Heather Fitzsimmons (standing), career counselor in the Mount’s Career Center, meets with students during the college’s annual Mock Interview Week. From left, Kyle Robbins of Wallingford, Conn., Jaden Tiriolo of Cheshire, Conn., Danielle Thuman of Monroe, N.Y., and Isabelle Frank of Walden, N.Y.
With Mount Saint Mary College underclassmen searching for internships and graduation on the horizon for the college’s seniors, forward-thinking Mount students prepared for the future with Mock Interview Week on campus.
Sponsored by the college’s Career Center, the annual program pairs students with local business leaders to practice their interviewing skills. This year, nearly 50 students participated in the program. They interviewed with 16 professionals, including experts from Orange Regional Medical Center, Hudson Valley Parent, Mobile Life Support Services Inc., Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, the Hudson Valley Renegades, Access: Supports for Living, Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery School District, Impact PR & Communications, Safe Harbors of the Hudson, Orange County Partnership, Standback General Contractors, LLC, Enterprise Holdings, Rehab Support Services, Mobile Life Support Services Inc., and the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region.
“Throughout the year the Career Center will host programs and workshops to help students with their job search,” said Heather Fitzsimmons, career counselor in the Mount’s Career Center. “The Mock Interview program is so important because it gives our students the opportunity to practice their interview skills, receive feedback from an employer, and make a professional connection with someone in their field of study.”
Isabelle Frank of Walden, N.Y., a Media Studies major, interviewed with Joseph Wojciechowski, chief financial officer at StandBack General Contractors, LLC. Frank said the experience showed her the basic structure of a job interview and what kinds of questions to expect.
Wojciechowski gave Frank “wonderful insight about how to prepare for an interview, and how to conduct myself once in the interview,” she explained. “I was nervous, but he gave me great constructive criticism.”
The Career Center prepares students for varied career opportunities in the Hudson Valley, New York City, the Capital Region, and beyond. Each semester, it hosts programs such as job fairs, events featuring specific academic programs, business dining etiquette, interview and search strategies workshops, and off-campus professional visits to help pre-professionals explore career paths.