Harland Mims describes participating in a mock interview with Mrs. Donna Srader to prepare for real job interviews. During the hour-long mock interview, Mrs. Srader provided insightful feedback on Harland's resume, interview answers, and areas for improvement. She emphasized questions Harland should ask the interviewer and advised negotiating salaries. The mock interview experience helped Harland understand his strengths and weaknesses in interviews. He plans to apply the lessons from this beneficial experience in future real interviews.

1. Harland Mims Before the Mock Interview 4/14/16
I didn’t know what to expect from the mock interview. I felt confident enough to answer
any questions that would be brought up, but once I got there sitting in front of my interviewer it
was a little different. I must say that this really was beneficial because it helped me understand
what I was good at as well as what I needed to work on.
I had the privilege of being interviewed by Mrs. Donna Srader, and her energy made me
feel a little more relaxed. Before I got interviewed I sat in and waited patiently for my appointed
time. There was a young lady before me and she went back and came out with Mrs. Donna. In
other words her interview lasted 10 minutes, so I thought this was how long my interview was
going to be. Boy was I wrong, for my interview took the entire hour! Before she took me back to
her office she asked if I wanted anything to drink, I respectively declined but she told me to
always accept. She said that my mouth could get dry during the interview and I might need that
drink that I didn’t accept. She began to teach me before the actual interview, and I really admired
that. Since I didn’t know what to make of this process, I dressed like I was going for a real
interview, and Mrs. Donna really liked that I came in a professional manner. She asked for my
resume and immediately started making corrections where she saw fit.
Instead of giving me insight and constructive criticism after the interview she did
everything right after I answered her questions. Some answers I gave she was really impressed
by while others she helped me to answer better. She asked some of the tricky questions that we
talked about in class so I was a little prepared. She really walked me through what I should make
stand out more on my resume as well as what I should work on when talking and coming into an
interview prepared. She made note on my score card that I needed to come up with at least two
or three questions to ask the interviewer, so I took note of that and will most definitely do that in
the future. She taught me how to negotiate salaries, for she said the first person who comes up

2. Harland Mims Before the Mock Interview 4/14/16
with a number loses, so make sure I’m not that person. I took everything she said and I stored it
in my memory. Mrs. Donna truly was nothing short of exceptional in prepping me for the real
world.
The job I found during my research was actually the company I’m working for, and the
qualities they’re looking for in the position are those that I possess. For a field engineer I would
be in charge of planning meeting times and inspecting the project site on a regular. I would have
to have strong back ground in Microsoft excel for the data that I would have to type in, and there
would be times that I have to work 10+ hours. The fact that I’m still young and keeping my
options open for moving, I’m ready for the job.
My top three strengths are learner, achiever, and arranger. I’m a very eager learner, for
new knowledge excites me. This is my strongest strength and I believe this is what truly led me
to be an interdisciplinary student. I love to draw, sing; I speak more than average Spanish, and is
now learning how to play the guitar. Learning new things motivates me. As an achiever my
experience with that would be me receiving the employee appreciation award twice at my current
job. Then as an arranger I most definitely keep things organized in my life the best way I can.
Rather it’s something to deal with a deadline or just things that I have going on in my day, I try
to arrange them the best way I can. I will have to work on my posture during an interview
because I was slumped down. So I will do better. My short term goal is to pass my E.I.T test
before I start my career that way I can officially be an engineer in training. My long term goal is
to be a project manager to feel accomplished knowing that I worked hard to get to that point of
success. Three questions I would ask an interviewer would be questions regarding
subcontractors, the safety program involved, and what are their options for a 401 k. This process
opened my eyes to what I need to work on for the real world.