Mock Interview Day

Towards the end of Year 10, our students engage in two invaluable activities: work experience, and mock interview day.

Work experience allows students to experience the world of work, and can be a transformative week. There may be nerves beforehand, of course, but we prepare our students thoroughly and, in the vast majority of cases, student evaluations reflect a positive time in the workplace. It may be that they learn new skills, including ‘soft skills’ (or ‘core transferable skills’) such as teamwork, creativity or problem-solving; it may be that they establish future contacts; it may be that they develop confidence, particularly by prolonged interaction with adults, whether they be colleagues or customers.

Work experience week is complemented by an opportunity for students to practise interview technique in a ‘mock interview’ conducted by a volunteer from an area of local industry. Over the course of the day, we make sure students are clear about interview etiquette, such as how to greet the interviewer, body language and asking the right questions. We want our students to be able to talk about their skills and experience with confidence, able to ‘sell themselves’ effectively, so we ask a local human resources director to share what they look for in a candidate. We also ensure students understand the different types of interview they might face in the future, e.g. preliminary online interviews, psychometric testing, group interviews and panel interviews.

Mock interview day is always an overwhelmingly positive experience for the students, enabling them to approach their first job interview, or college/university interviews, with the knowledge they have practised before and been given constructive feedback.

The following websites provide some useful hints and tips, whether it’s preparing for mock interview day or a real future interview.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice

https://www.ucas.com/careers-advice/how-to-prepare-for-a-job-interview