Program prepares students for real life

Lessons focus on creating strong first impressions and successful job interviews

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A firm handshake, good eye contact and an assured voice. Job interviewers look for these qualities in a candidate.

That's what students are learning in a new city of Las Vegas program called Batteries Included, which strives to prepare young people for the working world.

One of its early lessons is the importance of making a good first impression. It all starts with the handshake.

"They say within the first 10 to 15 seconds of meeting you, the interviewer will know whether he'll hire you," said Sarah Hadeed, 17, a student at Cimarron-Memorial High School. "I'm here because I want to make sure I do everything right."

Batteries Included, sponsored by the city, Nevada Partners and the Clark County School District, offers a series of programs to improve high school and college graduation rates and cultivate professional young leaders in the community. The program's slogan is, "Born with the power to change the world."

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said the program was a way to make a positive impact in the lives of area youth.

Other major proponents are state Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, who also serves as Nevada Partners' chief executive officer, and Lauren Kohut-Rost, Clark County School District deputy superintendent of instruction.

The program coincides with disheartening news that Clark County high schools have a 6.8 percent dropout rate.

"We're going to jump-start some futures with this program," Kohut-Rost said.

A visit to one of the locations soon after the program was launched showed students were getting practical advice. On March 13, Staven Corbett, a youth agent with Nevada Partners, was conducting a session with 20 students at Brinley Community School.

Using no props, he had the students mix into groups of two or three and set up a role-playing scene -- the first moment a student meets a job interviewer. He gave them about 10 minutes to complete the exercise, which ensured everyone took a turn at being the interviewer and the interviewee.

Fast-paced evaluations immediately after revealed body language spoke volumes more than what was actually said. The mixture of deficiencies to overcome included students looking at their feet, arms folded across the chest, mumbling and making nervous gestures.

Corbett demonstrated one mistake he often sees -- offering your hand to shake while your elbow is glued to your waist.

"You're not a tyrannosaurus rex," he told the students before giving insight on personal space.

The exercise was expanded to include an open-ended question: Tell about yourself. Everyone got a chance to practice, followed by more fast-paced critique.

It seemed everything was quick in this course, including the vocabulary, interpersonal relationship skills, cultural diversity and active listening skills.

The sessions are open to students ages 14-18. Successful completion of the first phase of Batteries Included, called Get Charged workshops, prepares students for the next step -- actually having a summer job. Some positions will be internships in a specific field, others will be entry-level jobs. Even the 14-year-olds will be matched with companies.

Nevada Partners already has a relationship with 32 hotels and casinos in town, and those properties will be approached as the time to hire the youngsters draws near.

Jessica Esdel, 14, said if she wasn't at the Batteries Included session, she'd be talking on the phone with friends. Her dream job is to be a model raking in a $1 million salary.

Others were thinking more of their possible summer jobs through Batteries Included. Hadeed said she hoped to find a position paying at least $7 an hour.

"Whatever it is, I want a job that will pay way more than minimum wage," she said.

Portia Davis, 16, also a Cimarron-Memorial student, said she liked that the program matched summer jobs with students' areas of interest. She wants to go into law.

JaNay Cooper, 14, said she signed up for Batteries Included because "I knew it would be important, the way I presented myself at a job interview. I just didn't know which way that was."

Corbett has been working with youth for 10 years and was excited about the new program.

But while the students were concerned with the here and now, he was more concerned with pointing them toward loftier heights.

"The No. 1 goal is inspiring a college-bound mentality," Corbett said.