By DAVID GROUT
Media Relations, Grace College and Seminary

A mock interview event for Grace College juniors and seniors was hosted earlier this week by Grace’s Center for Career Connections. Employers from all across Kosciusko County gathered on Tuesday, March 31, at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center to give over 75 students the opportunity to practice their interview skills.

Set up in a “speed dating” format, mock interviews were conducted in two shifts with a networking session in between. The event gave students a chance to hone their interview skills in a trial setting with actual business professionals in the local community. Freshmen and sophomores from the Millennial Scholar Academy and the Career Institute, preparatory courses offered by the CCC, were also in attendance. Over 280 interviews were conducted over the course of the evening.

Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said, “It’s time well spent when you can sit down and spend a half hour with someone and find out where they’ve been, where they’re at, and where they want to go. I’m most impressed with the quality of students at this event.”

“The mock interview event was a huge success in many ways,” said Denise Terry, director of the Center for Career Connections at Grace. “Many students were able to make significant connections with employers through this event, and one person was offered a job right on the spot. Employers note each year that they are extremely impressed with the caliber of students graduating from Grace, and this year was no exception.”

Participating employers included: 212 Media Studios, the Animal Welfare League, Best Schotz Productions, Big Brother/Big Sister, Biomet, Inc., Boathouse Restaurant, Bowen Center, Brandpoet, Cardinal Services, the City of Warsaw, Crosswinds (Lifeline), Crowe Horwath LLP, Da-Lite, DePuy, Egg Innovations LLC, the Evangelical Free Church of America, Fellowship Missions, Grace College, Hand Industries Inc., Helvey and Associates, Indiana Lakes Federal Credit Union, Junior Achievement, Lake City Bank, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Lowe’s, Silveus Insurance Group, SYM Financial, United States Army, Vanguard Home Care, Warsaw Area Career Center, Warsaw Community Schools, Wildman Business Group, Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, Zimmer and Zing! Recruiting.

Nick Deck, student ministries pastor at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, has participated in the event for the past few years. “This event is great,” he said. “I love that it gives students a chance to meet with actual employers, who give direct feedback. The students I’ve met with are responsive, energetic, and are very eager to learn and grow. The educational shift that the college has been making is obviously making a difference; equipping professional, results-oriented graduates. It’s awesome to see how far the student body has come.”