JCCC students are prepared for battle!
HEATHCOCK PREPARES STUDENTS FOR COMPETITIVE JOB MARKET, by Wayne Hodges
OVERLAND PARK, KS – As the economy slowly recovers, the competition for jobs and lucrative benefits remains fierce. Today, buyers have all the leverage in a declining real estate market. And employers have all the leverage in an unstable job market. To land employment in a slow economy, it’s imperative to give a winning presentation when conducting job interviews. Seriously, one slip up could prove to be the difference between landing employment and losing out.
Heathcock conducts mock interviews with students
On Wednesday, December 9, I was afforded the opportunity to sit in on Professor Geoffrey Heathcock’s undergrad business course at Johnson County Community College. As part of their final exam, the students were required to give business presentations and conduct rehearsal job interviews with Heathcock acting as the employer. “Johnson County Community College has some of the most incredible students,” said Heathcock. “We have students that always perform.”
During the interviews, Heathcock emphasized the importance of giving ‘60 second responses’ to such questions as: 1) Can you describe your experience? 2) What are your salary demands? 3) What are your short and/or long term goals? Afterwards, Heathcock talked about his open door policy towards students. “I have helped people find jobs,” said Heathcock as the students finished their presentations. “I am not a teacher who believes education stops once my students walk out the door.” Thanks to Heathcock, and fellow faculty members, the business students of JCCC are now prepared for battle. For more on this story, please subscribe to “Freaky Friday.”
Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He is also an adjunct professor, MPA at Kansas University, and intern with the Kansas Senate. Wayne welcomes your comments at whodges@massappealnews.com
To see how “NOT’ to interview for a job, please click the play arrow.
December 19th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Any edge will help in today’s economy. I still believe it’s more about WHO YOU KNOW versus WHAT YOU KNOW when it comes to job vacancies.
December 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Good article wayne. I took a few classes at JCCC before transferring to KU. I enjoyed my time there and the professors did a great job of preparing me for KU.