Plantsbrook School mock interviews – Students were put through their paces as future jobseekers when the school held hundreds of mock interviews with the help of local employers.
More than 220 students from the whole of Year 11 at the Sutton Coldfield school – which is part of the Broadleaf Partnership Trust – took part in the 10-minute-long interviews, which were held in the main hall on Tuesday, April 25th.
Among the companies and organisations who gave up their time were Marvellous Manufacturing, Cherished, Faithful & Gould, HOET, The Belfry, Physical IT Training, Mazars, Balfour Beatty, WAA Chosen, Solihull University and Birmingham City University.
Plantsbrook’s Careers Advisor, Sarah Dullea, said the employers had been impressed with the way the students tackled the challenge of a mock interview.
She said: “It was a fantastic day that really got the students engaged directly with the world of work, by getting them talking face-to-face with real employers.
“The interviews were all different – we provided a list of example questions as a guide, but the employers really put the students on the spot to see how they presented themselves.
“In terms of personal development, this kind of experience is invaluable to the students, because it gives them a taste of a real-life interview situation, helping to build their confidence, and develop important life skills.”
Students prepared for Plantsbrook School mock interviews
Before the event, students were sent guidelines on how to prepare, including example questions, advice on how to present themselves and the different types of interview they could face.
Mrs Dullea added: “The feedback we have had after the event has been very positive. The students clearly found it useful, if a little daunting at times, and the employers have said that the students asked some great questions and were very engaged with the process.
“All in all, it was a truly beneficial day and we’ll definitely be doing it again!”
Acting headteacher Ian Barton said: “The mock interviews event was a real success, which gave more than 200 of our students face-to-face experience with a real-life local employer. I would like to thank our careers team for organising this innovative event, and all of the local companies and organisations that gave up their time to help our students develop such important skills.”