Inviting local employers to come to campus to hold interviews with students is one of the many methods Ross’ Career Services teams utilize to help students gain valuable interview experience in today’s competitive job market.
The Port Huron and New Baltimore campuses recently invited guest speakers Denise Dostilio and Cynthia Johnson, Human Resources Recruiters from McLaren Medical Group, to present to Medical Assistant students. McLaren Medical Group consists of more than 150 primary and specialty centers located throughout the areas served by McLaren Health Care’s 12 hospitals.
Denise and Cynthia discussed the importance of professionalism, what they look for in potential job candidates, and what will help students stand out while applying for positions.
“I started out the presentation by talking about completing an application and the importance of not leaving anything blank, and making sure everything is accurate and mirrors the information on their resumé,” shared Denise. “We talk in-depth about professionalism when we get into the topic of preparing for the interview.”
Denise and Cynthia covered topics that will help students feel more confident and prepared for their job interviews, such as examples of questions they may be asked by hiring managers, questions they should be asking potential employers, questions they should shy away from, and how to dress appropriately.
“We also stressed the importance of continuing education and how that could potentially be the difference between receiving or being denied a promotion,” said Denise.
After the presentation, Denise and Cynthia brought in office managers from local McLaren offices to hold an interview panel with alumni and students getting ready for their externships. Once the interviews were completed, the Career Services team met with the interviewers and reviewed what each student did well and what they could improve upon. The Career Services team then shared the interviewers’ feedback with the students.
Career Services Manager Erik VanDyck was pleased with the results of the campus visit. He said, “I thought it was really beneficial for students to get with the panel-style interview. It provided a change of pace from one-on-one interviews, and students received constructive feedback from multiple hiring managers to help them refine their interviewing techniques before completing their program.”
When asked for advice about what they would say to someone who has been applying to jobs for an extended period of time but has not had success in securing a position, they emphasized staying tenacious and not giving up. Denise said, “I’ve received many rejection letters over the years, and you just have to keep at it. You don’t want to apply to just one position and sit back and wait for them to contact you. Apply to anything that you’re qualified for, even if you have to apply for 40 or 50 jobs.”
Victoria Rapson, Port Huron Medical Assistant student, enjoyed being able to experience the mock interviews: “They covered what to expect when applying to McLaren and answered any questions I had. I had never taken part in a panel interview before, and liked that I was able to get feedback from more than one person compared to a one-on-one interview.”
Denise and Cynthia will be making their next stop at the Madison Heights campus on May 10 to interview with Ross students who are entering the competitive job market. We look forward to them visiting more campus’ in southeast Michigan later this year.