LISC & Union Pacific Team Up to Bolster Job Seekers’ Interview Skills

For any job seeker, an interview is perhaps the most important factor determining their chance of employment. And for many people, even knowing where to start can be overwhelming.

LISC & Union Pacific combined forces on March 7^th at the Union Pacific office in Houston to give Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) clients a chance at a real mock interview with a potential employer. “We wanted to connect with LISC to help the workforce develop from an interview standpoint. We’re here to help everyone get the skills they need to land a job,” said Arees Uresti, Senior Recruiter for Union Pacific. In 2018, Omaha-based Union Pacific announced a first-time, multi-year grant of $3 million to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to expand Financial Opportunity Centers, a national model that helps people build their skills, grow their incomes and improve their credit—all as part of a bundled approach to economic opportunity. Union Pacific is focusing on four cities. In Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, and Los Angeles, its grant will help extend the reach of FOCs so they can provide a broader range of workforce development services to more clients.

The day began with Union Pacific representatives discussing best practices for interviewing – what to wear, how to speak to the interviewer(s), how to follow up, etc. From there, the FOC clients got together with their coaches and peers to discuss these details in more depth and prepared for their mock interviews. The room was buzzing with energy, as Volunteers of America FOC Client Theron pointed out, “The best part about today’s event was the atmosphere. Having that interaction with the people in the room, who are in a similar situation that you're in, and who know what you're going through, all listening to see how they could help.”

Once everyone was ready the mock interviews began, one or two at a time, in the next room over. The Union Pacific staff interviewed everyone for real positions open at the company and asking relevant questions. The Union Pacific staff that participated did a fantastic job of working with the candidates to help them understand what was going well and what needed improvement. “Union Pacific is really interested in both understanding and connecting individuals to the jobs that they have open,  and also in just supporting the workforce, knowing that helping to build the workforce also helps to build the local economy.”, said VanNhi Nguyen, a Senior Program Officer for LISC.

At the end of the day, the participants walked away with a much better understanding of what goes into preparing for and doing well in an interview, as well as a confidence boost. Davion, a Wesley Community Center FOC Client said of the event, “The mock interview, it was great! I feel very prepared and comfortable now, no more butterflies in my stomach.” And that sentiment was echoed by many of the other clients who attended, including Carlos, from Wesley Community Center, who said “I feel like this event was very helpful for now and in the future when you interview just with any employer. You learned how to sell yourself in a good way, how to bring value to the company, how to do your resumé, and how to present yourself in a professional way.”

With this new partnership, there’s a lot to be excited about at LISC and Union Pacific. Take it from Cyndee Kanabel, Workforce Resources Business Partner for Union Pacific, “It was exciting for me to see a lot of participation today. That shows me these individuals are serious about making improvements in their life.”

Stay tuned for more events like this from LISC and their other community partners!