation, become aware of the appropriate attire for an interview, articulate clear responses to the interviewer’s questions, stay focused, present clear ideas on their plans for both the near term and medium term future, and present a picture of their academic and other activities to date.

Both the question and assessmentformats were shown to participating students in a session with Rotarians a week or so before the interview. About half the half hour allotted was spent on the introductory and question period and half was spent on the interviewee sitting alongside the interviewer as he completed his assessment under the headings of written material, first impressions, communication, hobbies interests and achievements, career knowledge and expectations, and overall assessment. The completed assessment form, on which the interviewee was welcome to comment, was then provided to the interviewee as his or her record of the interview. Also presented was a printed leaflet “A Rotary guide to Your Next Interview”

It is hoped that all remaining seniors will have the opportunity for such an interview during the course of the current school year.

Workon developing the “Rotary Mock Interview Experience” started in 2000 after Wrexham Erddig received a National Lottery grant from the Community Fund, Wales.  Thescheme was developed by Rotarians in Wrexham with the help of tutors from alocal college and sixth formers (seniors) from a local secondary school. It went on toreceive the RIBI (Rotary International in Britain and Ireland) VocationalCentennial Award in 2006. In Wrexham alone more than 500 youngpeople from six different schools are interviewed each year. It is estimatedthat more than 200 Rotary Clubs in the UK have used the scheme. As far as is known Granville is the first place outside Britain and Ireland to use theRotary Mock Interview Experience.

 

Granville Rotarians express their profound thanks to WrexhamErddig , one time Granville resident Richard Boyle and Chris Jones in particular, for their support in this venture, and to Jim Donnelly, David Cosey, Marc  Lambert and Susan Hosley at the High School  for their help in preparing the students andsetting up the interviews.