Dressed in suits, slacks and sensible shoes, nearly 150 local high school students “rocked the mock” last week, participating in workshops and a mock job interview session that aimed to prepare them for future employment.
“It has been very helpful,” said Michael Pearl, a 17-year-old student at Gilroy High School as he left a presentation on job preparedness in the school auditorium. “I think it’s going to benefit me in the long run.”
In the high school’s college and career center, 18-year-old Maylis Garay listened attentively to a presentation on how to prepare for a job interview by Lindsay Turner from Insight Global, a Silicon Valley staffing agency and one of 80 volunteers from the regional business community who participated in the event at Christopher and Gilroy high schools on March 24 and 25.
Upperclassmen from nearby Mount Madonna School attended the workshops at Christopher High.
“I’m really enjoying it,” said Garay. “I learned more about what you should and shouldn’t do and what’s proper attire to wear to an interview and what’s not.”
Rock the Mock was started last year by the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce as a way to provide basic job readiness skills to local youth. The program was adapted from a similar initiative by the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce for that community.
Gilroy Chamber of Commerce president Mark Turner said the program was started in response to concerns from area businesses that youth were not adequately prepared for the world of work. Turner added, businesses said young job seekers needed help with resume writing, interview preparation and how to conduct themselves during an interview.
“We saw a need for basic training for students going into the job market,” said Turner.
At a morning workshop in the school library, students were told to be aware of what they post on social media.
“What you do online matters when you apply for a job,” said Hoa Le, assistant general manager at Gilroy Gardens. “A lot of adults get this wrong—senators, congressmen, mayors, heads of corporations—people who have worked their entire lives. In a moment of weakness they post something on Twitter and their career is destroyed.”
Dressed in a suit, 18-year-old Cesar Anaya said he thought the whole program was great; he just wished it had happened a bit earlier in the year when he was applying to colleges.
“Colleges have their interviewing process too,” he said. The GHS senior applied to the U.S. Naval Academy and underwent an intense interview with a 12-member board made up of high-ranking military officials.
“I would have really appreciated the skills taught today, back then.”
As part of the program, students took what they learned from the workshops and applied them to an interview-like situation. Volunteers said they were as expectant as the students themselves.
“Anytime we can prepare kids for future employment or their career is great,” said Capt. Pedro Espinoza of the Gilroy Police Department. “It’s a great opportunity for both sides.”
GHS principal Dr. Marco Sanchez said the event, which was made available to all of the school’s 11th- and 12th-graders but limited to the first 100 who voiced interest, was a great opportunity for students.
“The quality of interviewers is top-notch,” he said, noting the presence of an assistant district attorney and organizations including Gilroy Gardens and TeenForce, a San Jose-based nonprofit staffing agency for young people, which are currently hiring.
“It’s excellent timing for those who are about to start looking for a summer job,” said Sanchez.
