Mock interview day at Melksham Oak

Students at Melksham Oak Community School have received valuable mentoring from a wide range of employers to help them shine as jobseekers.

A mock interview initiative devised and facilitated by Education Business Partnership – South West (part of CSW Group), brought together representatives from leading national companies such as Waitrose and NatWest; as well as key local businesses including Somerset Care, Kavanaghs, and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

The event was run as part of the Enterprise package aimed to get students workplace ready and boost their confidence for real interviews.

All mentors generously volunteered their time, allowing students to spend the day perfecting CVs, application forms and covering letters; and then attended a 30 minute mock interview in which they had to present themselves as real applicants, even dressed in appropriate business attire. Students were provided with crucial feedback on how well they came across and how they managed the whole application process.

Jon Hemming, NatWest’s director of commercial banking for North Wiltshire, stressed the value of the day. He said, “It’s never too early to start thinking about a future career and the skills which might be needed to get there.

“NatWest supports a host of programmes to support young people, whether with financial management, starting their own business or joining the Bank itself. Good interview skills are vital whether a school pupil wants to go onto further education, find a job or work for themselves – there will always be interview situations to deal with.”

He added that he was, “Particularly pleased to be supporting this interview day with it being held in my old school town, the event is particularly close to my heart.”

Julie Hall, work experience adviser for Education Business Partnership – South West, who co-ordinated the event said, “EBP-SW works with schools and businesses across the region to develop activities that really do raise the aspiration and achievement of young people. Experiences gained during events like mock interviews help students prepare for the increasingly competitive process of job hunting.”

All of the students involved were enthusiastic about their experiences commenting how it helped them, “Find out what employers are looking for” and “Understand how to conduct myself in front of a potential employer”.

These young people are the true gauge of how successful Enterprise days are and with feedback like, “It was interesting to see how I would react in the situation and prepared me for my future job interviews” it is clear that EBP-SW have certainly offered something worthwhile.