Putnam County High School is partnering with the community to ensure students are career ready.
Career, Technical, & Agricultural Education Director Christina Hinz has worked to build partnerships with the community since 2020. Establishing a bond between the school and local businesses allows students to build connections, gives opportunities for businesses to be guest speakers and allows businesses to be a part of school events in a variety of different ways.
“Events we plan help to bridge a connection between our career tech programs and community members that can be involved,” said Hinz. “It helps not only the school and community nurture each other but individually supports teachers, business leaders and students.”
This year, Hinz has planned a new event to allow students to directly interact with local business owners and HR departments through mock interviews.
“Employability skills are one of the primary standards taught in Georgia and are a need,” said Hinz. “These students have worked all month on a notebook with different lessons that help them learn and prepare for any career. This develops skills and knowledge that they will then use when they are in their mock interviews.”
Students have worked on interview skills, listened to guest speakers, created a career map, created a career portfolio, researched about economic development and more to prepare for the upcoming mock interviews.
“The culminating activity is the mock interview fair,” said Hinz. “We have invited local businesses, industries and community partners with a focus on the ones who are hiring. There is also a focus on partnering with individuals from HR departments so they may provide feedback to our students.”
These partners serve as the interviewers during the Mock Interview Fair. They follow a rubric that grades students in three categories on their resume, the job application, and their interview skills. The interview is the largest category grading students on their professional appearance, proper greeting, attitude, answers to questions and body language. The rubric allows interviewers to mark students as exemplary under these categories for each item or needing major work.
Interviewers will also give feedback and notes to the students on how to improve. Then, teachers will also review with students in class how to improve skills and will implement this advice into future lessons.
“Students need to learn to talk about themselves and build their confidence. Interviews are necessary not only for careers but also for college so this is a good opportunity for them to improve themselves and learn what is expected from a real employer or HR professional,” said Hinz. “Additionally, these interviews could potentially lead to a job and show the community what our students are capable of and their willingness to work.”
Hinz highlighted that this fair will allow the community an introduction not only to their students but a chance to give their own feedback. Younger generations grow-up to take over the workforce and this offers an opportunity for the local workforce to not only nurture the student’s ability to interview but mentor their skills by getting more involved.
“Partnerships like this benefit everyone involved. It builds connections, relationships and skills on all sides. It introduces our students to the workforce and the workforce to potential employees,” said Hinz. “Our goal is to ensure that students are career-ready and our community plays a large role in preparing them.”
Hinz hopes that the Mock Interview Fair can become an annual event between the community and Putnam County High School and looks forward to hosting more community partnership events in the future.