The beauty of experience

Our Young Careers service continues to bring employers and students together, helping bridge the transition from education to employment for young people in London.

Year 10 students from Hendon School were given the opportunity to practice their interview skills with global cosmetics giant L’Oréal on Monday.

L’Oréal representatives from the UK and Ireland, Katie and Karina spent more than two hours with the students as part of Young Careers, Reed in Partnership’s careers advice pilot.

Karina, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility; and Katie, Senior Talent Acquisition Manager, held mock interviews with 14 students who were eager to hone their interview techniques and learn what to expect from the real deal.

In the week before the interviews, students were asked to select from a range of typical L’Oréal roles, such as Beauty Adviser or Marketing Team Assistant, and prepare for the one that appealed to them the most.

During the one-to-one interviews, students were asked about their achievements, strengths, and what they thought they could bring to the role. They were challenged on their awareness of the L’Oréal brand and why they thought they would be an asset to the organisation.

After each interview, Katie and Karina gave students detailed feedback relating to their performance, highlighting where they thought they excelled, and giving tips on where they could improve. Students were also given advice around how to use their school and extra-curricular activities to demonstrate certain skills, in place of the workplace experience that many young people lack.

Hendon School student Renee was the first to be interviewed. She said: “I enjoyed today, it filled my confidence when it comes to interviews, and I now know what should happen during an interview.

“It will definitely help towards future interviews.”

Another student, Louise, who recently moved to London from South Africa, said:

“I felt like I learnt a lot about how to present myself when going for an interview and I’ve learnt how to research the right information about the specific place you’re trying to work at.

“Everyone here has never really had an interview because we’re only 15, so it’ll definitely help us get an idea of what it’s going to be like when it happens.”

Young Careers is an Education and Skills Funding Agency pilot designed to help develop new and effective ways of providing careers support to school students. It is co-funded by the European Social Fund.