Elementary School Students Polish Up Resumes/Interview Skills for Career Day 2023

MIAMI – Three classes of fifth-grade students—dressed in their Sunday best—recently brought their resumes and interview skills to “prospective employers” from various community stakeholders during Career Day 2023 at Rock Island Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Staff from the Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida participated in multiple rounds of mock job interviews. The interviews consisted of 10 scripted questions which the students saw ahead of time. However, interviewers were given free rein to go off script.

“I thought the kids did an amazing job,” said Community Outreach Specialist Robin McCowen. “They were so young yet so well prepared for the interview. They were ready for anything and I threw plenty of questions at them that were not on the list.”

Why get them started so early? According to Rock Island Elementary School staff, it was so they’d be able to compete in the job market...that years down the road they would reflect on this experience and remember lessons learned.

Some of those lessons may seem basic, but many children are not taught them. However, during a job interview they become of paramount importance.

“Future employers will seek out candidates that look them in the eye and have a firm handshake,” said Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section Chief J.D. Smith. “That was part of what I emphasized with them. It’s more than just what you say. Sit up straight, gesture with your hands periodically, be engaged, and show enthusiasm for the job. Speak up. I’ve hired a lot of people during my time as a supervisor and that’s what I look for in a candidate. That said, I was highly impressed with the young men and women I spoke with.”

Many of the students had the handshake and eye contact down, but there are always areas in which to improve. Interviewing is a skill that requires practice. It can be a nerve-wracking experience to speak about oneself in front of a four-person panel, which is why these skills are good to acquire early. 

“It’s fortunate that these students got to participate in this training,” said Law Enforcement Coordination Specialist Mark McKinney. “Not everyone gets this type of opportunity.”

Exercises like these challenge students to get out of their comfort zones and give them an idea of what’s to come.

“The situation for these students is changing,” said McKinney. “They are moving from elementary school to middle school and it’s important to give them an idea that more will be required from them moving forward. Exercises like these help them prepare for that.”

In addition to Smith, McCowen, and McKinney, three others from the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in the mock interviews. Those included Re-entry & Community Outreach Specialist Keisha Bazile, Public Affairs Specialist Todd Goodman, and Community Outreach Specialist Jorge Lorente.

Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida participate in mock job interviews for fifth graders at Rock Island Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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