We spent the weeks leading up to the
interview prepping them with interview etiquette, practice questions and
planning the perfect outfits. We would randomly throw a question at them
in the middle of dinner such as tell me about yourself or what kind of previous
job experience do you have? We also looked up some great resources online and
one of them I think all teens and parents for that matter should check out is http://teensgotcents.com/
it is a great site for teens who want to learn about being smart
financially. They have great articles such as "Prom on a
budget" or "How to get a part time job". The
site also has information on college, careers, and so much more.
This site really got us all thinking about the importance of a part time
job and what they will do with the money that will be earned.
Next we looked into planning the
perfect outfits for the interview. They
went through their closets and tried on a few things and Marcus found an
appropriate shirt but Catalina came up empty handed so we headed off to the
local thrift store to see what we could find.
We were lucky and found her whole outfit which consisted of a fuchsia Ralph
Lauren sweater and really nice black dress pants both of which looked brand new
and I was also able to find a pair of nice black pants for Marcus as well. As a mom of six I love finding good
deals.
The day of the interview finally
arrived and I do not know who was more nervous for them, them or us -
actually it was us, definitely us! We made sure to arrive at human
resources ten minutes early to check in which turned out to be perfect.
Catalina had her interview first and then Marcus. Both kids thought the
interviews went great and they said they felt like they were well prepared and
able to answer all of the questions posed to them. Well I am happy to say
that they BOTH received calls yesterday offering them the positions!!!
I would love to hear some of your interview tips for teens in the comment section.
Hi Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI think it is really great that you are prepping your children so well for their interviews, making them answer questions like that on the spot is such a great activity and will totally help them when they are under pressure. I know this may seem really obvious and kind of silly to practice but make sure they know how to represent themselves in terms of how they explain who they are and why they are the best for this job. I know that I have been in situations before when someone simply asked me to tell them about myself and I instantly felt unprepared. It's those simply questions that you forget about.
I think the best way to learn how to interview is really just to interview. And interview often. The more interviews a person has the better they will get. I remember one interview, it must have been one of my first five, I was so nervous. It get's better with practice.
ReplyDeleteTaking time out of your day to help your children prepare themselves for an interview was very thoughtful of you. Some parents just let their children do it completely on their own but without that preparation the kids could feel extremely nervous and think that they will mess up with the questions they are being asked. I agree with Therese when she says that practicing over and over will help prepare them fully so that they know exactly what is to come. I am so happy for them that they both got call backs! :)
ReplyDeleteI do not have kids but I would think that what you did to prepare your children for their interviews was a way to get them familiar with the whole process and it must have been very effective. I believe this is also good parenting because you are teaching and helping your children grow and mature professionally.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job preparing them! That's how my mother taught me, and I've had success ever since. Also, make sure Cat takes good care of those black slacks. If she's like me, she'll always have a go-to for every interview! I even keep mine separate from all other clothes so they'll stay nice for as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteAnd a big CONGRATULATIONS to both of them for the job offers!!