The Auburn P-TECH freshmen and sophomores finished their second of two Human Resource workshops about interviewing skills on May 17^th with interviewing skills.  Amanda Sroka from Xylem led the class through the dos and don’ts of interviewing, preparing for the interview, and dressing for success.  P-TECH students learned that interviewing potential employees has changed over the years from the hiring manager to a supervisor, and being reviewed by potential co-workers.  Since co-workers know what the job requires, they would also have valuable input for screening new job candidates.

After Ms. Sroka’s presentation, the students were broken up into groups of two with their mentors and began conducting mock interviews. Ms. Sroka provided a handout with the 13 absolute questions most employers will ask on an interview.  The students learned how to think through the questions and put themselves in a positive light.  They also learned how to discuss salary expectations, something that many people feel awkward discussing during the interview process.  The 9^th graders felt that they learned a lot by going through the interviewing process.  Many of the students learned the value of practicing beforehand and researching a potential employer.