Employment SkillsFFA prep guide for 2026-27

About this event

By Sept. 1 the student uploads a real job description, a one-page cover letter (100 points), a resume of up to two pages (200) and a signed Statement of Authenticity, and fills out an online job application (50). In late September comes a virtual screening interview on Zoom of up to 20 minutes (200), then a follow-up email written in 30 minutes (75). At convention, a panel gives a 15 to 20 minute face-to-face interview (300), followed by a handwritten thank-you note written in 30 minutes (75). The preliminary total is 1,000. The top 12, two from each of six flights, then have a final interview of up to 15 minutes with three new judges (500). The top 8 from that interview go on to a networking meal with judges (100) and a telephone job offer (100). The final total is 700, and preliminary scores do not carry over. This is an individual event, one member per state, open to grades 7 to 12. FFA Official Dress is highly recommended. All materials must be the student's own work and aim at a real job the student qualifies for now. Documents show only a first name and last initial with school contact details, and the advisor is the point of contact. Students bring writing tools and may need a laptop or tablet with Wi-Fi. They may bring blank paper, copies of their resume and cover letter, a reference list, business cards and a padfolio, but no reference letters, work samples or pictures. State winners go on to the national event at the 100th National FFA Convention and Expo, Oct 27 to 30, 2027, in Indianapolis. Documents are due Sept. 1, and the screening interview happens online in late September, before convention. States that qualify later get ten days from their event to send documents. Late documents lose 10 percent, and a student whose documents are more than 7 days late can be disqualified.

1. 1

   Read the handbook and the sheet

   Everything is scored on the scorecard below. The official handbook has the rules, the deadlines and what to submit.

   Official handbook (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   Outline it against the sheet

   Give each part of your entry the room its points earn, starting from the biggest rows, so nothing on the sheet is left out.

   See the sheet
3. 3

   Write it yourself

   Your entry should be your own work. ChapterPrep's judge scores it and asks questions; it never writes it for you.

4. 4

   Rehearse the interview

   Type or say your interview. The judge scores it on the official scorecard and times you against the 20-minute limit.

   Get judged on your interview
5. 5

   Rehearse to the clock

   The screening interview runs up to 20 minutes, the face-to-face interview 15 to 20 and the final interview up to 15. Time every run, out loud, start to finish.

Official reference sources

Listed in the official FFA handbook.

• Past CDE materials and other resources, FFA.org
• How to Write a Resume, Open Colleges
• 8 Subtle Ways to Ace the Interview, Business Insider
• 9 Tips to Help You Prep for a Virtual Interview, University of Vermont
• Sending Your Thank You After the Job Interview, Job-Hunt.org
• How to Accept a Job Offer, The Forage
• How to Negotiate a New Job Offer, PayScale
• The Professional's Guide to Negotiating a Job Offer, LearnHowToBecome.org
• Tips for Networking Events, University of Illinois Graduate College
• How to Network Effectively: 15 Tips You Can Start Using Today, HubSpot
• Interview Preparation Guidelines, National FFA
• Career center at your state's land-grant university

Curated by ChapterPrep. Free unless noted. External links open in a new tab.

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