
This weekend we held a further Interview Workshop & Debating session for our members with so many interviews around the corner. As with past workshops, this functioned as both a standalone session, but also a follow-up to those of last term. It was an excellent group setting and important for group assessments/interviews and also zoom interviews that are frequently part of the process. It also made for a challenging session for those keen to work on their debating skills - with so many unseen examples to tackle. We were again very impressed with the contributions from the group, their concentration, attention to detail and the speed with which they took on new points/guidance.
We covered:
Reading questions - wonderful to hear the various selections of fiction and non-fiction and why one should read each example given
Core questions, including 'your greatest achievement / or what are you most proud of?'
Negative questions, e.g. 'have you ever made a mistake or done something wrong at school'; and 'what do you find most challenging at school' and how to pivot to a positive response in each case.
Philosophical thinking, Current affairs and Debating problems - from whether to boycott England's ICC Champions Trophy cricket match with Afghanistan over the treatment of the Afghanistan women's team, to whether leaders should be honest? (following the passing of former President Jimmy Carter), and in light of the events in LA with wildfires, whether we should act now on climate change?
On voting:
(i) 73% voted in favour of continuing to play the cricket match; 27% voted for a boycott.
(ii) 73% felt leaders do need to be honest, with 27% against.
(iii) 91% argued in favour of acting now on climate change; with 9% against with a focus on greater space discovery.
As with our previous sessions we focussed on how to avoid prompting and crucially how to add detail to responses/answers with self promotion in mind. Again we reminded or introduced to the group the importance of mind-maps for personalisation.
We also discussed vocabulary, with an extended example on the word 'Oak' inspired by reference to Tolkien.
Top tips from the session:(i) Remember Author's name when discussing Reading Book.(ii) Keeping Positive throughout & Smiling.(iii) Why School? - with a personalised response - looking at specifics at the school relating to your favourite subjects/hobbies/interests etc. (iv) Keeping up with the news/current affairs between now and the interview.(v) Being proactive in a group interview setting.(vi) Thinking about a favourite object/award or achievement to talk about.(vii) Who is the Mayor of London? (Sadiq Khan) - and what would you do/change if you were the Mayor for a day?
Well done all and best of luck!
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