Interviewing Skills

Interviewing Skills

InterviewStream and HR Volunteer Partners

from CRTC Director Steve Rothenberg

Last week, all CRTC students engaged in a center-wide unit on interviewing skills.  The week kicked off on Tuesday with an assembly led by a career consultant.  The assembly was followed up in each individual classroom with a question and answer session with a human resource specialist from the HR Professional Association of Greater Concord.  We thank the following organizations for participating: Ballentine Partners, Concord Hospital, CoWorx Staffing Service, EFI, Grappone Automotive Group, McLane Middleton, New Hampshire Distributors, State of NH Insurance Department, Talent Advisory, and Yankee Publishing.

On the second day, students began to formalize their understanding of basic criteria, including adopting a basic rubric.  The classes worked to calibrate themselves by collaboratively reviewing a mix of online interviews to define what makes a good (and bad) interview.  Our rubric was used as a foundation.  A number of great discussions resulted.  Students also worked on documenting a basic version of “their story” to prepare for their own interview.

To finish up, students are now completing an online practice interview using a product called InterviewStream.  This company facilitates actual online interviews, but also has an educational arm to allow students to practice on their software.  Students are given the opportunity to answer custom (by program) interview-style questions (many of which came from our business partners) in a professional online format and watch their responses. We were pleased that most of our students took advantage of the software and did a “number” of takes.  It is not easy looking at yourself on video.

Interviewing is an universal and necessary skill.  We are proud of both our students and teachers for making this first-ever unit a success.  We particularly want to thank CRTC volunteer David Moore  for heading up this entire effort, including coordinating with all partners and creating our online presence with every possible resource listed.