Students at Phoenix Coding Academy recently attended an Elevate Your Network event focused on interviewing. These mock interviews gave students practice interviewing and gave them skills to take to any type of interview, whether it be for college, a scholarship, or a job. Local student, Zorah Salke, reflects on their experience below!
- What made you sign up to participate?
“I was excited about the extra interviewing experience. I applied to many selective colleges, so I’ve seen a lot of college interviews, but I thought the job interview experience would be very different. I was right.”
- What was your favorite piece of advice an employer gave you?
“One interviewer said, ’Don’t be afraid to show personality.’ Being professional is a skill, and I think my attempts at professionalism may come off more stiffly than I intend. This was a useful point from my interviewer that gave me a specific thing to focus on in future.”
- What did you enjoy most about this experience?
“It was really valuable to me that the interviewers asked me to think about what I could offer to a specific job. It was mentally challenging and really helped me get a better idea of how to prepare for career interviews.”
- How did this experience prepare you for interviews in the future and what feedback will you implement?
“Aside from making me aware of how my future interviews may be structured, I got specific advice on how to prepare talking points. One interviewer suggested preparing problem-solution anecdotes prior to the interview, so that if a question came up that related to one, I’d have something eloquent prepared already. I think that’s a marvelous idea and will keep it with me.”
- What careers are you interested in pursuing in the future?
“I’m largely open to any careers involving software programming but have some interests in design and advising.”
Employer interviewers included representatives from Charles Schwab, CopperPoint Insurance Company, Jennings Haug Cunningham LLP, Lockton Companies, Marsh, Northern Trust, Salt River Project, UMOM New Day Centers, VincentBenjamin, and Zovio.
If you would like to participate in future Elevate Your Network events, make sure to contact your school’s College and Career Coach. Find yours here!
Thank you to all the employers that participated and to Zovio, our Elevate Your Network sponsor!