As seniors, we are approaching graduation and the next exciting chapters of our lives, which means exploring scholarship opportunities and preparing for future jobs or internships. Having good interview skills plays a crucial role in our success in both of these areas, and Mrs. Sharon Edwards, a former educator and current RMA parent, was kind enough to offer her expertise in public relations to the senior class this fall by holding an interview workshop, meeting with us on the first two Tuesdays in October. The workshop concluded with three groups of students, each on a different Tuesday, going to the John Hackney office to participate in mock interviews with volunteers. 

In our first meeting, Mrs. Edwards introduced herself and told us her backstory, explaining she had been a stay-at-home mom for the last six years and missed the thrill of teaching and helping teenagers with college admissions–something she had done for 15 years. Prior to having her children, Mrs. Edwards worked at WCPSS as a Business and Marketing teacher and later as a Career Development Coordinator. She noted that while she never worked in college admissions directly, “[her] job description always included career guidance and assisting students with the school-to-career transition.” When Mrs. Gross and Mrs. Ballance invited her to help students here at RMA, she was elated, but even though she was excited, she was nervous when first meeting us seniors. She expresses that she felt “rusty” and knew that she needed to be inviting in order to get us onboard and excited. She did all this very successfully, first showing us how knowledgeable she is by presenting a PowerPoint with different tips and tricks about how to prepare for interviews. Some of this advice involved proper interviewing etiquette, including dressing appropriately, speaking clearly and concisely, and having good posture. After this valuable information, there was also pizza, which probably helped us further connect with her!

In the second meeting, we went over some questions that an interviewer might ask, and Mrs. Edwards gave us a worksheet to help us prepare answers for said questions. Some of the questions were things you would expect like, “Do you have any previous experience?” and, “What are some of your strengths?” After we filled out the sheet, we went over some Do’s (have good posture, have a firm handshake, etc.) and Don’ts (chew gum, answer your cell phone, etc.). Then, students Gabbi Ams, Parker Sherrod, and Audrey Roeder demonstrated what a bad interview versus a good interview looks like. Parker, the interviewer, interviewed Gabbi first, who displayed excellent etiquette with a firm handshake and good posture, then Audrey, who chewed gum and answered a fake phone call from Gabbi. It was a funny little skit that helped us see what an interview should or shouldn’t look like. 

For our mock interviews, Mrs. Edwards thought it’d be best for us to go off campus to get a better idea of what an authentic interview may feel like. John Hackney Insurance Office graciously offered their space to us to use. Mrs. Edwards also arranged for volunteers to interview us and even give us  grades! Though some interviewers graded more harshly than others, the constructive criticism was greatly appreciated and will hopefully help us better our skills and be more successful in future endeavors. 

In collaboration with Mrs. Ballance and Mrs. Gross, Mrs. Edwards plans to do this again next year with the Class of 2025. When I asked what she might change about the workshop, she said that next year she plans to do more work with students on their resumes since we didn’t get to work on them much this year and it’s a vital part of the application process. She added that she had planned to do the mock interview with one big group rather than several smaller groups, but after reading our student feedback, she determined that we preferred smaller groups spread over a longer period of time, so that’s the plan for next year as well. 

Mrs. Edwards says that she really enjoyed working with us and being back in front of a class, even if only for a short period of time. The senior class is incredibly thankful for the time and effort Mrs. Edwards put into the workshop. We would also like to thank Mr. Reid and Mr. Rhodes for allowing us to use their office to create a more realistic experience, as well as the volunteers for taking time out of their work day to interview us. It was a truly fun and helpful experience.