By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Chilton County High School freshmen took a step into life after high school during mock job interviews on March 7.

Teachers Kelli Inman and Kayla Cantley worked with students to practice sample questions and prepare for the interviews.

Collen Howell said a key for him doing well in the interview was staying comfortable and focusing on how he had prepared.

Student were asked to introduce themselves before specific questions were asked.

Many of the questions had to do with the student’s short- and long-term goals.

Kailee Williams said her short-term goal was to make all A’s this semester.

“A long-term (goal) would be to get a 30 on the ACT to help me to go to a good college,” Williams said.

She wants to be a high school counselor.

Howell said he wants to be a Navy Seal because of his great-grandfather, who had wanted to be a Navy Seal.

Matthew Ward said he wants to work in law enforcement.

Students had mixed feelings going into the interviews.

Williams said she felt prepared for the mock interviews because of all the in-class practice.

“I thought it was going to be bad, but it really wasn’t,” Williams said.

She said the experience “definitely prepared me for an interview.”

Williams said it has helped her know what to expect and what to do during a job interview, which is something she did not know before.

“It’s definitely going to help me,” Williams said.

Howell said the mock interview helped him know what he would be getting into in the future when he has a real job interview.

Alexa Owen said she was “excited and nervous” going into the interview. She was nervous to talk to someone she did not know, but excited to see if she would “be fit for what I want to do.”

Owen said she wants to be a counselor or social worker, and the person who interviewed her had experience in social work and was able to give Owen personal tips about the field.

Ward said he felt nervous going into the interview, but took some deep breaths to calm down and focus.

Ward said he enjoyed the opportunity to try something new.

He felt the experience will make it easier for him to interact with someone in a job interview setting.

“I was nervous at first, but I got pretty comfortable when I was in there,” Karis Walker said.

Walker said the person was calm and that helped her.

In retrospect, Walker said it went well, but she could have expounded more on her long-term goals of being an equine veterinarian when she was asked.

Walker hopes to attend Auburn University.

Collin Fulmer said he reviewed answers to possible questions leading up to the interview.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Fulmer said.

For his long-term goals, Fulmer wants “to be a mechanical engineer for a big company and work my way up.”

Some students were asked who they would want to meet if they could go back in time. Some found the question challenging. Fulmer said he would want to meet his grandmother “to see how she lived.”

Owen said she would want to meet Marilyn Monroe.

“I do listen to her music, and she had a beautiful voice,” Owen said.

The mock interviews are an annual part of the CCHS Career Preparedness class.