Henderson program offers job interview coaching initiative

Henderson Libraries has launched a free online job interview coaching initiative aimed at job hunters maneuvering through an increasingly online world.

“Our team has done the work to meet job seekers where they are, to adapt services to align with current needs, and to support community members as they navigate job searches in a new, digital-only environment,” Henderson Libraries Executive Director Marcie Smedley said in a news release.

The program, developed by the libraries’ Learning for Career Achievement team, provides one-on-one meetings tailored to individual needs, such as providing help for someone new to the job market or assistance for a person looking for a new position or someone who has years of experience. The training focuses on topics including online interview etiquette tips and practicing interview questions and answers, according to the release.

“Job hunting can be a very stressful process, and interviewing is arguably the hardest part of that process,”aid adult services specialist Renee Hudacek. “One goal of this program is to help people feel prepared for a job interview by discussing types of questions commonly asked, talking over strategies to answer them, and offering tips to help combat nerves.”

Online interviews — over Zoom, Google Meet, or some other virtual meeting platform — are a new phenomenon for most job seekers thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, Hudacek points out.

Another aim of the program is to help people become comfortable with an online platform and the technology needed for an online interview, Hudacek said.

“Companies have been increasingly requiring job seekers to submit resumes online and apply for positions electronically. Because of the pandemic, job interviews that would otherwise have been in person moved online,” she said. “There are people who have never experienced an online interview and don’t know how it works or what to expect. We can help them with that.”

Online 30-minute appointments can be made at https://tinyurl.com/HLinterviewcoaching. Appointments must be scheduled at least three days in advance. Currently, appointments are available on the following days and times: Monday from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.; Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 4:3o p.m.; Wednesday, from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Thursday, from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturday from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Contact Dylan Svoboda at dsvoboda@reviewjournal.com. Follow @dylanksvoboda on Twitter.