Job Interview Prep Event in Greenville a Big Success

On Friday August 7th, the Catholic Charities Tar River Regional Office in Greenville hosted a Job Interview Preparation Event. Regional Director Monica Raynor noted that, “This was a new type of event for us in Greenville. We are very excited about the success of the event and plan to hold more Interview Preparation workshops in the future.”

The event consisted of a small group of individuals working with several community employers. Representatives from the State Employees Credit Union, Target, Pitt Community College, and Computer Geeks all attended this event. Each individual participated in two to three mock interviews with various employers so they could experience different interview styles. The clients were provided with verbal and written feedback about their strengths and helpful hints for improvement.

Following the mock interviews, a question and answer session was held with the employers which provided Catholic Charities staff and clients an opportunity to ask and discuss some common questions. One question many individuals wanted to learn more about was why personality and skills assessments are included on applications. Other popular questions included understanding how to answer sensitive questions such as: criminal history, less than favorable previous employment termination, transportation barriers, and gaps in employment.

Elana Campbell, a Clinical Family Support Specialist in the Tar River region, was excited about all that was accomplished during the event. She stated that, “This workshop was really beneficial for our families because they got to see the opinions of various employers who provided a lot of great information.” She went on to discuss what she observed during the mock interviews, “It was amazing to watch because after each interview you could see each client’s confidence growing.”