Seniors Hone Interview Skills During Mock Interview Days

On May 6 and 7, 202 Milton Hershey School seniors participated in a mock interview opportunity at the school’s Learning Resource Center (LRC). Mock interviews are a new addition to the school’s Senior Seminars and were organized by MHS Career Service Support Specialist, Jenifer Benson, and Senior Seminar Teachers, John Karavage and Mark Frew.

“The mock interview event was an opportunity for our seniors to experience meeting area professionals, describing their career interests, and answering commonly-asked interview questions,” said Benson. “Our participating seniors appreciated the chance to practice interviewing to get a sense of what it will be like in the future.”

During their Senior Seminars, students prepare their resume, an “elevator pitch” to introduce themselves, and their references. Each student arrived at their interview with both their resume and references in hand—as one would for any professional job interview. They were prepared to discuss their previous volunteer and work experience, their strengths, their areas for development, their future educational goals, and their career ambitions.

More than 100 business professionals volunteered their time to interview students, including employees from MHS, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, The Hershey Company, and Penn State Health. In addition, a dozen MHS alumni returned to campus to conduct interviews, including: Will Alberts ’90, Michael Benson ’86, Kayla Davis ’06, Erika Edwards ’12, John Hanawalt ’70, Diana Laufer ’95, Ray Metzger ’94, Lorraine Romberger ’83, Angela Shade ’95, Arielle and Jasmine Simoncelli ’07, and Jeffrey Sypolt ’77.

“Our volunteers commented that they really enjoyed engaging with students in this setting and having the opportunity to provide them with feedback they would offer any applicant,” said Benson. “Several of our seniors made a connection with someone in their future profession, which was mutually beneficial and exciting for both interviewer and interviewee.”

Senior Seminars prepare MHS seniors for life after graduation. Teachers encourage seniors to think like adults, understand the magnitude of what graduation means, and expose them to real-world challenges. Earlier this school year, students participated in a distance learning opportunity—FaceTiming with MHS alumni to ask questions about transitioning to college.