At our November Interview Prep & Pizza event, nine professionals from three corporate partners introduced a group of young people to different job interview styles and techniques. A big thank you to our partners at Baringa, Destilled and AS Financial.

Sweaty hands, restless feet, a dry mouth… sounds familiar? Despite living in a digitalised world with lengthily application forms, video interviews and assessment centres, the classic face-to-face interview is still one of the most dreaded stages when applying for the job you want. Especially for young people the job interview can easily become a very uncomfortable experience; the smart dress feels a bit alien; the corporate environment appears intimidating; having to talk to people they’ve never met before. On top of that, there’s the pressure of actually performing well.

Recognising all these various factors our ‘Interview Prep & Pizza’ puts a positive and fun spin to the classic interview training. Interviewers come from a diverse range of industries and all have experience of HR and recruitment. This puts them into a great position to help our young people understand and tackle different interview styles; from traditional CV-based interviews, to competency-based questions, to creative interview approaches.

Each participant will go around the room completing multiple interviews. They have approximately 7 minutes to convince the interviewer that they’re the right person for the job before the buzzer jolts and they’re provided with instant feedback on their performance; feedback which they can take away and instantly try to implement at the next table.