After an absence last year because of the pandemic, Mercy Home was thrilled for the return of one of our favorite events: the Job Skills Workshop.  

Though this year’s workshop was held virtually, it still provided our kids with opportunities to learn and practice new skills they can use as they begin applying for internships and jobs this spring and beyond. 

Thankfully, our friends at Harris Associates, a Chicago-based investment services firm, were a driving force in making this year’s seminar a success. The company, represented on our Board of Regents by employees Rana Wright and Danny Nicholas, made an incredibly generous donation to cover all the costs and support career development programming in our Education and Career Resources department.  

A total of 34 volunteers spent the morning working one-on-one with our kids. Volunteers included employees from Harris Associates, Aarete, the consulting firm where Board of Regents member Skip Behm serves as CFO, COO & Managing Director, and the staffing firm Swoon. Board of Regents member Eddie Gamble also volunteered along with three of his fraternity brothers. 

Much like in previous years, our kids participated in four themed stations: On-the-Job Basics, Professional Introductions, Communication, and Mock Interviews. 

On-the-Job Basics gave our kids a chance to watch videos about various work scenarios and provide feedback about what went wrong and what went right. 

In Professional Introductions, our young people worked with a volunteer to review and create an elevator pitch, practice it, and then deliver it as if they were applying for a job or college. 

During the Communication session, the kids reviewed how to send a professional email to an employer and how to speak with an employer over the phone. They also had an opportunity to practice their skills with a volunteer. 

Finally, in Mock Interviews, the kids had the chance to put their skills to the test. They participated in a practice interview with their volunteer and then received feedback about their performance. 

After the sessions were complete, everyone came back together for awards. The ‘Best Dressed’ participants were recognized for having the best professional attire and the top participants in interviews were also recognized. 

Before the event, our kids all had the opportunity to pick out professional clothes that they could wear to the workshop and to real interviews in the future. Each youth also received a gift card for participating. 

“I’m very proud of the work of the youth and our team for adjusting to this format,” said Liz Tomka, Mercy Home’s Vice President of Education and Career Resources. “I hope to hold this event in person next year!” 

The volunteers also walked away impressed with our kids’ dedication to learning and practicing job skills. 

 “Everyone did a great job,” Mercy Home special events coordinator Chris Doherty said. “Our volunteers were blown away by our kids.” 

 We are thankful to our volunteers for spending their morning helping our kids build the skills they will need to be successful in their future careers and are looking forward to another great workshop next year. 

The Job Skills Workshop unofficially kicks off the internship season at Mercy Home. Board members have been pivotal in internship placement. Additionally, we will be looking for a few career panels and workplace site visits this summer as part of summer career institute.