Mock Interview w/ Mr. Adam Comstock

     I was fortunate enough to complete a mock interview with Mr. Adam Comstock, principal at Central Columbia High School, during my student-teaching internship. This proved to be very valuable for me as I begin to enter the world of interviews and the hiring process in the very near future. 

    Overall, the basic interview part was very straightforward, and I felt as if I was able to articulate my thoughts in a concise but effective way. Mr. Comstock said that my ability to communicate my thoughts and express them with confidence is a gift and that if I do it that way in all of my interviews then I will leave a lasting impression on any administration that I interview with. Along with this, I felt as though my knowledge of agricultural education is very high, and that is thanks to my education at Penn State and the #psuteachag team. 

    One thing that did throw me off a bit was the fact that the administrative folks seem to be moving toward asking scenario-based questions, like "What would you do if...?" type of questions. These can be a bit hard to prepare for, however, if you have a system in your mind that knows how they would respond to things like hostile students, parent intervention, cell phones, and overall discipline issues then you will be well prepared for these types of questions. 

    The main question that I asked Mr. Comstock was regarding the ideas the school district follows in regard to extended contracts and summer schedules as an agriculture instructor. He gave the answer that every ag teacher that works through the summer loves to hear, but after the interview was over I asked him how to approach a school district that may not know what an extended contract is or how it works. I think that taking time to educate an administrator is not a bad thing, and if it is somewhere that you really want to spend time during your teaching career, then they will hear you out. 

    I had a great experience interviewing with Mr. Comstock and he gave me some great advice on my interviewing strategies as well as updates and changes to my cover letter and resume. I certainly feel as if though I can be even more confident in my ability to go through a professional interview in the near future.