A strong job interview can open the door to career success, allowing candidates to showcase their skills, make lasting impressions, and set the foundation for future opportunities.
A local employer is doing its part to help prepare Career & Technical Education students at the Ormsby Educational Center to enter the workforce.
Representatives from Moog Inc. recently participated in a series of mock interviews with seniors enrolled in the Pre-Engineering & Drafting Design and Welding/Metal Fabrication programs.
According to its website, the Elma-based Moog is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and systems integrator of precision motion and fluid controls and control systems. Its products are used in military and commercial aircraft, satellites, defense systems, automated industrial machinery, and medical equipment.
Ronald Pasqualetti, the Pre-Engineering & Drafting Design instructor at Ormsby, said the mock interviews allowed students to hone their communication skills while also exposing them to the company itself and to potential internships or job opportunities down the road.
“This was really a wonderful opportunity for the students,” Pasqualetti said. “It was great having Moog come in here and prepare these students to enter the workforce. This also benefits Moog as well, whether it’s finding a student intern for the spring or a prospective employee.”
Students learned about the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) interview method, a technique for answering behavioral interview questions by providing a structured story about a specific past experience.
“It’s a behavior-based interview that Moog uses and something that I don’t think any of the students have been exposed to before this process,” Pasqualetti said.
More than a dozen Pre-Engineering & Drafting Design students and about two dozen Welding students from Charles Harding’s class sat down for interviews. Each senior met with two Moog representatives and conducted a full job interview using the STAR method. Students brought resumes and examples of their work to their interviews, which were held at Ormsby.
Frank Annunziata, an operations manager with the Space and Defense Group at Moog, said he was grateful for the opportunity to engage with students, many of whom expressed interest in obtaining an internship or employment. Annunziata was among eight local Moog employees to visit Ormsby and conduct job interviews.
Andrew Covey, an Orchard Park senior who is enrolled in Pasqualetti’s class, said he was excited to test his interview skills with professionals. He hopes to one day design planes or help NASA get to Mars.
“I would love to work at a place like Moog,” Covey said. “I’m looking forward to learning how to interview, with the different steps and processes, and what it takes to get a job at a place like Moog.”
Cristofer Polizzi, a Springville senior enrolled in the Welding program at Ormsby, had an internship on his mind when he sat down for his interview.
“I would love to be considered for something like that,” Polizzi said of working at Moog. “I’m also really hoping to gain some experience in social situations that come with being interviewed.”
Another Springville senior in Harding’s Welding class, Leonardo Deputat, said he hoped to take away a few interview tips that will help him land a job after graduation. Deputat said his dream job is welding pipelines in Alaska.
“BOCES is really helping me learn different techniques. I just love the way the Welding class is set up, where we get to work on our projects and then receive constructive feedback,” he said. “Hopefully, all of this will set me up to go off and be a welder.”
Pasqualetti thanked Moog for taking the time to meet with students.
“I hope these seniors were able to gain awareness of employment opportunities and a focus on what they need to do as far as training, education, and experience to become an employee,” he said. “So many of our students end up working at Moog, so this was a wonderful opportunity for them to meet the right people and get their foot in the door.”
