February 23, 2023

For the first time since 2020, Mercy Home’s young people recently had the opportunity to put their professional skills to the test in person at the annual Job Skills Workshop.

This workshop is the traditional kickoff to the summer internship season, in which many of our kids participate. We were thrilled to welcome volunteers from the lead sponsor Harris Associates, as well as AArete, Balyasny Asset Management, and Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, to help our kids practice and prepare for all aspects of getting and keeping a job. The event focused on job applications, on-the-job basics, and professional skills, and participants rehearsed these skills through mock interviews.

To ensure they were ready to put their best foot forward, our young people spent the fall and early winter months preparing with our Career Resources team to practice the job skills they learned throughout the year.

And thanks our friends at Harris Associates, our young people were also able to get new professional clothing to look and feel their best not just at the job workshop, but also at future interviews, internships, and jobs.

The workshop began with two skits from our volunteers that demonstrated examples of both good and bad interviews. Participants then split up into four groups and traveled between stations to practice skills one-on-one with volunteers. Our Education and Career Resources team and volunteers did their best to mimic a professional setting as closely as possible to simulate a real-world employment experience.

At the end, awards were given for best interviews, attire, and performance.

Thank you to everyone involved for their time and hard work to make sure this event was another great success! A special thank you to Harris Associates, who underwrote the cost of the event and who support our Education and Career Resources department so generously.