Mock Interviews

Location: Salvation Army – Chicago Harbor Light Center

Date: Thursday, January 10, 2013; 5:30-7 pm

I had previous experience with the Mock Interviews at San Jose Obrero Mission, so this opportunity was going to be a similar exercise.  It was a different part of town, and after a few adventures with the Pink Line CTA and walking, I arrived at the location.  Malikah, our volunteer leader was already there with another volunteer, Kimberley and after exchanging the usual pleasantries, I learned that this this program was very similar to the Mock Interviews that I had done previously.  In fact, some of the mock job descriptions and interview debrief forms were exactly similar to the ones I had used before, so I was quite confident of having a good session.

The interview room

Soon thereafter we were joined by another volunteer Julie. She came in with a burst of energy and lot of stories.  Julie had done the program before and so knew Malikah and Kimberley, but had just returned back to Chicago to start a new job.  She had been through some tough times over the past several years, having been at the wrong end of cutbacks three times.  However, she seemed like a person who’s always in good spirits and possibly the one person amongst us who knew exactly what the interviewees were dealing with.  We talked about everything, including finding good apartments in downtown, places to eat, our jobs and hobbies etc.  The reason why we were able to do so was because we had no candidates.

Unlike San Jose Obrero mission, where dinner was served at 7 pm, after our program; over here the men had dinner first at 5:30 pm and should have come in at 6.  But was past that and there was no sign of anyone.  Around 6:15 one gentleman showed up and we thought it was our first interviewee, but was just the program coordinator. He went outside to see why there was a delay and we learned that the men were just unsure of what they were supposed to do and thus were waiting.  This made Malikah mad and she blamed the coordinator for being irresponsible.  What disappointed me was that we had wasted a lot of time that could have been useful for helping the men.  Finally, just before 6:30 a bunch of men arrived. 

At once I knew we were not going to be able to see everyone that evening.  Plus to be fair to those I was interviewing, I did not want to rush through it either.  Malikah directed one gentleman towards me and we got underway.  He introduced himself as Ray, and he had his resume with him.  I handed him the mock job descriptions and while he read those, I reviewed his resume.  For a long time, Ray had worked as a train conductor following which he had a stint in warehouse and was also certified in forklift operation.  Thus, it was no surprise when he chose to interview for a position as Warehouse Associate.  

Ray gave a very professional interview.  I was impressed by his demeanor as well as his responses.  He came across as a hard-working man who wanted an opportunity to show what he could do.  When asked about his long-term goals, he said that he wanted to grow with the company and eventually attain a managerial position.  This is an answer that I would expect in a corporate world, let alone in this setting.  When asked what motivates him on a job, he replied seeing a finished product that makes money for the company.  Once again readers, we are doing mock interviews at Salvation Army!  On the behavioral questions, when asked about an example of dealing with conflict, he talked about an experience with a disruptive passenger when he was a conductor and how he handled the situation, ensuring the safety of other passengers.  Finally, when I asked him what he considered his greatest achievement, he said “Being a father”. 

Typically we would have each filled up a feedback form, but I had only one copy and another interview to go.  Thus I just gave him a verbal feedback.  I told him that I liked his attention to detail and passion for a job.  On the flip side he kept referring to need for ‘stability’, and while I understood why someone in his situation would say that, I asked him to be more confident and focus on the job rather than his need.  He thanked me and left.  I had barely 10 minutes to chat with another candidate.

Next up was Dan, who had been waiting patiently while I worked with Ray.  Dan was a very humble man who introduced himself as “A husband and a father”.  He did not have a resume but I learned that he had a High School diploma, had worked as a custodial in East Bank Club for ten years, until he lost his job in 2010.  He was a hands-on guy who led by example and had also had experience in leading men.  Due to time constraints, I could not get into too much detail, but I liked when he said that the biggest motivation for him was his faith and family.  On the feedback I pointed out his habit of saying “If you know what I mean”, and asked him to curb it.  He listened to my feedback carefully and thanked me for my time.

There were many men whom we could not help that evening, due to our late start.  Hopefully the ones we did work with will benefit from the session.  I said bye to my fellow volunteers and walked back to the station, thinking about some of the answers Ray and Dan had given me.  I know that I will face many interviews before my career is done.  I hope that when they ask me to introduce myself, I have as good a response as Dan’s. 


*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy