Boosting confidence and aspiration through interview practice.

King’s was honoured to host 16 professionals to interview our Upper Sixth pupils with the aim of boosting their confidence so that when it comes to a real interview, they will be prepared and ready to impress. Old Brutonians and parents volunteered their time to put our pupils through their paces for half an hour, asking typical interview questions such as; what are your strengths and disappointments, but also, questions based on their specific specialisms. The interviewees were scored out of 5 for each question and the delegates explained what each pupil needed to do to improve their answers. Delegates came from a huge range of professions including the army, engineering, the hospitality industry and medicine, law, marketing, banking and charity fundraising to name but a few. Pupils were placed with senior people in the profession which was aspiring.

Feedback from the delegates was very positive; after 3 years of volunteering for these interviews, Adrian explained the Upper Sixth were better prepared and their CVs and letters were more polished. David, another interviewer said that their knowledge to answer questions on engineering and design was excellent and far better than when he was at school. From the pupil’s perspective, Kit pointed out that she was nervous to begin with but the interviewers were kind and put them at ease. Seb thought he impressed and the interviewer made his dream career seem possible. Katie enjoyed the interview and said it was not as difficult as she was expecting. Offers of work experience were discussed and honest feedback given for future improvement. Many delegates are keen to return, to interview those who were absent and also to discover if the pupils have been successful to follow their career at university.

To conclude, as a follow-up, a parent who specialises in CV writing has offered to run a session for all the Upper Sixth to ensure this key skill is understood ready for their applications, be it a job in their gap year or for an internship. The experience was positive: the delegates enjoyed helping the pupils on their first steps into the world of work and the pupils were immensely grateful of the advice and offers of help.

Alison Grant - Deputy Head

Fantastic morning of trial interviews for the @KingsBruton U6th Form. Thank you so much to all parents and guests who have provided invaluable help and support for this fantastic event. Brilliant preparation for university and careers interviews! #ambition pic.twitter.com/uyGwRyoGqW

— Director of Studies (@KSBAcademic) November 9, 2019