If you had to design a new Pret a Manger sandwich in a group, what would you choose and why?
How would you market it? What would it cost? How about packaging? And more importantly, what individual skills would you bring to the team to guarantee the best product?
This was the conundrum put to UTC Heathrow Y13s this morning at a fabulous Employability Skills Workshop.
It wasn’t because we felt peckish, it was instead to encourage the groups to put egos to one side and instead work as team, in much the same way they might be expected to at a group interview or assessment centre.
Dami Dami Osei-Bonsu, a careers counsellor with Pathway CTM delivered the session, with the support of some of ALET employer partners from JLL Vertiv CBRE and LMG acting as group mentors. The aim of the session was to get the students, who may be applying for apprenticeships or universities or even jobs, to understand how they can best present themselves in group interviews and assessment centres.
Some tasty solutions were offered as the teams presented their lunchtime creations, including a gluten free protein packed sourdough; a low-cal peri-peri taste sensation and the winning snack – a kid-friendly sarnie with a small selection of dips of fillings for children to build their own.
“The team efforts were great,” said Christopher Rees from CBRE. “My advice to improve would be to designate a team leader and maybe divide the tasks up more evenly so that more can be accomplished in the time. And also it’s really important to make sure everyone’s ideas are heard – if you are team leader you need to make sure you tap into everyone and make sure they are engaging.”
This fun task led on to a q&a on group interviews and apprenticeships – many of our employers had in fact started as apprentices themselves. They spoke about they types of apprenticeships their companies offer, as well as their own routes in to their roles. Some of the advice they gave the students was to:
“Even if you are aiming for a degree apprenticeship, don’t be afraid to go in at a lower level as that’s where you’ll learn the basics and you can work your way up as you’ll have a foot in the door.” Jacob Blackwell, LMG
“I always look at experience rather than qualifications, so try and match whatever experience you do have to the skills that are asked for in the spec,” Tom Callaghan, JLL
“LinkedIn is great for proactively contacting companies directly – it shows enthusiasm that might make you stand out,” Michael Dell, Vertiv
Ace the assessment centre
Dami gave the group an overview on what to expect at assessment centres- usually a one on one interview, a group task and psychometric tests – and our employers offered these tips :
- Research the company and the position you are after
- Be prepared to make the most of yourself – promote any achievements you have gained in your UTC experience that match what is required.
- Think about the questions you may be asked and how you might answer these. Take your time to speak and make sure that any questions you have are well thought through and don’t be afraid of asking the interviewers’ questions.
- Show your willingness to work with different people in different departments.
- Encourage everyone to speak and actively listen.
- Preparation is always good – but don’t over prepare. Be ready to roll with it.
- Be prepared to learn in every assessment you go to. Apprenticeships are super competitive so its unrealistic to suppose you are going to get every one. Learn and improve on your performance and note what things you like about each role.
- Be yourself – an assessment centre is not only for the recruiter, but for you to assess whether the jobs suitability is for you
If you are looking for an apprenticeship, you can boost your chances by exploring the Pathway CTM programme here, or ask your careers lead for more details. https://pathwayctm.com
