By Kristin Tamburo
The Orange County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals (YPs) recently hosted a special how-to interview workshop for SUNY Orange students as part of the college’s Youth Empowerment Program. Those YPs who attended were: Kristin Tamburo, SB Merchant Services; Kristina Bonita, Liberty Environmental Management; Brittany Johnson, Servpro of Orange County; and Kathleen O’Keefe, Mount Saint Mary College.
The workshop, which was held at the SUNY Orange campus in Middletown, kicked off with an informative panel featuring some of the YPs who shared their secrets on how to be comfortable during a job interview. This was followed by an exercise in which the YPs and the students circled around the room, throwing a ball to one another and using one of the words on the ball that could be incorporated into a job interview.
Next, each student participated in a mock job interview conducted by YPs Kathleen O’Keefe and Brittany Johnson. The students went through a typical job interview, and then received feedback from the YPs. This provided great practice to help the students be more comfortable during an actual interview they may face in the future.
The workshop continued with questions from the students about experiences the YPs have had in their journey to where they are today. The YPs also reviewed basic etiquette during a job interview and future job roles, how to dress, how to present themselves, as well as social media, and more.
The workshop concluded with YP Kristina Bonita, who surprised the group by showing what not to do during a job interview. Here the students were able to give their own critique on how she did during the interview and use what they learned from the day to discuss what she did wrong and what she could have done better.
The YPs have been asked to conduct additional conduct workshops like this in the future, and are looking forward to doing so. This was a wonderful first time experience, and we as YPs could not be happier to have been a part of helping other young people feel more confident out in our ever-challenging workforce.
In addition to those mentioned above, others participating the workshop were:
Peggy Fields
Senior Case Manager
SUNY Orange/Youth Empowerment Program
(845) 341-4874
Krista Haley
Youth Empowerment Counselor
SUNY Orange/Youth Empowerment Program
Renae Essinger
HSE Instructor
SUNY Orange/Youth Empowerment Program
Evelyn Fields
Youth Services Coordinator
Orange County Employment & Training Admin
(845) 568-5074 / (845) 615-3631
Wendy Melick
Orange County Chamber of Commerce