Sign-up for this year’s Mock Interview Program for both students and alumni opens February 27.
It was 2010, and Molly Morris was in the final year of the MSW program at the Boston College School of Social Work. She was juggling a lot—coursework, an internship, and a part-time job—and was hesitant to add another item to her busy to-do list.
But she had also set her sights on the job market, and she knew that BCSSW’s Mock Interview Program would help her practice interviews while making connections that could help her land the right job.
So, she signed up for the program, which pairs final-year MSW students with alumni and community professionals for structured, low-stakes practice interviews based on real job postings.
Morris forged a strong bond with alumna Brenda Vitale, who stopped their practice interview midway through to recommend Morris for a real position that matched her interests. That initial connection led to Morris’s first job, kept them in professional contact for years, and ultimately laid the foundation for their collaboration as co-founders of The Self-Direction Center, a nonprofit that supports older adults and people with disabilities in having significant control over their own care.
“I’m grateful every single day that I didn’t skip that mock interview,” says Morris, MSW’10. “It was truly the spark of my relationship with Brenda.”
Morris’s experience reflects what more than 600 students have gained from the Mock Interview Program since its launch by BCSSW’s Career Services Office and Alumni Board in 2010: practical interview experience, honest feedback, and professional connections that can shape their careers in unexpected ways. Sign-up for this year’s program for both students and alumni ends February 27, and mock interviews will be held remotely from March 18–20.
“Every student who has participated over the past 15 years has found the experience helpful—whether by building confidence, improving responses, or learning how to ask stronger questions during interviews,” says Cindy Snell, BCSSW’s director of Career Services and Alumni Relations.
Take Kendall Swanson, for example. In 2025, Swanson participated in the Mock Interview Program and was paired with alumnus Tommy Heavren, a senior program manager at a workforce development agency called Commonwealth Corporation.
What started as a low-pressure way for Swanson to articulate her strengths with nothing on the line quickly turned into a back-and-forth conversation in which Heavren recognized that her skills and experiences were a strong fit for Commonwealth Corporation.
“My confidence grew when my interview turned into more of a conversation where we asked each other questions equally,” says Swanson, whose meeting with Heavren led to a full-time position as a program coordinator at Commonwealth Corporation. “I learned that rapport building in job interviews is just as important as rapport building with our clients and community members as social workers.”
“ My confidence grew when my interview turned into more of a conversation where we asked each other questions equally. I learned that rapport building in job interviews is just as important as rapport building with our clients and community members as social workers. ”
While students gain confidence and opportunities through the program, alumni benefit too, sharpening their own interviewing skills, mentoring emerging professionals, and even identifying future hires for their organizations.
Vitale, MSW ’99, chose to participate in the program to help students avoid two common missteps in the job search: unpolished resumes and trite responses to hard-hitting questions.
“I was really motivated to pick this as my assignment because I had spent about five years interviewing applicants and other MSW interns and I would see how resumes and interviews could miss the mark,” she says. “People couldn’t fully articulate their skills and relate them to a job description, and seeing that gap firsthand made me want to help students avoid pitfalls.”
As a social worker, Vitale says the program helps her stay connected to what’s going on in her field. She loves hearing why students chose social work and how they plan to use their skills to improve the health and well-being of the communities they serve.
“Even all these years later, I walk away refreshed that there’s this next group of individuals ready to make change,” she says. “It's a selfish reason, honestly, but it keeps you connected to what happens next in our field.”
Like Vitale, Heavren participates in the program to mentor students and help them translate their skills into real-world opportunities. He says he views the program as a great way to find the best talent for Commonwealth Corporation, adding that four of the agency’s 75 employees are BCSSW graduates.
“It’s such a benefit to stay engaged with the School and to learn from students about their career journeys,” says Heavren, MSW’21. “It’s fun to be a resource for students and pay forward the career readiness support I received as a student.”
Morris, Swanson, Heavren and Vitale all agree: The Mock Interview Program bridges the gap between students and alumni, providing a space to make connections that extend beyond one-off interviews. As Heavren puts it: “I think it humanizes the job hunt and creates helpful connections for students to leverage as they look for jobs post-grad.”
If you are interested in being involved in the program, please contact sswcareerservices@bc.edu.