Applying for jobs

Invite a business volunteer to assist young people with the employability skills needed to help them find a job such as CV workshops and mock interviews.

What is an Applying for a Job Encounter?

An Applying for Jobs encounter allows you to focus on the functional skills young people need to find a job in a supportive and insightful way by drawing on the business volunteers' real-world experience. The format is flexible and can include:

• CV Workshops - interactive individual or group support sessions to help students write a CV and cover letter to match their skill set and aspirations.
• Writing an application form - similar to a CV workshop but expanded to include other topics involved in application forms such as personal statements
• Mock Interviews - invite business volunteers into schools to hold practice interviews for their students, which are an emulation of a job interview used for training purposes. The exercise usually resembles a real interview as closely as possible, for the purpose of providing a learning experience for students.

N.B. The educator determines the event format. The class size will have an impact on the format, if you are looking for intensive support please get in touch with community@founders4schools.org.uk so we can help with the booking process.

What is the impact of an Applying for a Job Encounter?

This encounter can help to improve students’ confidence and teach them valuable skills such as developing a CV or it can offer a safe space to practice interview techniques. It offers a real-life context which has a noticeable impact upon the attitude young people have towards the world of work, and their place within it. By demystifying some of the processes and terminology they can become empowered and can clearly identify how to express their own skills and learning in a context which will secure them employment.

The key to success is that the students have a chance to prepare ahead of time and understand this is a great learning opportunity to practice their skills and build their confidence and there is some follow up after the encounter.

Impact Quotes:

‘If you’ve done it right you can then use that in later life, and feel like you’ve got the skills then that matter that you can take forward to any job that you want to apply for’- Pupil, West Hill School.

One pupil said they felt it would be ‘useful to learn more about how to write a CV specifically tailored towards a particular career instead of being more general’.

“In Year 10 (aged 14 and 15), before we started our first work placements, our whole year group was asked to do mock interviews and we went to…an external place, so we had interviews with adults…and we were given time, in coaching time to prepare for the mock interviews. We [were] asked questions that you’d be asked in an actual interview. It was good, because it gave you an insight in what an actual interview would be like.”

“I was able to experience certain fears and also areas for improvement … I’ve got an interview for a college coming up so the mock interview was a really good way of me knowing what to do, what not to do, how to approach it and how to overcome fears and certain emotions when I’m going into the interview.”

This encounter will help and support you to meet the following Gatsby Benchmarks:

1.A stable careers programme

Our digital platform enables time-poor educators to create a structured careers programme quickly and simply. We provide educators with clear guidance on the types of events they can book and, using smart algorithms, make recommendations on which speakers and volunteers will have the most impact.

3. Addressing the needs of each pupil

With our advanced filtering system, we put control of the student-employer encounter firmly in the hands of the educator, ensuring they can select speakers who are best suited to inspire their students. Educators can filter by industry, gender, race, company revenue and growth.

5. Encounters with employers and employees

Our service connects children and young people directly with business leaders from their local communities. Our digital platform recommends a varied programme of careers encounters including career talks, speed mentoring, enterprise activities and workplace visits, all of which can be booked instantly through our platform.

7. Encounters with further and higher education

We enable educators to connect with a wide range of employers and employees who can speak to young people about their career path. By providing a diverse perspective on how they have approached their careers, students will be able to understand the different academic and vocational routes that are available to them.

8. Personal guidance

Using our clever digital platform, Founders4Schools is able to take into consideration the individual needs of educators and students. This means we can guide them towards encounter types and potential speakers to ensure they have the greatest impact.

Career Education Standard - I Can!

Here is one example per level of the areas of the "I can" framework that would typically be covered by engaging your young people in an employability event. Download the mapping document for more!

By the end of second level

• I can apply my skills to get more information about jobs/careers.

By the end of BGE

• I can manage my profile, share it appropriately and justify my choice of evidence.

By the end of Senior Phase

• I can draw appropriately on evidence from my skills profile to help me complete application forms, create CVs and when practising interview techniques.

Click below for more detailed Curricular Mapping

Curricular Mapping and useful research

From our research we found that this encounter type is most appropriate for the development of young people from 14 and up. Older pupils approaching decisions about post-16 or post-18 education and training participate in workshops targeting specific career readiness skills. For pupils aged 15 and 16, this includes sixth form or college application writing workshops. For pupils aged 17 and 18, this might involve university and training application workshops, CV writing, and interviewing technique.

Do read the full report to get more information and context on this!

Get Started

We understand that your time as an educator is limited, which is why we have made our service as quick and easy as possible.

We will reach out to guest speakers on your behalf and update you every step of the way, until the visit is completed.

Simply click the link below to search for Business Leaders in your local area and get started.