MitchelLake San Francisco’s June volunteering event put our hiring/interviewing expertise to good use. We first learned of the non-profit organisation, Year Up, through Laker Erin Steele’s chance meeting with Molly Sims, Year Up’s Senior Director of Development, while waiting for the commuter train to arrive.

Young adults between 18-24 years’ of age from low-to-moderate income brackets are eligible to apply for the Year Up program. The chosen students dedicate their time and effort over the course of a full year to learn new technical and professional skills. The program integrates hands-on skill development, corporate internships, and mentorship from experienced professionals, equipping the diligent participants with guidance, support, and opportunity.

MitchelLake volunteered, along with other Bay Area professionals, to help prepare Year Up students that are nearing program graduation for job interviews. Each of the nine Lakers that attended were paired with two student-interns that are getting ready to interview at the companies for which they’ve been interning. The volunteers conducted a one-on-one interview with each intern and provided them with written and verbal feedback afterward, with focus on first impression, nonverbal behaviour, subject matter communication, and closing of an interview.

The Year Up volunteering event provided us with the opportunity to contribute to our community by leveraging our core competencies in hiring and interviewing. It was such a pleasure to be a part of the Year Up students’ support and to meet these inspirational youth entering the professional job market. We couldn’t have asked for a better match!