On the closing day of Exchange, Junior Achievement hosted a breakfast where local high school students had a chance to practice job interview skills and interact with financial professionals.
Adam Brinson, Junior Achievement vice president of education, explained that the nonprofit has over 100 offices in the United States. “We teach students financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work and career readiness,” he said, expressing enthusiasm for the partnership with Exchange.
The Wednesday morning event was focused specifically on job interview skills. VettaFi’s Jon Fee said, “Learning how to nail that first job interview is something all of us here at Exchange had to experience at one time or another. So today we’re going to pay it forward.”
Other volunteers included FactSet’s Elisabeth Kashner, who said, “At FactSet, we have a commitment to excellent corporate citizenship, and as a mother of three, I’m really passionate about education. I was delighted VettaFi chose to add this volunteer opportunity at Exchange.”
Brinson shared videos, some humorous, and led guided exercises, giving the local high school students a chance to practice their job interviewing skills. Many expressed excitement and enthusiasm, remarking that the event was giving them new ideas and approaches they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to imagine. Volunteers, meanwhile, were able to share their wisdom, highlight their career successes, and ruminate on how they were able to learn from their mistakes.
Brinson expertly lead the event, underscoring the first principals of job interviewing, from making eye contact and delivering firm, confident handshakes, to avoiding common mistakes. “You want to give those non-verbal cues to the person giving the job interview that makes them say, ‘This person has it together.’” He added, “You need to show the person giving the interview that you want to be there.”
Fee summed it up, saying, “We started Monday with Surfrider cleaning up the beaches, and then Tuesday I think about 100 of us were all in pink, walking with the Komen foundation for an incredible cause, and here we are on the final day with 100 local high school kids in partnership with a local chapter of Junior Achievement continuing to give back.”
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