Mock Interviewer at The Bread Project

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Date/Time: Various 1.) 10:30am-1:00pm

Volunteer Site: The Bread Project 1615 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703

What to Wear:

• Business casual. Trainees will be wearing clothes that they wear due to kitchen requirements.
• The Bread Project adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
  • Closed-toe shoes and long pants are required to be on the production floor.
  • No jewelry, perfume, or strong scents.
  • Volunteers will be provided with hair nets and beard nets if they enter the production area.

Overview of the organization: The Bread Project

Founded in 2000 and operating a training facility in Berkeley, The Bread Project is an innovative and successful workforce development organization and social enterprise providing bakery production training, retail experience, and job readiness training to Bay Area residents with low income. The program serves individuals with barriers to employment (such as criminal records, lack of a work history, gaps in employment, limited English fluency, or histories of substance abuse) who are working toward obtaining and maintaining a position in the food industry and becoming self-sufficient.

Our Program: Bakery Bootcamp TM

Bootcamp TM is a 3 week intensive hands on training program on the hard skills of baking the soft skills necessary to gain employment. The program focuses on 9 Core Competencies: Safe Food Handling, Equipment Knowledge, Culinary Math, Following Directions, Basic Baking Knowledge & Skills, Time Management, Kitchen Professionalism, Personal Responsibility, and Quality Control. Trainees are assisted in completing a Master Application, Resume, and Email Address. An important aspect of job search is Interview Skills. Trainees participate in mock interviews in order to not only practice, but also develop answers that highlight their new and existing skills.

Volunteer Role: Mock Interviewer

Interviews are the gateway to the next step in finding employment. Today, volunteers will act as Mock Interviewers looking to hire new employees. Be prepared to create your own story of your employment history at the company! Volunteers are asked to provide constructive feedback to help trainees improve interview skills.

Expectations

• A willingness to guide trainees towards improvement
• Provide coaching
  • Constructive feedback- provide actions trainees can commit to make changes
• Active listening
• Remember how challenging interviewing is. This may be the first interview for some students in a long period of time.

Schedule

Location: 1615 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94703

MORNING VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are asked to arrive by 10:30am

9:00am-10300am

Interview Tips & Tricks Workshop with Lili Rollins, Advisory Board

10:30am

Volunteers arrive to check in with TBP Staff

10:00am-10:15am

BREAK

10:30am-10:45am

Set up

10:45am-11:00am

Round 1

11:00am-11:20am

Round 1 Feedback

11:20am-11:25am

Round 2

11:25am-11:45am

Round 2 Feedback

11:45am-11:50am

Round 3

11:50am-12:10pm

Round 3 Feedback

12:10pm-12:15pm

Round 4

12:15pm-12:35pm

Round 4 Feedback

12:35pm-12:40pm

Overall Feedback

Question & Answer Session

12:40pm-12:50am

Individual Questions

Trainees can ask individual mock interviewers follow up questions

12:50pm-1:00pm

Closing

Welcome to Mock Interviews!

Thank you for volunteering your time to work with the Bread Project!

You will act as a mock interviewer for the trainees in Bootcamp TM. In this role, you will be able to listen to the inspiring experiences of trainees; assist them in formulating interviewer answers; and provide immediate feedback to make trainees better interviewers.

We will provide you with the following materials:

• Description of the position the interviewees are applying for: Baker at Specialty’s Cafe
• List of interview questions with space to take notes
• "What is The Bread Project"
• Key information interviewees should mention if they prepared for the job

Objectives

• For each interviewee to experience (2-3), 15-20 minute mock interviews with 5-10 minutes of feedback
• For the interviewee to explain their skills and previous/related experience
• For interviewee to demonstrate that they have prepared for the interview
• To improve interview skills

Trainee Demographic

• Diverse Backgrounds
• Age (18 +)

Varies, average age of a trainee is 35

• Work Experience

little or no experience, others have large gaps, and some have had 20+ year careers

• Formerly Incarcerated Persons

Historically, 30% of overall trainee population is living with a background

• Refugees, Asylees, Recent Immigrants, and Limited English Speakers

Areas of Attention

• Eye Contact
• Verbal Skills

Loud enough, clear enough, energy, and enthusiasm

• Posture

Expressions, engagement, mannerisms

• Speed of Talking
• Quality of Answers

Providing Feedback

• Provide concrete feedback with suggestions or examples of what the interviewee can do next time
• Suggest ways or methods to practice and make solid and concise answers
• Utilize the "Sandwich Method"

1. 1. Let the interviewee know what they did well
2. 2. Highlight to them what you noticed they need to improve on and suggest ways to overcome challenges
3. Reiterate or mention other areas of success

Feedback Form

• Please complete one per interview and explain to the interviewee

Note Taking Form

• You will have a list of interview questions with space to take notes for each interviewee. Write down key points for each question.
• Give this form back to the interviewee so they can see what they said.