The welcome and friendliness of staff at Trafalgar is second to none
Beth Thomas Hancock and John Lynch, University of Brighton

The BIG interview

 What is the BIG Interview and why do we do it?

A mock interview helps students learn how to answer difficult questions, develop interview strategies, improve their communication skills and reduce stress before an actual job interview. This offers a fantastic opportunity for students to have a realistic job interview with business people. At Trafalgar, mock interviews have proven to be highly effective in helping students to feel better prepared for real life scenarios. Each Year 10 student can expect a 15 minute interview and will receive feedback on how they performed and how they can improve. We work very closely with a number of local businesses who continue to provide positive feedback year after year.

 

 

What are the benefits?

1. It helps you reduce stress and anxiety about interviewing. If you’re not sure how to answer typical interview questions, mock interviews provide a great opportunity for you to “test drive” your answers. The person conducting the mock interview is most likely a skilled interviewer and can give you feedback on whether or not your response is suitable.

2. It helps boost your confidence. Job coaches who conduct mock interviews are able to point out your strengths in the interview process. By having confidence in your skills, you will perform better in an actual interview.

3. It provides you with constructive feedback in a low-stress environment. Mock interviews help you clarify responses to certain questions and help you work on areas where you may have weaknesses. In a real interview, there’s often not feedback about your interviewing abilities so a mock interview is a perfect opportunity to find out what you might need to do to better improve your interview technique.

4. It can help you feel better prepared for interview questions. The expression 'practice makes perfect' may very well be true with interviewing skills. Take advantage of mock interviewing opportunities, even if you think you’re skills are at a very high level. There are things we can all improve upon when it comes to making a great impression on a prospective employer.

 What happens on the day?

Students will be given the opportunity to practice writing CV's and fill out an application form. They will attend a number of different workshops during the day which will discuss potential careers, interview etiquette and time to practice question and answers.

You will be called for interview by one of our volunteers (all professionals and from our local community). They will lead students in for a 15 minute interview based on the job applied for in the application form. Feedback will be provided for each student by interviewers. 

Tips for students

Be fully prepared for the day and dress appropriately! It is important to remember first impressions count so, shake hands and make eye contact where possible with the person who is conducting the interview. 

Be yourself! Interviews can be daunting, and everyone feels nervous but it's important to remember that interviews aren't always about the best answers, a lot of the time they are looking for the right personality so don't be afraid to show off that little spark!

 Here is some feedback from employers who attended our last BIG interview. Trafalgar School would like to extend its thanks to the following companies for donating their time and expertise to support our students in their futures; 

PETA Apprenticeships, Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth University, Serco, Hampshire fire and rescue, Hampshire constabulary, JB landscapes, NHS, Fareham College, HSDC, Detection fire and Security, Royal Navy, Steve Willis Training, HAHA hair training, Hair OTT, UTC, Hampshire probation service, The Octopus Group, Chichester College and Portsmouth College.

 

 I was particularly impressed by the standard of candidates attending their mock interviews. Their maturity and confidence is a credit to them and I wish them all the very best, I hope that any employer in future will see the potential that they very clearly demonstrated yesterday - SERCO

Interesting and enjoyable with the students I interviewed. they were a credit to themselves and the school  - PETA

 

A dream, they took the whole experience very seriously. What a pleasant afternoon - PCC

 

Great engagement, some really interesting students and very impressive interviews - JB Landscapes

 

Really enjoyed this opportunity. The students are an absolute credit to the school - all really polite and respectful - NHS