Posting for traffic - job interview presentation help needed please :)

[WellAlwaysHaveParis]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for posting so late. Posting for traffic

Just found out earlier today that I've got a job interview next week.

Part of the interview involves doing a short workshop (15 minutes) for four GCSE students on how to make good A level choices. There'll also be an assessor in the room during the interview, and I'll be assessed on how I adapt to the needs of the group of students and how I communicate with them.

I've done a plan of the workshop, and have come up with this so far:

1. I explain to the students what we'll be doing:

• introduce myself and ask for students' names
• ask if they know what I'll be doing with them (acts as a 'hook' to get them interested and curious)
• tell them what we're doing if they don't already know.

2. Explain why we're doing it:

• ask students why we're doing this before I explain it to them
• making good A level choices can help to decide what you want to do later on in life (e.g. whether you go to university or go straight into work after leaving school at 18)

3. Explain how we'll do it:

• knowing your passions and strengths help you decide which A levels you might want to study ('passion + strength = good course choice')

4. Summarise what we covered in the session:

• ask each student to name one thing they learned or took from the session
• what we did, why we did it, how we did it.

How does this sound?

I think the trickiest bits for me will be keeping things moving, as some of the students might be quieter and some will maybe want to speak more than others, so I want to help all students to contribute and still keep the discussion interesting, snappy and moving. I want to keep it all really energetic, and be really relatable so I can build a good rapport with the students as quickly as possible.

I haven't prepared any handouts or resources yet; just wondering if it's a good idea, as I reckon 15 minutes will go really quickly and I've got a lot to get through.

Thanks everyone! :)

Bump :)

When in the schedule are they actually doing 'it' though? Are you (for example) giving them say 1 Mon to write down the top 3 things they find most interesting in n life, eg: music, fashion, travel? Or are you putting them in pairs and instructing them to, ' spend the next two mins talking in pairs about your hobbies and passions them relay to the group their partners interests?

*min NOT Mon

Jeeezz. Awful mistakes in my writing, sorry it's late&no glasses on!

Sounds like a tough gig. Some may already know what their goals are re: A levels leading to future to degree course or work. Maybe establish whether some have already decided?

It sounds like you will be presenting to kids who will achieve enough GCSES to go on to A Level, so, they will not want witter. However, 15 mins is a bit short.

No professional experience btw apart from being a parent.

I don't envy you but good luck and
please come back and let us know how it goes.

What is the job? (Like teacher?)

Thanks so much for your replies Tired and Domino :)

Tired that's a really good point - thanks :) I think, after I've explained why we're discussing A level choices, I'll ask if any of them have decided their A levels already.

That also leads really well onto the point that Domino brought up (about when I'll make the subject - making good A level choices- interactive and into a proper workshop). For now, I think I've made it into more of a presentation than a workshop

I'll do the workshop bit after I explain the 'how' bit of the workshop (point 3). And then I'll ask the students to get into pairs to discuss their passions and strengths for three minutes and to suggest A level ideas to each other based on each others' passions and strengths (there are three of them, so I'll ask two students to work together, and I'll work with one of the students.

Timings are going to be tough, I think

Hopefully these sorts of timings might work:

1. What we'll do: 3 minutes
2. Why we'll do it: 3 minutes
3. How we'll do it: 6 minutes
4. Summary: 3 minutes

R2G it's not a teaching job, but it's working for a charity that looks at addressing educational disadvantage and how to encourage children to go to university.

Ah, now you have explained your role I understand. If (I'm assuming) you are targeting marginalised young people, you could offer some inspirational chat/examples? I do think at their age it is often the case that they have decided, at least for the next few years. Btw, sounds like a fab job. So difficult.

Mmmm. But it's not just about getting into uni. It's about what do you want to do with your life? So what sort of course at uni would enable you to do that? So what A levels would you need to go on that? Does that fit your passions and strengths? If not, is there something similar that would?

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the really late update!!

I’ve now had the interview, and was told by the person who was assessing the presentation that they thought it went really well.

I was hoping for good news overall, but expecting the worst. Unfortunately, I had an email a couple of days later to say that I hadn’t been successful, so I’ve asked for feedback and will do my best to learn from it :)

Awww sorry. Post again with any feedback they give, posters may be able to help for next time.