Thank You ThankView!

In our first-time collaboration with ThankView, NWNY participants receive tailored information and advice from individuals who work in their field of interest

Interviewing for jobs is already nerve-wracking as is, let alone doing so in a second language. NWNY’s first-time collaboration with ThankView, a start-up for donor-outreach video sharing, was a welcoming environment for mock-interview practice. In a virtual environment, connecting with professionals can be increasingly difficult. For the February 26 Job Search session, ThankView volunteers and NWNY participants successfully engaged in a warm and interactive setting over Zoom.

First, NWNY CEO Arielle Kandel opened the session with an icebreaker. Participants and ThankView volunteers alike pitched in to express their “greatest strength” or “superpower.” Positive thinking not only set the mood for the rest of the session but built participants’ confidence just before linking up with their ThankView volunteers for a mock-interview.

After the one-on-one mock interview, one ThankView Volunteer commented that she learned the value of being adaptable from her NWNY partner – a skill also embodied by the larger NWNY community. As immigrants to a new country, language, and culture, taking the initiative to join a community like NWNY shows the desire to engage, adapt and learn new skills to successfully enter the New York City workforce.

ThankView volunteers readily encouraged their NWNY partners, while also sharing personalized advice. During the break, one ThankView volunteer shared his own story about his mom, a Vietnamese immigrant to the United States. “When my mom spoke English, she didn’t worry about skipping a few words. Body language expresses your confidence and can be more valuable than your English. My mom’s confidence triumphed over her fear.” Sometimes confidence speaks 1,000 words. Showing up, showing on time, and feeling a sense of certainty about oneself is far more important than having a large vocabulary. Though of course knowledge of a vocabulary specific to your industry helps, that comes with practice and is often secondary to the first impression.

One of our NWNY participants pitched in about the value of speaking to someone from your industry or field of interest. She exuded confidence after her mock interview: “I feel so stimulated by this session. It was so important to speak to someone from my field, especially.” One of the key components that make the company sessions so helpful is this opportunity to have one-on-one mock interviews and career chats with individuals who work in an industry of interest. Participants receive tailored information and advice from professionals who have sometimes taken unconventional paths to get to their careers. At ThankView, the positions varied from technical engineering specialties, web, and graphic design, to customer service and project management. This session catered to a broad range of participants’ interests.

During the second half of the session, participants were able to have one-on-one career chats with a professional to ask specific questions about the industry and job market. When debriefing from this portion of the session, one volunteer suggested to “think about entry-level positions in companies you care about and eventually move up the ranks.” Considering a company’s values is important to consider when thinking about long-term growth and satisfaction.

The main takeaways from this thoughtful and well-coordinated Job Search session were to stay motivated, show self-assurance, and continue to grow in your journey. And as one volunteer reminded us all: “there isn’t just one path to take to get to your destination.” In other words, if there’s a will there’s a way!