Careers Day 2020

A day out of lessons to ruminate on their future post Monkton may sound relaxing but Year 12 were certainly put through their paces for Careers Day 2020. After a short presentation on the changes they can expect in the jobs market over their careers, they were thrown into a variety of practical workshops. 

Inspiration came in the form of a talk on gap years. Golden beaches, beautiful conservation projects, charity placements, paid work overseas, the videos of pre-lockdown trips seemed like a distant world for some but a tantalising reminder nonetheless, that the possibilities are endless as we look forward to the world opening up again.

Some training in soft skills followed, with the opportunity to think about workplace etiquette, what our body language tells people about us and the importance of networking. It all got a little more daunting as they practised their “elevator pitches” on each other and looked at some presentation and communication skills.

If comfort zones had been pushed before, they were left well behind in the next workshop. After a short discussion of interview skills they were straight into the high pressure world of multiple mini interviews. “Tell me about a time you have failed”... “What are you most scared of?”... “If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?”... The questions came in thick and fast and every response was scrutinised by the interviewer and peer observers. It only got more intense when some of our braver Year 12s got the opportunity to sit in the hot seat for a mock online interview applying for a job at a stationary company. “Sell me this pen” is not as easy as it might sound with 20 onlookers but with some self-reflection and positive feedback from the crowd, they learned lots from their baptism of fire.

Finally they had definitely earned that quiet contemplation time as students reflected on what they had learned. Logging on to their careers profiles, they considered how their freshly honed skills could be put to use in the careers they have been investigating, researched  whether a degree or another entry route was the best way into their dream job, or checked their skills tracker to see the next area they need to work on.

Time to go back to lessons for a rest I think.

Matt Pringle - Careers