Presented at the 2013 NPEA conference by: Zeva Levine, Philadelphia Futures http://www.educational-access.org/npea_conference_speakers2013.php

1. Exploring Successful Youth Employability Programming
for High School and College Students
Zeva R. Levine
Coordinator of Academic Services
Philadelphia Futures

2.  Background – Defining the Need
 Youth Employability Programs - Goals
 Ideas for Incorporation/Replication
 Demonstration of Interactive Activity
 Assessment & Evaluation
 Q&A

3.  What percentage of the population
in the U.S. suffers from competitive
selection interview anxiety (CSIA)?
 BONUS: What is the most
widely used and heavy
relied upon tool in selection
processes?

4.  Competitive selection interview anxiety (CSIA) is a
biological, normal fear response in all humans
caused by the uniquely unpredictable situation
that competitive interviews present.

5.  Unpredictable Elements  CSIA as Amalgamation of
◦ Physical Space 5 types of Performance Anxiety
◦ People Present ◦ Performance Anxiety
◦ Content ◦ Behavioral Anxiety
◦ Expectations ◦ Communication Anxiety
◦ Evaluation ◦ Appearance Anxiety
◦ Social Anxiety
 Employer Implicit Biases

6.  Concept: Applicants present their best selves and learn
more about the institution, while employers observe to
have more informed discussions in decision-making.
 Reality: “Little correlation between interviewer ratings of
job applicants and measured skills or job performance.”
 Additional Factors: Job Search, Resume, Cover Letter,
Common Interview Questions*, Public Speaking*,
Etiquette - Attire & Conduct*, Follow-up Post-Interview,
Understanding Evaluation

7.  Goals:
◦ Manage CSIA
 Define, Accept, Self-Guide, Set Goals
◦ Rehearse
 Best and Worst of Mock Interviews
◦ Write
 Provide Models and Develop Student Voice
◦ Empower
 Discuss Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Implicit Biases

8.  Timing
◦ High School – focus on education & exposure
◦ College – focus on internship experience
 Funding & Execution
◦ Fold into existing program as college admissions prep.
◦ Federal, state and local funds (e.g., WorkReady)
◦ Develop new or leverage existing relationships with
volunteers, community partners, Board, and colleges
◦ Afterschool and/or Summer Programming
◦ Replicate and/or partner with existing programs*

10.  MASI – Measure of Anxiety in Selection Interviews
 Formative assessment
◦ SurveyMonkey
◦ Collect Feedback
◦ Debrief and Reflect
 Cumulative Evaluation
◦ “Final Project”
◦ Interviews – Rating System, # of Offers
◦ Quality of Written Work
◦ Self-Reported Successes/Challenges

12.  Brown, T., Hillier, T., & Warren, A. M. (2010). Youth
employability training: Two experiments. Career
Development International, 15, 166-187.
 Macan, Therese (2009). The employment interview: A review
of current studies and directions for future research. Human
Resource Management Review, 19, 203-218.
 McCarthy, J., & Goffin, R. (2004). Measuring job interview
anxiety: Beyond weak knees and sweaty palms. Personnel
Psychology, 57, 607-637.
 Neckerman, K. M. & Kirschenman, J. (1991). Hiring
strategies, racial bias, and inner-city workers. Social
Problems, 38, 433-447.
 Rosen, J., & Schulkin, J. (1998). From normal fear to
pathological anxiety. Psychological Review, 105, 325-350

13.  Blum, L. (2002). “I’m Not a Racist, But…”: A Moral Quandary of Race. Ithaca
and London: Cornell University Press.
 Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub.L. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241, July 2, 1964).
 Cox, R. H., Martens, M. P., & Russell, W. D. (2003). Measuring anxiety in
athletics: The revised competitive state anxiety inventory-2. Journal of Sport
& Exercise Psychology, 25, 519-533.
 Hardy, L., & Parfitt, G. (1991). A catastrophe model of anxiety and
performance. British Journal of Psychology, 82, 163-178.
 Heimberg, R. G., Keller, K. E., & Peca-Baker, T. (1986). Cognitive
assessment of social evaluative anxiety in the job interview: Job Interview
Self-Statement Schedule. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 33, 190-195.
 Gutmann, A. & Appiah, K.A. (1996). Color Conscious: The Political Morality of
Race. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
 Jussim, L., Coleman, L. M., & Learch, L. (1987). The nature of stereotypes: A
comparison and integration of three theories. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 52, 536-545.

14.  McIntosh, P. (1990). Essay excerpted from Working Paper 189, “White
Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See
Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies.” Independent School,
Winter issue.
 McNally, I. M. (2002). Contrasting concepts of competitive state-anxiety in
sport: Multidimensional anxiety and catastrophe theories. Athletic Insight: The
Online Journal of Sport Psychology, 4(2), 10-22.
 Moss, P. & Tilly, C. (1995). Skills and race in hiring: Quantitative findings from
face-to-face interviews. Eastern Economic Journal. 21, 357-375.
 Stoll, M. A., Raphael, S., & Holzer, H. J. (2006). Black job applicants and the
hiring officers race. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 57, 267-287.
 Stoll, M. A., Raphael, S., & Holzer, H. J. (2006). Perceived Criminality,
Criminal Background Checks, and the Racial Hiring Practices of Employers.
Journal of Law and Economics. Vol. XLIX, © University of Chicago. p. 451-
480.

15.  Following slides include:
◦ Managing CSIA
◦ Common Interview Questions
◦ Public Speaking
◦ Etiquette - Attire & Conduct
◦ Existing Programs

16.  Understanding Interview Anxiety: Biological brain
response for ALL applicants
 Verbal Self-Guidance: Converting negative self-talk
into productive guidance
 Accepting Bodily Response: Understanding,
anticipating and accepting bodily response
 Goal Setting: Creating 3-5 goals for desired
outcomes of the interview; helps focus

17.  To do:
◦ Equally balanced weight (on feet, in way one sits, etc)
◦ Eye contact
◦ Face forward
◦ Crisp voice, even if it is soft
◦ Speak on your voice
◦ Confidence, even if manufactured!
 To avoid:
◦ Mumbling
◦ Breathiness
◦ Side comments to yourself – side commentary
◦ Too many apologies
◦ Digressions that sidetrack overly much
◦ Having the voice go up at the end of each sentence
◦ Unavoidable mannerisms 

18.  Strike balance among “formal, comfortable, and
confident” in attire
◦ Goal: appropriate and non-distracting
 Eat and hydrate ahead of time
◦ Avoid bringing coffee, water, food, gum, etc.
 Arrive early - time to rehearse or just breathe
◦ If you’re going to be late, call.
 Smile, and a firm handshake 
 Cell phone on silent & out of sight (use watch)
 Bring: 2 copies of resume, paper and pen,
questions for employer, and “portfolio” of relevant
materials (only if needed/helpful)

19.  Best strategy: listening, thinking, speaking
◦ Listen carefully & respond to what you can of the question asked
◦ Don’t be afraid of 30 seconds of silence
◦ It’s appropriate to ask interviewer to repeat Q
 Thematic Areas of Common Questions
◦ Your background and/or why you applied
◦ Significant ways you’ll contribute to the work
◦ Proudest achievement
◦ Struggle you have overcome/weakness you’re working on
◦ Time you had to think creatively/out of the box
◦ How you work independently and/or as part of team
◦ What motivates you and/or how you manage stress
◦ Future goals (where does this fit in, ‘see yourself in 5 yrs’)
◦ “Any questions for us?” (see next slide)

20.  In general, helpful to research employer ahead of time
(question might arise)
 You can always be prepared to ask about the hiring
process going forward
◦ Note: They may tell you this in the interview, so have
other questions prepared.
 Sometimes you may want to ask what qualities or
strategies of past or other employees have contributed to
whether or not they were successful at the company
 You can ask about their vision for the company going
forward (the position, the industry, etc.)
 Most importantly: don’t say “no.” If you all have run out of
time, just offer to email Qs to them.

21.  Department of Labor
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/youthlabor/
http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/youth/career.htm
 Job Corps
http://www.jobcorps.gov/youth.aspx
 Jobs for the Future
http://www.jff.org/
 Philadelphia Youth Network
http://www.pyninc.org/
 Posse
http://www.possefoundation.org/our-career-program
 YES Program
http://yesprogram.info/yesprogram.html