200 interviews in one day for Exeter School pupils
Over 100 Upper Sixth pupils at Exeter School took part in the annual Interview Scheme held at Gilbert Stephens and the RILD at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital on Saturday 1 October.
45 local professionals conducted over 200 work style interviews in the space of one day.
Careers Adviser Ruth Cheesman said she was very grateful to receive such crucial support.
"Being able to participate in a practice interview is such an invaluable experience - from preparing for questions, getting to the venue on time and answering questions - it all helps pupils get ready for the real thing," she said.
"As they say practice makes perfect and the feedback from pupils and interviewers suggests that a great deal was learnt and that it was an enjoyable experience.
"Our thanks also go to Gilbert Stephens and the RILD at the RD & E for hosting us.
Exeter School pupils and staff were delighted to count seven alumni among the professional interviewers.
Former pupils Paul Keeling, Tim Lee, Steve Perring, Simon Lane, Malcolm Pratt, Paul Dunn and Kris Sum covered a broad range of careers areas including law, environment, business, engineering, finance and IT.
Director of Alumni Relations John Davidson said it was a pleasure to see so many Exonians who were impressed with the quality of answers given by current pupils.
Upper Sixth Former Daisy Game said the scheme was a very valuable experience, allowing those who took part to gain an important insight into the thought processes of both employers and university interviewers.
"We were encouraged to use a number of simple tools, from maintaining confident body language to comfortably talking about our achievements and skills, in order to conduct the best interview we could," said Daisy.
"Pupils left the day having been asked to consider a variety of thought provoking questions, ranging from 'what piece of art do you feel has most influenced the way we live today?', to 'how free do you feel within society?'.
"The day was a really useful introduction into the world of interviews."
Upper Sixth Former Ross Davidson said the interviews across the day provided a great opportunity to work on our interview technique and gain some insightful feedback from the professionals.
"These professionals also allowed many of us to further our knowledge in our respective fields as we discussed key issues with them and learnt more about their day-to-day jobs," said Ross.
"The interviewers helped us to came our nerves under pressure and develop our interview skills for upcoming university, and later employment, interviews. It was a fantastic day for everyone involved and we are very grateful for the interviewers for taking the time out to come and interview us."
