More than 100 Grace College students virtually participated in the annual Mock Interview Event hosted by Grace’s Center for Career Connections April 20-24. Nearly 60 employers from Kosciusko County and beyond met with students online to help them hone their interview skills and give them constructive feedback.
“Given our current context, it’s crucial that our Grace graduates feel confident participating in video-conference interviews,” said Denise Terry, director of the Center for Career Connections at Grace who opted to move the event online rather than cancel it altogether. “Transitioning the interviews to an online format helps our students develop the important skill of sharing their experiences in a virtual setting,” said Terry.
The event gave college students practice on video applications for professional use. It also afforded them the opportunity to build their professional networks and connect with alumni and community members.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer has volunteered to be an interviewer for the past several years. “These mock interviews not only benefit our next generation of leaders in honing their interview skills before entering the workforce, but they also benefit the professionals who are conducting the interviews by providing a connection with these evolving leaders. This annual event helps to elevate these students and better position them for success after completing their college career,” he said.
Another veteran interviewer, Terry Bush, director of HR Services at Kruggel Lawton CPAs in Indianapolis, has been involved in recruiting students for the accounting profession for 30 years. Bush has conducted hundreds of mock interviews at multiple colleges and universities, but this was his first time conducting them with video-conferencing technology. “While it’s not as rich as face-to-face interaction, this was meaningful for me, and I hope it was beneficial for the students as well. They were all well-prepared, knowledgeable, conscientious, and did very well as interviewees. I’m thankful the Grace College Center for Career Connections provided us with this unique, beneficial, and enjoyable opportunity,” Bush said.
Participating employers included: 212 Media Studios, Bowen Center, Cardinal Services, City of Warsaw, Crowe LLC, DePuy, Egg Innovations LLC, Grace College, Silveus Insurance Group, Warsaw Area Career Center, Warsaw Community Schools, Angola Pizza Hut, Kruggel Lawton, Bluffton University, EY, PwC Commercial Bank, Combined Community Services, Concordia University, EDUStaff, Enpak, EXEControl Global Solutions, Fort Wayne Community Schools, Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, Kruggel Lawton CPAs, Liberty University, Network Partners, Orthoworx, Owens and Company PC, Pierceton Woods Academy, Primerica/PFS Investments, Seeden Photography, TechKnowledgey Inc., Kosciusko County Persecutor’s Office, Wawasee Community Schools, Winona Lake Police Department, and Zimmer.
