Fort Leonard Wood Soldiers, civilians volunteer at WCC job interview lesson

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Fort Leonard Wood Soldiers and civilians are visiting the Waynesville Career Center this week to assist about 600 juniors and seniors in building confidence as they polish job interview and resume-writing skills for their specialized programs of study.

The personnel, from various garrison directorates and units, are acting as job interviewers for the purpose of the lesson, posing questions from a prepared list and providing written and verbal feedback for the students.

According to WCC Director Sam Callis, the goal is to help the students develop “those soft skills” and learn to more effectively interact with others in a professional setting — the students are graded on their resume and the provided feedback from the interviewer.

“We all want them to be ready for whatever is after high school for them, whether it’s work, college, military, whatever that is — we’re just trying to give them options,” Callis said, noting the WCC offers career education for eight area schools in 19 different fields, such as automotive collision and service technology, construction, cosmetology, culinary arts, and welding and manufacturing.

Participating in the job interview lesson for his third time was Staff Sgt. Matthew Greene, a drill sergeant with Company B, 787th Military Police Battalion, who actually worked in a fabrication shop as a welder for three years before joining the Army.

He said he has been impressed with the students’ “level of knowledge” and the passion they have for their prospective future careers.

“Some of these kids are 16, 17 years old, and they have more knowledge than some fabricators do working out in the local economy now,” Greene said. “When you ask them what their favorite type of welding is, why they started welding, things like that, a lot of them started welding out of necessity because they work on a farm or something along those lines, but they now see it as a possible pathway. The last student I interviewed said his goal is — within his first three years being out of high school — he wants to make $100,000 in a year, which is very possible to do with just a little bit of hard work and commitment. And he knew the steps to make that $100,000 as well; it wasn’t just a random goal.”

Greene said he appreciates the opportunity to help with what he called a valuable lesson.

“It definitely adds to their knowledge because they understand the options out there and also some of the challenges they might face,” he said.

Senior Rayann Lindsley and junior Rileigh Dykema are attending the WCC’s advertising and design class and completed their interviews the morning of March 11. They each said getting to practice interviewing for jobs while still in high school helps.

“I think it helps us get ready for the real world,” Lindsley said, noting she is looking into careers in photography. “We don’t have to do all that stuff now, so it’s stressful as we get older. It’s helped me a lot.”

Dykema, who is interested in interior design and home remodeling, said the lesson was effective, as she was initially uncomfortable sitting down for a conversation with a complete stranger.

“It really is helpful,” Dykema said. “If we don’t practice, then we won’t know what to expect when we actually go to a real job and do a real interview. The fact that we get to practice, it’s really helpful, and it prepares us for the future. I got nervous, but because (the interviewer) was so kind, I just got comfortable and was able to answer her questions fluently. I had to take a deep breath and just know that she’s not going to bite me.”

Callis said he is thankful for the support from the Fort Leonard Wood community, and he looks forward to returning the favor.

“We’ll have a volunteer banquet at the end of April here at the career center that we’ll invite them all to,” he said. “And our culinary students will help with some of that, too.”