Careers & Mock Interview Morning at the Limes College

On Friday 27 February, our Year 11 students took part in the school’s annual Careers & Mock Interview event, an important initiative designed to prepare our young people for their next steps beyond secondary education. Business professionals from the local community and professional network, volunteered their time to conduct mock interviews and provide career related workshops.

This valuable experience enabled students to practise and refine their interview techniques in a supportive environment by engaging directly with experienced professionals. This provided them with an understanding of how to present themselves, express their strengths, goals and ambitions, reflect on feedback and highlight the importance of communication and listening skills.

Alongside the mock interviews, we arranged career-focused workshops delivered by our colleagues from NESCOT and the Department for Work and Pensions. These sessions provided students with further guidance on:

• The range of post-16 pathways available to young people
• Employability skills, labour market opportunities & employer expectations
• Entry requirements into further/higher education and training.
• Workplace employment rights
• Impact of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and the support available
• Advice, guidance and shared experiences about next steps and career pathways

I would like to commend all the students that took part in this event on their mature attitude and active involvement. Both the students and volunteers provided feedback about their experience of the day; this is what the volunteers fed back about some of our students:

• “Confident, enthusiastic and demonstrated leadership skills”.
• “Gave clear answers and examples”.
• “Talked confidently about work experience”.
• “Answered questions thoughtfully”.
• “Friendly and personable”
• “Clear and confident, backed up answers with reasons”.
• “Passionate about achievements and hobbies”.
• “Great communication skills and eye contact”.
• “Clear goals for the future”
• “Very articulate and inquisitive with multiple plans for success”.

These are some of the comments that our students made about their interviews:

• “I can actually achieve anything I want to”.
• “I am head strong and ambitious”.
• “I should ask questions at the end of an interview”.
• “I will try to be more confident and give further explanation”.
• “I can be confident even when I am feeling nervous”.