We took our corporate partners back to school!
A group of Year 10 students at one of our partner schools got a taste of the working world by taking part in mock interviews as part of their careers day at school. The students had the unique opportunity to be interviewed by professionals from a range of different industries – and among the interviewers were some brilliant volunteers from School-Home Support’s corporate partners! We welcomed David and Joshua from 11FS, Natalie from Orbis Investments, Will from LTG, and Prakash and Joyce from Discover.
From the volunteer interviewers, the students learnt tips and tricks for succeeding in real life interviews. The mock interviews allowed the students to try something new and, most importantly, build confidence talking about their skills, experience and interests in a supportive environment.
The pupils are at a crucial time in their educational journey, with their GCSE year just round the corner. This opportunity helped them to think about their future goals, learn about the wide range of careers available to them, and gain a better understanding of the steps they could take to get to where they want to go. We could have all used some genuine wisdom and real world guidance at that age – who better to provide it than those who walked a similar path and also faced challenges and uncertainties?
Some of the students had the unique opportunity to turn the tables and ask their own interview questions to the corporate volunteers. Insightful and articulate, they gained a great deal from the volunteers, who shared their own experiences as well as their top tips for success.
Some of the questions asked by the students included:
What motivates you?
What would you say to someone who needs work experience when getting a job but they don’t have any yet?
Have you had any blocks or anything that’s been in the way of you getting to where you are today? And how did you face them?
What would your advice be to someone who doesn’t know what they’re going to do in the future?
It was fantastic to hear the reflections of some of the corporate volunteers too:
Natalie from Orbis Investments said: “We always appreciate the opportunity to visit SHS partner schools and meet the students in person. It really brings our partnership to life. I was genuinely impressed by how driven, articulate, and reflective the students were – far more so than I remember being at that age
We had some really thoughtful conversations throughout the morning and I was especially struck by the range of aspirations the students shared. Each one had a unique career ambition and a clear, well-considered path for how they might achieve it. I was also so impressed to hear that the school runs weekly photography lessons as a creative outlet – what a brilliant way to encourage self-expression.”
It’s clear the school is sending a powerful message to its students: that they can think creatively about their futures and aren’t limited to traditional career paths. That ethos left me feeling genuinely hopeful about the next generation of young people and potential future leaders.”
Josh from 11:FS said: “It was a genuinely rewarding day, not just for me but for the students as well, I hope. They were engaged, thoughtful and open to feedback which made the experience really interesting. For me it was nice to see how their confidence would grow even in a short time and under pressure. Finally when the roles were reversed and I was being interviewed it was good to brush up on my own skills.”