5 Steps to Nailing Job Interviews

Before college, no one ever mentioned job interviews to me at all. I may have seen a few on TV, but all I really knew was that you wanted to look confident and try to keep from blushing or sweating profusely. In Career Explorations, we've been discussing the importance of job interviews for about a week or so, and I've boiled down the interview process to 5 steps. High school students love keeping it simple, and if they can remember what to do during each of these 5 steps, they'll succeed in landing the job.

1.) Arrival - Arrive at least 15 minutes early. Know where to go. Look your best, no matter the job. Even if they're applying to work at Target, I tell the students to dress sharply (shirt and tie for guys, dress or business slacks for girls).

2.) Introduction - Look everyone in the eye, provide a firm handshake, and smile (smiles are contagious and they relieve stress). Be prepared to tell the interviewer a little about yourself in 30 seconds or so. Don't go into crazy details, just focus on 1 or 2 main stellar qualities you have that you'd like him or her to know about.

3.) Talk - Be prepared to answer questions in a conversational, but confident tone. Try to answer by using an experience that shows your skills rather than tells about them. For instance, don't say you are "responsible," instead, prove your are by telling a story where you exuded responsibility.

4.) Questions - Have 3-5 questions prepared for the interviewer. He or she will almost always leave time open at the end of an interview, so be ready to ask them about the job, company, or their own experience. Some interviews may even begin by leaving it to you to ask questions. This helps you know if you'd even want the job and makes you look informed and prepared.

5.) Thank you - Be prepared to send a thank-you note, email, or letter to the interviewer after it's all over. This small step could get you a call-back because people appreciate gratitude. It will also allow you to show you value relationships and the time the interviewer sacrificed to be with you.

Setting Class Goals

Class will go nowhere without proper vision and goals. I've learned this the hard way as a few of my classes have recently waned in their level of zeal and effort. The beginning of the semester begins with lots of zest and grit, but as time ticks away, the energy level can begin to diminish if the kids don't know why they're doing what they're doing.

For example, my entrepreneurship class has had a clear vision of their goal for this semester. They will not only learn all the responsibilities involved in the various roles and assignments found in business, but they will also make as much money as possible by the end of the semester. Tomorrow I plan on meeting together and clarifying this goal (quantifying, making clearer plans, and solidifying measurements), but that's pretty good to start off with. But in health, we never discussed a clear path towards a measurable goal, and it's starting to show. Students slack off on homework or don't feel inclined to participate. So, tomorrow will be goal-setting day all around for my classes.

Goals reflect our vision of what we can accomplish, and I'm a firm believer in working as hard as possible to meet any goal I set. I see the students completely transform when they work towards achieving a goal. They become brighter, more intense, and look to recall any and all information they've learned that might help them. Even better is when they achieve a goal.

So, setting clear, measurable goals right at the beginning of class, is crucial to lasting success. Goals should be posted and mentioned frequently. Also, smaller goals building up to the larger-scale ones can help build confidence, so it's important to include those as well. Our entrepreneurship class has done a stellar job of keeping tabs on our goal - the financial officers create the following graph each day thanks to Wave Accounting :

Nearly doubled sales so far (plus we still have lots of inventory)

Also, here's a shot of our initial investment. We've now sold out of chips (plus nearly 50 more), cookies, and almost everything else. Luckily, the class has agreed to offer healthier options as well. We now stock applesauce and popcorn, which have both done great.

MONEY AND EDUCATION

In America, it's fairly easy to make money if you work hard and have a great idea. My entrepreneurship class is learning this lesson as we near 100% ROI our first week of the class business. Everyone loves it. My career explorations class also finds it fascinating that college graduates will make over $1,000,000 more in their lifetime than if they had directly entered the workforce after high school. 

But how much of all this money actually reaches back to our youth? A recent article from The Washington Post caught my eye: 

"Looking solely at the federal budget, an elderly person receives close to seven federal dollars for every dollar received by a child." 

I'm glad children receive at least 10%, but I think we can do a little better.

Building a Class Business

The joys of starting a class business. Our entrepreneurship class has been planning the grand opening of our "Mountain Maddnesss" snack shack and the kids could not be more excited. To better apply the class material, we started a real business instead of a theoretical one because the kids get more invested. In fact, each of them has invested $5, and at the end of the semester they'll receive a return on that investment, depending on how well we do.

Starting a business can seem difficult, but it really just requires a great idea and lots of work. I act as a guide and allow the kids great autonomy in crafting solutions to problems. 

One problem arose this past week when the marketing managers misspelled the name of our business on the main poster. "Mountain Madness" should only have had one "d" - but they glued down two. Time ticked away and we needed to finish our work for the day, so I called over the CEO and asked what they should do.

Redoing the poster, they decided, wasn't an option. The CEO also had an epiphany...many businesses spell their names in unique ways to draw attention, so why doesn't our class business do the same? Everyone decided to leave the two "d"s and add an extra "s." Giving them the freedom to solve the problem allowed for innovation and creativity.

Scholar Speak Begins

At the behest of many, and with my own desire to measure improvement, I've started a small education blog. I'm hoping to capture scholarly moments, ponder areas for improvement, and speak out in regards to current educational issues.

Right now I teach Entrepreneurship, Health, and Career Explorations at Alpine Academy Charter High School and deal primarily with freshman, sophomores, and juniors. This summer I'll be joining Teach For America in Houston to teach bilingual elementary school. Lots of excitement and lots of work.

Feel free to comment, follow me on Twitter, or find me on BetterLesson.