East Hampton High School’s Deb Mansir, the School to Work Coordinator, is reaching out to community members and business owners to act as ersatz interviewers for high school seniors, with an opportunity to critique the students on an established set of points like eye contact, attire, body language, and “monosyllabic responses.”
“We’re trying to set up as much of a real world experience as possible,” Ms. Mansir said. She has been running the program for six years now, and acknowledged that for some kids, “it’s their very first time in an interview situation.” These interviews, which start for the students in their junior year, give them an opportunity to experience what it will be like to engage in face to face interviews for college, the military, and, of course, the workplace.
Around 50 to 60 adults are needed for the workshop, which will be held on Tuesday, September 25, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Each of the approximately 240 seniors will participate in a 15-20 minute mock interview, followed immediately with feedback and a ratings sheet. Students then proceed to a second mock interview to see if they have hopefully improved whatever shortcomings may have been noted in the first interview.
Community members are asked to choose approximately an hour of participation time, with the likelihood of interviewing three or four students. No experience is necessary, but business owners may get “the potential benefit of possibly interviewing a future employee,” Ms. Mansir said.
Flyers have been sent out and must be returned by Sept. 20, but for those who did not receive one or who would like to respond earlier, Ms. Mansir can be reached at dmansir@ehufsd.org or (631) 329-6462.
Bridget LeRoy is the community liaison for the .
