Interview coaching is just the job for Eden Girls’ School pupils
Interview coaching is just the job for Eden Girls’ School pupils
Our pupils are prepared for life beyond the classroom thanks to a partnership with the DWP that saw them put through their paces in job interviews.
Girls in Year 11 were recently interviewed for fictional vacancies when volunteers from the civil service visited our school.
The pupils received advice on structuring their CVs and writing application letters to respond to 12 mock job adverts based on real vacancies. The roles on offer ranged from finance to airline cabin crew.
Conrad Pfahler, a Schools Adviser at the Department for Work & Pensions, worked with us to arrange the interview day. He also worked closely with Year 11 pupils to help put them at ease and prepare them for the interviewers’ questions. Conrad said:
“It was my pleasure to support the school on this activity, bringing together a panel of interviewers that included colleagues from HMRC, the Ministry of Justice and the Passport Office. We were all very impressed with how the girls conducted themselves on the interview day.”
The interviews took our Year 11 pupils out of their comfort zone, as they were interviewed by unfamiliar adults who expected them to have researched the organisations they were applying to. Pupils were asked to expand on the experience outlined in their CVs as well as to answer competency based questions.
Year 11 pupil Sanniyah Bapu commented:
“The day helped me to understand what a real interview experience would be like and how I would respond to questions.”
Pupil Aishah Fakir added:
“I found the constructive feedback really helpful as I know what I need to concentrate on improving for my next interview experience.”
And pupil Amira Jama added:
“The whole process boosted my confidence. By the end of the interview I felt inspired and felt it was a success.”
Tracey Harvey, who is the Support For Schools Lead at the DWP, was among the interviewers. She commented:
“I was so impressed with the standard, passion and level of interview skills the Eden Girls’ School pupils all demonstrated. I was exceptionally taken with the valued life skills and opportunities they had been involved in and were able to demonstrate in the interview.”
Linda Thompson, our Principal, said:
“We are very grateful to the DWP for their support in helping us prepare our girls for the world of work. The experience of being interviewed by unfamiliar adults will also be of great value to them as they progress to sixth form, college or their first jobs next year.
“While receiving an education of the highest academic standards, we also aim to equip our pupils with a broad portfolio of voluntary and charity experience through our commitment to nurturing pupils to become responsible citizens in their local communities. It’s very pleasing to hear that this element of our work has helped pupils to produce strong CVs to rival those with more employment experience.”
Head of Year 11 Shakeelah Hafejee added:
“As someone who has been at the school from its very beginning, it was lovely to see how much the girls had grown and matured under our wing. To say that the girls did us proud is an understatement! I had many proud moments such as when interviewers commented on how polite and well-mannered the girls are. Their ability to talk about other topics besides their academic studies really impressed interviewers, and their passion for the community projects that they had participated in really shone through.”
Added By: Phil Felgate | Date Added: 13th Nov 2017 | Posted In: Latest News