Dear Students:
Professionals from your areas of interest are planning to meet with you at the Interactive
Career Fair. This is a great opportunity to build your pitch, make connections and help
market the MPP program. I am available in person or over the phone if you have any
questions or want to practice.
Here is a list of attending organizations and representatives as well as some preparation
tips. There are specific mock interview positions for each organization and tips on the
OAK website under “Build Your Pitch” in the “MPP mock interview and career fair”
folder. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, January 19!
Specific Agenda and Location
Thursday, January 19, Home Economics Building, Room 208
1:30-2:00pm Practicum Overview and Requirements with Dr. Catherine Loss
2:00–2:30pm – Information fair – your chance to ask questions and ask representatives
to sign you up for mock interviews. Be sure to ASK for a mock interview if you are
interested. Research the organization and develop 3-5- questions about the
organization/department and position.
2:30-3:45pm – Mock interviews – 25 minutes interviews where you interview for 20
minutes and receive 5 minutes of feedback. Be sure to ask organizations to put you on
their schedule. Begin interviews with the end in mind. Think about what 2-3 things you
want an employer to remember about you and the best example from your background
which exemplifies these skills (your 2-3 top accomplishments).
3:45-4:15pm Reception
Employer Representatives Attending
Mike Krause, Director of Academic Affairs,Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Dr. Thomas Sanford, Director of Research,Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Erin O’Hara, Assistant Commissioner for Data and Communications, Tennessee
Department of Education
Sylvia Flowers, Director, Tennessee SCORE
Kyle Southern, Policy Research Associate, Tennessee SCORE
Phil Doss, Director, Comptrollers Office
Alan Coverstone, Executive Director of Charter Schools and Private Schools, Metro
Nashville Public Schools
Rebecca Lieberman, Director of Talent Recruitment, Tennessee Charter School
Incubator
Lauren Hayes, Advocacy Director, Tennessee Charter School Excellence
Matt Throckmorton, Executive Director, Tennessee Charter School Excellence
Erica Mitchell, Senior Manager for Community Investments, United Way
Ash Solar, Chief Talent and Strategy Officer, Achievement School District
Susan Burns, Deputy Director, Consortium on Research, Evaluation and Development
Interactive Career Fair preparation
To prepare for this Thursday, it is suggested you take the following steps:
 Research your top organizations and develop 2-5 specific questions
 Develop some general questions that you can ask anyone at the Information Fair or
during the interview.
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Review the sample positions for which interviewers will be conducting mock
interviews
Be prepared to answer basic interview questions (list appended below)
Develop STAR stories to highlight your top accomplishments (outline up to three
points on the Situation/Task, Action you took and Results)
There are videos and resources about interviewing and networking on the OAK
website under Build your pitch
Bring resumes and dress in interview attire
Typical Interview questions
 Tell me about yourself.
 Walk me through your resume.
 What influenced your decision to attend Peabody?
 What are your short-range and long-range goals and objectives?
 What three accomplishments are you most proud of?
 Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses at work that tested
your coping skills. What did you do?
 Give me an example of an important goal you had to set, and tell me about your
progress in reaching that goal.
 Give me an example of a problem you faced on the job, and how you solved it.
Best Regards,
Jeff