WOULD-BE interviewees gained useful advice and top tips at an Exeter College event that was the brainchild of members of Exeter’s Young Chamber.

Hosted in the Exeter Business Suite at Exeter College, students from across the College attended mock interviews given by representatives of the local business community who then provided constructive feedback. In some cases, they were experiencing for the first time what it is like to be asked questions by a prospective employer.

Jenny Lyons, Head of the Business and IT faculty at Exeter College, said: “The Business and IT Faculty set up the Young Chamber in collaboration with Exeter Chamber of Commerce more than a year ago. Since then, its members have been listening to both student and employer feedback on how best to develop employability skills, and this activity was the perfect opportunity to develop valuable skills to help learners prepare for when they leave college.”

Young Chamber President Sharena Sivlal, in the second-year of her BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Business, was among the Chamber members who organised the event. The 19-year-old from Exeter continued: “Young Chamber’s committee thought hard about what sort of event might be useful to young people at Exeter College going on to university or applying for jobs upon completion of their studies. We realised how our performance at interview can affect our future plans, so we decided advice on interview techniques would be ideal.

“We thought the only way of giving students a real feel for what an interview is like would be to invite in local successful employers. They would be able to ask challenging questions and offer students the useful feedback they needed. No two interviews will ever be alike in a person’s career, but a day like today will ensure they are ready to give their best from the start.”

Charlotte Hayes of the YESS Project, which offers a drop-in service for young entrepreneurs and is based on the College’s Victoria House site in Queen Street, added: “At interview, you need something that is going to give you the edge. Today was about giving young people a chance to find out what it might be like, but in a less pressured environment.”

The panel of employer representatives interviewing students were: Sarah Witheridge of WBW Solicitors, Rebecca Weaver of The Business Portal, Katie Ryan of Lloyds TSB, Hannah Murdock of Really Good Recruitment, and Rick Smith, Non-Executive Director of Devon Partnership NHS Trust. As well as judging would-be candidates on the quality of their responses, other aspects such as body language and presentation skills were also observed.

Speaking between seeing students, Rebecca Weaver, who runs The Business Portal, said: “It is important for young people to learn about face-to-face meeting and greeting and interview techniques, and to develop their existing skills so they are ready to use them in a real-life situation. At interview, everything from your initial handshake to how you talk about your personal attributes matters. I think today’s event is a great opportunity for young people to practice these skills.”

Katie Ryan, a Relationship Manager for Lloyds TSB, added: “It is nice to come here today as a member of the local business community and be able to help young people to get where they want to be in business in future. Recognising what is going to give you that edge at interview is so important. Standing out that little bit more could be the difference between you being offered the job rather than someone else.”

Among the Exeter College students attending on the day was John Paul Cristales, aged 19, of Exeter. In his second year of a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma Business course, he hopes to continue his studies at College next year and begin an HND in Business.

He said: “Today has been a really fantastic experience for me. I’d never been to an interview before. I wasn’t nervous at all and the interviewer was really helpful. She didn’t put any pressure on me and she helped me to express what I needed to say. The feedback was also very useful and it has been good for making contacts.”

Dale Morrish, aged 19, of Exeter – also a second year studying towards his Level 3 National Diploma in Business with a view to progressing to an HND at the College – said: “I’d been to a couple of interviews before for part-time jobs, but this one was more in-depth. An event like this is really useful for young people. It teaches you how to get yourself noticed at interview so that you can give it your best shot.”

Olga Shadura, aged 18, of Exeter, is in her first-year studying AS Biology, AS Chemistry, AS Maths and for her IT (Level 3 Certificate). She thought having the opportunity to take part in mock interviews was a great idea too.

She said: “It gives you a real picture of what you do when you go to an interview for a job or a university course. On the day, I was given good advice and quite a few tips which I will now use when I go for an interview. Also, the feedback I’ve was given was very helpful. It made me feel so much more confident about myself, because now I know the strengths and weaknesses I can improve.”