St. Wendel Sixth-graders Interview For Classroom Jobs, Learn Real-life Skills

Despite being an outgoing person, Amanda Cadden admitted her first interview with a potential employer did not go as well as she’d hoped.

Now a Saint Wendel Catholic School teacher, Cadden recalled being “incredibly nervous” for her first-ever interview in high school, and she didn’t have a clue what to expect. To prevent her students from feeling the same in the future, she now conducts quarterly interviews for classroom jobs.

Cadden said school is “incredibly important” because it should prepare students for the future.

“Equally important are skills that prepare us for experiences such as interviews or business meetings,” Cadden said. “You can be a straight ‘A’ student and have an incredibly high IQ, but if you don't interview well, you may not get a job. That is reality.”

It’s a lesson Cadden started when she began teaching at St. Wendel seven years ago. She teaches sixth-grade Language Arts, math, religion, fitness and technology, as well as seventh-grade math and eighth-grade Algebra.

Since it’s for a classroom job, Cadden only conducts interviews with her sixth-grade homeroom. This school year she has 10 students.

She personally interviews students the first three quarters, but five community professionals, often who have a background in human resources, come in for the fourth and final interview. Students interview with all five community members.

“Each of the three interviews help students gain confidence and feel more comfortable with the interview process. … It is a really awesome experience to see the students' skills transform and grow from their first interviews to their last,” Cadden said.

“Remember, confidence is key,” Cadden instructed her pupils on Feb. 27 before interviews started.

St. Wendel sixth-grader Luke Martin was surprised to learn it’s important to thank the interviewer at the end.

“For my first interview I was a little shaky,” Martin, 12, said. “But I’m a little less shaky this time. I’m kind of nervous, but kind of not. I’ve learned when you give a hand shake don’t be too soft and don’t be too hard, shake their hand twice, and give them a compliment when you do it.”

Cadden teaches  proper interview etiquette, including how to be confident without being arrogant, how to dress and sit properly, facial expressions, proper language, and how to restate the question to give them a little extra time to think of an acceptable answer.

“The first 20 seconds is the most important since they are making their first impressions,” she said.

Lisa Muensterman, 12, was surprised to learn the importance of saying her name at the beginning of an interview. Muensterman has enjoyed the interview exercises because she said it’s taught her how to interact better with people.

Martin agreed.

“I enjoy it because it helps me to figure out how to talk to people and get better at it because at this age it’s kind of difficult for people to talk and get used to meeting new people,” he said.

Classroom jobs give students ownership in the classroom, according to Cadden.

Jobs and responsibilities include: UPS brings papers to-and-from the office, or delivers to other teachers; the Homework Police count turned-in homework daily to ensure everyone turned completed it; the Homework Helper writes assignments on the assignment board; the Cadet Teacher picks the Thursday journal topic and helps substitute teachers; while the Technical Manager helps students when they have technical difficulty with their Chromebook. 

“The students love having classroom jobs and honestly it makes my life so much easier,” Cadden admitted. “It frees my time enough to have just a little extra to be able to plan more exciting lessons. It's a win-win!”

Students continuously improve during each interview, Cadden said, because she believes a little practice goes a long way.

“Hopefully in the future they won't feel nervous going into their interview,” she said. “Instead, I hope they feel confident and ready to simply be themselves.”