Hinsdale Central High School

1
Hinsdale Central High School

• Interviewing Skills Workshop

2
Getting Started

• Supportive and dedicated PTO members at Hinsdale
  Central High School designed the project from
  start to finish!
• Several brainstorming meetings were held to
  discuss logistics, equipment needed, procedures,
  timing, staff, etc.
• The Guidance Department advertised in a weekly
  eblast, for several weeks, to have the first 60
  students sign up for the workshop. Preference
  was given to seniors, then juniors and opened
  after that to any student.

3
Procedures

• Students were mailed a confirmation package with
  details listing what time to arrive, suggestions
  on what to wear, procedures for the day, and
  asked to come prepared with an idea of the most
  insightful things they want an interviewer to
  know about them.
• The Guidance Department handled taking care of
  copying all needed materials, all paper supplies
  name tags, folders for each student, extra
  paper, pencils, bottled water for all
  participants.

4
PTO Volunteer Schedule

• 10 volunteers from PTO arrived between 830
  1000 AM to help set-up everything! Which
  included help checking the equipment, setting up
  food for the presenters, checking students in as
  they arrived and giving numbers for interviewing
  order, trouble-shooting and answering questions.

5
Interviewing Skills Workshop

• 7 adults were Interviewers
• 11 adults were Feedback Providers
• 57 interviewed mostly seniors and juniors along
  with one freshman
• Panel of guest speakers/experts Dean of
  Admission and Financial Aid (from North Central
  College) and three Alumni Representatives (from
  Brandeis, Duke and Yale), HCHS counselor was the
  facilitator

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Transition into the Event

• Greeter volunteers (PTO members, Alumni
  Interviewers and Feedback Providers) met the
  students as the walked into the library and shook
  their hands looking for a firm handshake, good
  eye contact, and use of the greeters name.
• (Parents were also invited to the event and
  stayed in the library to participate in the
  panel discussion.)

7
The Program

• Opening from HCHS welcome and overview of the
  program
• Skit role playing of a proper and improper
  interview experience
• First seven students then moved to the
  interviewing room for 7 minutes, sessions were
  videotaped with VHS recorders. (HCHS media
  specialist was there as well as a student
  volunteer to help with the equipment and
  Buildings and Grounds men were needed as well to
  help with the set-up and clean-up.)

8
The Program

• Students then moved to the Feedback Rooms were
  tapes were reviewed together by the student and
  Feedback Provider for approximately 15 minutes.
  Both the student and adult completed an
  Interviewing Skills Checklist with yes/no check
  off boxes for Greeting, Delivery, Content and
  Closing. There was also a box for comments.

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Checklist
10
Workshop Evaluation

• Students were then asked to complete a Workshop
  Evaluation.
• Students received a folder with handouts written
  and prepared by one of the interviewers who is
  also an Alumni Interviewer/Recruiter for Tufts
  University.
• The handout document included details about
• What is the College Interview
• The College Interviewers Mission
• The Purpose of the Interview
• A Good Match
• College Interviewing Tips
• The Interview Arrival, Departure
• First Impressions
• Interviewing Skills Checklist
• References books and websites
• Sample Resumes (From HCHS Guidance Department)

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Student Evaluation on the Workshop

• 12 questions with typically 3 check off boxes
• Example ? Very Helpful
• ? Helpful
• ? Not helpful
• Your thoughts ______________________
• __________________________________

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Student Feedback on the Interviewing Skills
Workshop

• I have a much better idea of what a college
  interview is like.
• Everyone should do this.
• The program was super-organized.
• A way to help myself become confident.
• Clearly showed the difference between a good and
  bad interview.
• The program was shorter than I thought even
  though I was one of the last students to go.
• The Expert Panel answered many of my questions.
  
• I am very glad that I attended this workshop and
  I will attend next year as well.
• 1 on 1 interview helped a lot. Beneficial!
• Maybe more interviews/reviews would be nice.
• I was a little nervous. I was nervous in
  front of the camera.
• Helped showed me my weak areas.
• Effective! Extremely helpful!
• Great practice with the mock interview.
• Sundays are good.
• Saturday is a better day to do this.

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Communications CoachPittsburghSally Chopping
412-478-6785Email sally_at_actingforbusiness.com

• College Interview Questions List 1
• Tell me about your experiences at your high
  school. Is there a particular experience you had
  there that stands out? 
• What would you change about your school if you
  had the power to do so?
• What might your teachers say is your greatest
  strength as a person and as a student, and what
  are your weaknesses in each area?
• What has been the most important person or event
  in your own self-development?

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Continued

• What magazines and newspapers do you like to
  read?
• What sort of things do you like to do outside of
  school?
• What books or articles have you read in the last
  year that have had special meaning for you?
• What do you want to do in the future?
• If you had a time machine and could go back
  anytime and change history, what time period
  would you go to and what would you do?
• Tell me about your family.

15
A Successful Program

• You need a dedicated group of people/parents who
  will help organize the event.
• You need to tap into the resources in your
  community who have experience as Alumni
  Interviewers, or who work in HR, or own their
  businesses and regularly interview candidates to
  act as interviewers and feedback providers, and
  to serve on a discussion panel.
• You need an admissions representative from a
  college or university to share how the interview
  is viewed.
• You need support from your schools Guidance
  Department to make the arrangements within the
  school.
• You need interested students.
• You need to thank everyone profusely to make sure
  that the program goes smoothly.

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Interviewing Skills

• It is an exciting and useful experience that will
  assist our future leaders not only when
  interviewing for colleges and universities the
  skills they hone will assist students when
  interviewing for a scholarship opportunity or
  employment opportunity.
• Good Luck with your own program!