Each year, our Next Generation Scholar 11th graders focus on identifying and developing their job skills as they prepare for their futures. These skills, personal qualities and characteristics, ensure their success not only in the workforce, but also in daily life. Through classroom visits, these students learn the top job skills and work to identify the characteristics that they demonstrate themselves. Skills such as adaptability, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem solving are among the list of most important in the eyes of an employer.
In these interactive discussions with NGS coordinators, these students also spend a portion of time creating and fine-tuning their resumes before learning tips and tricks to navigate a job interview. This conversation serves as a precursor to the annual Mock Interview event offered to the junior class each year.
Partnering with local businesses, coordinators invite volunteer professionals to join them for this signature event. These professionals sit down with students one-on-one to ask them a series of interview questions, referencing their previously completed resumes to support their questions. Upon completion of the interview, volunteers provide immediate feedback and encouragement to the student and then complete a feedback form that is shared with the coordinators, who ultimately return it to the students for future reference.
Feedback for the students often includes sentiments of encouragement like “well-spoken [and] forward thinker – she will go far!” as well as helpful tips. Carrie Douthit, of Greenscapes Land Care, LLC, noted to one student: “Expand [your] resume to complete sentences. Your nerves were getting the best of you but by the end you were much more relaxed. Brag about your uniqueness!”
This experience is not only beneficial to the students but can also benefit the businesses as well. Following the mock interviews in Dorchester County, six students were offered a job on the spot!
A special thank you to the following volunteers and businesses for supporting these sessions:
- Jim Block, former Educator
- Carrie Douthit, Greenscapes Land Care
- Beth Hill, University of Maryland Extension, Kent County
- Dawson Hunter, Kent County Government
- Amanda Jackson, The Dixon Group
- Airlee Johnson and Luis Mercado, Washington College
- Bryan Matthews, KRM/ Kent Forward
- Jim Moseman, Northrop Grumman
- Amanda Wallace, Truist
- Bill Christopher, Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce
- Holly Gilpin, Director of Tourism for Dorchester County
- Paul Dendorfer, Owner of Blue Ruin restaurant
- Kerianne Hinerman, Moving Dorchester Forward
- Brandon Hesson, Chesapeake College
- Chris Honeman & Christine Hudson, Shore United Bank
- Wilma Yeatman, Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay
Additional Mock Interviews days are scheduled for January 30th in Allegany County and February 8thin Dorchester with sessions planned for Caroline and Wicomico counties later in the winter. If you are interested in supporting our students through this event, please reach out to morgan@mbrt.org.
