I have just returned from the 2017 Mock Interview Morning and the performance of our L6th students has made me so proud yet again. Those students now approach their final week of term and an exciting summer with much excellent practical advice from their interviewers and a boost in their confidence.

Preparing for the event, completing paperwork on time, investigating the interviewers’ professional backgrounds, rearranging diary clashes, waking early on a Saturday, preparing mentally for the interview and stepping into the EDM Foyer are crucial elements of this exercise. Every student who reaches that stage is a winner already.

The interview itself - either with a panel or individual - is a separate part of the morning. Inevitably, there is always something candidates can do to improve her or himself, but everyone excels. Every year, the interviewers are amazed at how much every student does and how well they express this... and 2017 was no different.

Students learn to sell themselves, and as well as receiving advice on how to sharpen their interview performance, they are given pertinent instruction on how to turn a silver performance into one that is golden. 

Bablake students are modest, humble, exciting to talk to and so clearly going to achieve in the future. In my 30 years at the school, that has always been the case and it is a delight to work with such impressive young people.

More will be said and discussed about this year’s event - LinkedIn is still a resource very few are using yet - but today was once again a very proud moment for me as Head of Careers seeing our interviewers - 60% of whom were former pupils - and current students interact so brilliantly and all stand out.