Photo & Article by Clayton Wallace
Seniors at Gulf Shores High School received pointers on how to interview Jan. 8 during a presentation sponsored by the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Educational Foundation. Foundation 1st Vice President Nick Wilmott, a real estate broker, was the presenter.
“No matter where you’re going after high school, you’ll have to interview for it,” Wilmott told the students. “Whether it is college, a real estate company or the military, you’ll have to interview for the position you want.”
Approximately 50 percent of the students said they had been the subject of at least one interview already. Wilmott told them that when they go in for an interview, first impressions are very important. He likened to meeting the parents of a new boyfriend or girlfriend. “When you meet the parents of a boyfriend or girlfriend the first time, you want to make a good first impression,” he said. “You want to work as hard during an interview as you do for those parents.”
Wilmott had several more pointers for the students, including the importance of being “comfortable but professional” in their appearance, asking questions of the interviewer, eye contact during the interview, elaborating on answers to avoid one word answers and one more he considered of the utmost importance. “Never be late for an interview,” he said. “That’s a big turnoff.”
Wilmott used several members of the foundation to illustrate how not to dress for an interview. “I know we are casual down here, but t-shirts, big earrings, shorts, flip-flops and Crocs should be avoided at all costs,” he said, as Foundation members Jimmy Ryall and Mindy Stringfield casually walked through the gym wearing just those garments. He also used Foundation members Lance and Krista Alexander to illustrate appropriate clothing to wear in an interview.
Wilmott told the students that after graduation, they have the chance that comes along few times during a lifetime. “Just because you have a certain reputation in high school doesn’t mean it has to follow you,” he said. “Take this opportunity to reinvent yourself. Find out what you like and really enjoy. Then go for it.”
The Foundation is comprised of area educators and volunteers who work to raise money and otherwise assist public schools, students and teachers in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach to enhance the educational opportunities afforded them by our county Board of Education. This is accomplished through scholarships, awards and seminars.
For more information on how to become a member of the Foundation, see their website at www.agcaef.com, or call President Steve Jones at 609-5292.
