Students put through their paces at mock interviews

Penguin PR was among a number of firms who took part in virtual mock interviews for school pupils organised by Enterprise4Education (E4E).

E4E, an organisation led by Derby City Council that helps young people raise their career aspirations, in partnership with Murray Park Community School’s Tim Taylor, arranged the interviews for the Year 11 students.

All Year 11 students at the Mickleover school were given the opportunity to participate in the interviews, which usually take place on site but, due to the coronavirus, took place virtually.

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Each interviewer asked the pupils questions about their ambitions and aspirations post-16, such as ‘what skills and qualities do you think employer’s value and why?’

The students, who had prepared for the interview beforehand, were then scored on their answers.

E4E delivers activities such as CV workshops, mock interviews and Enterprise Challenge Days, which are designed to improve the employability skills of pupils in the city’s secondary schools.

Arshad Iqbal, E4E manager, said: “We have been so impressed with the students who have been confident, polite, articulate and who coped so well with the intermittent technical problems.

“Our thanks must also go to the volunteers who took part and gave such valuable feedback on the event.

“It has been a challenging year for everyone and I’m proud that we were still able to hold this event under the current restrictions. Hopefully, in 2021, we will be able to deliver our mock interviews in person at schools across the city and county.”

Kerry Ganly, from Penguin PR, said: “There were a few technical issues, which the students dealt with admirably.

“They showed resilience and maturity to persevere and, as many of us have been finding, these issues do occur in ‘real life’, so it was a good test for them.

“All of the students were impeccably dressed and spoke articulately. I’m looking forward to seeing where their career paths take them over the next few years.”