As is to be expected, most of the students were nervous, however they all performed really well. It was interesting to see where the students see themselves in the future; out of the interviews that I sat in on, one student was interested in a job with the RSPB, another had found a job in Fiji, one on the Isle of Mull and another student who wanted to go and work for an aquarium in America. It was great to see the some of the students so enthusiastic and passionate about their subject choice, and to learn more about their goals and ambitions. This was also such a useful exercise for me, as it gave me experience of interviewing and all the types of questions to ask. Not all the questions that we asked the students were directly related to the job they had found, some focussed on their general skills (such as ‘what are your weaknesses’ whereas other questions wanted the student’s opinions on current affairs). At the end of the 20 minute interview, the student was then given feedback straight away. The advice given by the lecturers on the interview panel was invaluable; make links with key people in the field through Linkedin, email them questions, join professional societies – get yourself noticed so that they remember your name and they know that you are passionate about your field! I realised that this advice is not only relevant for the students, but is good advice for everyone at any stage within their career.
Last Thursday I was asked to sit on an interview panel. Some of our HE students complete a module in ‘Professional Employability Skills Development (PESD)‘ and one of the tasks they are asked to take part in is a mock interview. The students are asked to go and find a job description and person specification that they are interested in, and then send it to their lecturer. The students then have to prepare for a mock interview for the job they have chosen, for which each student is allocated a 20 minute time slot. As the students on this module are studying marine science/biology, the jobs mostly have a marine conservation/animal conservation focus. The panel consisted of their course lecturer, a lecturer from another campus site, our Business Engagement Assistant and myself. Some of the students take this very seriously, trying to make it as realistic as possible by dressing smartly and treating it almost as if it's real.
As is to be expected, most of the students were nervous, however they all performed really well. It was interesting to see where the students see themselves in the future; out of the interviews that I sat in on, one student was interested in a job with the RSPB, another had found a job in Fiji, one on the Isle of Mull and another student who wanted to go and work for an aquarium in America. It was great to see the some of the students so enthusiastic and passionate about their subject choice, and to learn more about their goals and ambitions. This was also such a useful exercise for me, as it gave me experience of interviewing and all the types of questions to ask. Not all the questions that we asked the students were directly related to the job they had found, some focussed on their general skills (such as ‘what are your weaknesses’ whereas other questions wanted the student’s opinions on current affairs). At the end of the 20 minute interview, the student was then given feedback straight away. The advice given by the lecturers on the interview panel was invaluable; make links with key people in the field through Linkedin, email them questions, join professional societies – get yourself noticed so that they remember your name and they know that you are passionate about your field! I realised that this advice is not only relevant for the students, but is good advice for everyone at any stage within their career.
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About meMy name's Heather and I'm a Learning Centre Tutor in an FE/HE College in the South West of England. I am also a CILIP Mentor and welcome enquiries from prospective mentees. I created this blog to keep up to date with my professional development and all things library related. Please note - all views and images are my own, unless stated otherwise. Archives
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