This week, Coach Goff arranged the business symposium but on a virtual landscape this year. We were able to hop on a Zoom call and practice our interview skills with three different professionals of varying backgrounds.
Although I was really nervous and was wary that I hadn’t prepared enough, I was actually really excited about getting feedback to help me better myself in the future.
First, I had Ms. Stacy Graham, the president at Communications Fraud Control Association, who helped me with my interview skills and asked me generic questions about myself and my passions.
Next, I met with Mr. Travis McWater who is a software engineer currently working at PepsiCo. He requested to start the meeting off by taking a look at my resume to see if there are any parts in which I could improve upon.
Finally, I was able to meet with Reedy ISM teacher, Mr. Evan Spiece. We were able to look at my resume, go over a few interview questions, and round off the meeting by just having a conversation.
Now, Mr. Spiece had asked me a few questions about what I wanted to pursue and why, I was able to ask him what he sees my generation could improve upon that will help us when we join the workforce. The two things he said are “authenticity and self-confidence”. This was really eye opening to me as Mr Spiece explains that oftentimes kids get too reliant on having an example to follow and need constant approval that what they're doing is right which is exactly how I conduct myself today. I learned from him that I need to trust myself and my knowledge more and show that I can be true to myself and my ideas without constantly worrying about impressing irrelevant people or holding myself to a standard that isn’t fit for me.
All three of these wonderful professionals taught me valuable things about the professional world and how I should conduct myself but also showed me that it is alright to be myself and have a bit of fun in my interviews and get to know the other person in a more social and personal way. As I mature, my priorities and goals will change, but as long as I’m confident, self-motivated and authentic to myself, I trust that I will be going in the right direction.