By MIKE CAPUTO
Even though the one-on-one interviews with potential employers in the high school cafeteria on May 21 were just for practice, the students were all business. Business teacher Melissa Woisin and Principal Richard Howard partnered with the Chamber of Commerce, led by Past President Alan Hodish, Vice President Rose Fuger and President Dr. Janine Kelly, to bring members of the business community into the high school to "interview" students for positions at their companies and then give them five-minute performance evaluations.
With jobs being few and far between these days, Woisin said her students have become more engaged in researching careers and preparing for the job market, even before they start college. "I definitely do sense a stronger awareness from them than I did in the past," Woisin said. "The students are very interested in their future, and many I have spoken with are measuring their career choices very carefully and choosing careers that are more focused and have more staying power, such as health care."
Hodish, a longtime East Meadow resident and attorney, noted that interviewing skills are valuable even for high school students, especially those applying for summer jobs at camps, retail stores or restaurants. Mastering the basics, he said, can be the key to impressing a prospective employer.
"I feel the basics are even more important than the interview itself," Hodish said. "The handshake, eye contact, appropriate dress and voice are major selling points."
Interviewers were mostly impressed with the sophomores, juniors and seniors they met. Kelly, who owns a chiropractic office near the border of East Meadow and North Bellmore, said her students appeared comfortable in the interviews. "I think the children were extremely well spoken," she said. "It was a real-life experience without the nail-biting tension. There was no palm
sweating."
Ariel Brown, a junior who is aiming for a career in photojournalism, said she had some jitters during her interview, but came out of it prepared for her next one. "I learned how to go in confidently, to be precise, and go in for what you came for - without holding back," Brown said.
Sophomore Phillip Correale had a similar experience. "I was nervous going into it," he said. "When all was done, I felt good about it."
Senior James Skinner is accustomed to working for his father, Jim, who owns an exterminating company in East Meadow and happened to be on hand, interviewing other students. James said the mock interview session broadened his horizons. "I was able to go into other situations and learn about other fields," he said.
According to Woisin, the interviews are being incorporated into a course that focuses on entrepreneurship and the study of business management, including the hiring process and the issues of equal treatment and discrimination in the workplace. "I think it is vital to their education as thinkers and learners," Woisin said. "It assists them in understanding what 'real business' is all about and helps reinforce the concepts I teach in class.
"It also creates a bond between the school and community, which makes East Meadow High School a wonderful institution for education," she added. "The students also feel that adults and their community take an interest in their education and overall well-being, which motivates and inspires them."
Hodish also coordinates a mentoring program, established in 2003, that matches Chamber members with district students. The business leaders introduce students to their fields and offer them guidance as they prepare for the world after graduation.
"As business leaders in the community," Hodish said, "we have an obligation and responsibility to the younger generation so that East Meadow students become productive members of our community and our community at large."
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
