Published in the March 5- 18, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Brenda Glimpse
Brenda Glimpse
We have all been there at some point in our lives: sitting nervously in a chair, looking sharp in business attire, rubbing our sweaty palms, and waiting for our turn to answer the question: “So, what makes you the best candidate for this job position?”
About 200 students from Central, Live Oak and Sobrato high schools will experience this situation for the first time during the third annual Rock the Mock event which will be held March 11 at Specialized Bicycle Components headquarters in Morgan Hill.
Dressed for success and with their nerves running high, the students’ school buses will drop them at the front doors of Specialized where they will have the opportunity to create a lasting first impression. Inside Specialized, they will meet 40 local business leaders armed with behavior-based interview questions that are sure to provide a learning experience the students will never forget. Together with the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, local business leaders have volunteered to play the pivotal role of the interviewers.
The Rock the Mock event centers around the students having a real experience of sitting down face to face with a business leader who will ask them challenging questions and critique them by their answers. That’s what interviews are all about anyway, right?
This real-time interview practice will be sure to offer the students a very valuable experience. They will face real questions, real critique and thorough feedback.
Not only will the student be given the opportunity to present themselves in a way that shows they can create value to an organization, they will have additional time with their interviewer to gain valuable insight into their strengths as well as their areas of opportunity for personal and professional growth.
We all know that it is not just the answers to the questions that land us golden opportunities and open up new doors. In addition to the actual interview, the event fosters planning, preparation, presentation and determination. The event is sure to foster a learning experience that looks at the interview process as more than just an interview.
For example, employees from Cherisse’s Hair Salon will be at the event to give every student some excellent skills on presentation and what it truly looks like to be dressed for success.
The students are sure to be impressed when they get a chance to meet some of the amazing talent at Specialized. Within the walls of the bike component company’s headquarters they’ll discover innovation, passion and inspiration. The wheels are always turning in Specialized and the organization has been so gracious to continue to offer its support, facility and staff to make Rock the Mock possible. The Chamber of Commerce welcomes your call to help with this event because the more support we receive the more students we can reach.
What are our lives without innovation, passion and inspiration? Even though my field of work and study lies in organizational development, my desire to look deeper into an organization and to its core is my passion. It’s at this core where the character of a company exists and it’s here that an organization gets to ask: “What do we truly have to offer? What truly sparks our creativity? And what are our special talents?” We as individuals must first ask these questions of ourselves. I trust that the upcoming Rock the Mock event will challenge Morgan Hill students to do just that.
Brenda Glimpse is a Morgan Hill resident and member of the human resources and organizational development profession. As part of the Chamber of Commerce’s education committee, she has been involved in organizing Rock the Mock.
