On Wednesday 17th July, 363 Year 11 students took part in Horizon’s first ever Mock Interview Day. 80 professionals from 45 different businesses conducted a series of interviews to help our students prepare for the world of work and life beyond Horizon. It was an extremely successful day with the majority of students demonstrating how mature and organised they are. The outcome of this day has benefitted our students beyond our expectations; as a result of these interviews students have been offered work experience, mentoring, apprenticeships and future employment. Students have expressed how valuable the experience was for them and how much it has helped them with their confidence. Before the event, all students were asked to prepare a C.V. for the businesses to look through; which the majority of students did. Even those that didn’t produce a C.V. did acknowledge the importance of this and recognised that they will put more effort in in the future. It was a great opportunity for students to have a meaningful encounter with an employer and for them to practise their interview technique. Although all students performed exceptionally well, 5 students stood out for their commitment; these students were awarded various prizes as a result of their interviews. The prizes included a £20 shopping voucher, a Masonite/Premdor goody bag, an Elemis Spa hamper, a Samsung J4 phone and an engraved iPad.
We would like to thank everyone that has helped us put on such a successful event, especially the business professionals that gave up their time to collaborate with us. We look forward to working with more businesses in the future and the increased opportunities that this will bring for our students. ”
Some quotes from the students include:-
“This experience has helped me to prepare for my future interviews”
“What I found most valuable was that they gave me tips on how to improve my C.V.”
“It was a good experience and the employer made me feel comfortable with the questions he asked and made me less nervous”
“This experience has helped me greatly. I overcame my fears and became comfortable with the uncomfortable”
“I found that the most valuable thing is that I am allowed to have big ideas”
“I think that mock interviews are very useful because it helped me prepare and gain experience for a real life interview”
“My confidence has increased by talking to a real business person”
