Mock Interviews a Win for Walnut Students and Area Businesses

WALNUT, CA — Mock interviews with local, national, and international businesses were the much anticipated culmination of Ron Hockwalt Academies’ (RHA) first 2016-2017 School-to-Career event.

Students were “dressed to impress” when they met with representatives from Target, Spencer N. Enterprises, Schools First, Applebee’s, McDonald’s, Sysco, and PetSmart on October 11.

In an after-interview debriefing, Cindy Totten, President of Totten Consulting Group and Human Resource representative for Spencer N. Enterprises, said that RHA students “could surely teach something to our earlier millennial generation.” She added that RHA students were “enthusiastic and excellently prepared” for their interviews.

“RHA is such a small school that we can spend hours personally preparing students, much like you would find at a small private school,” commented Richard Root, English teacher and School-to-Career coach.

Students spent weeks developing and editing their resumes, practicing interview techniques, reviewing common interview questions, and researching visiting companies.

Other businesses in attendance agreed. Although these companies did not come offering jobs, the tune seemed to change throughout the course of the six rounds of interviews. Business cards and email addresses were shared with successful interviewees, while some businesses invited RHA students to proceed into a second round of interviews.

The mock interviews were the brainchild of Patricia Dimas, RHA’s Transition/Workability Specialist.

“In a nutshell, I just wanted to bring more to the table for our students at RHA,” Dimas stated.

“The best service I can offer our students is the tool of awareness to better equip them to make intelligent decisions.”

Walnut Unified School District Photos