Having good interviewers is essential in schools as it ensures that the right person is hired to not just become an important part of your school & your team but also to represent & reflect your school values and principles.

A bad hire can be costly but also incredibly disruptive to everyone involved. Interviewer skills often need to learned as people can believe they can make decisions on gut instinct and a general chat, but this is never a good approach to interviews at any level in schools.

Having good interviewee skills is a key competency for all pupils in the final stages at schools, as they will be starting to move into employment or further education, and want to represent themselves in the best way possible.

These two courses look at the interview process from different ends, and provide skills, templates and role play activities to help develop mastery in these areas.

COURSE TOPICS - INTERVIEWER SKILLS
The Law – Equality Act 2010, what you can and cannot ask, positive action
Job Description – writing a spot on description
Assessing CVs/application forms – Prioritising competencies, screening & assessing, red flags, checking social media.
Preparing for Interview – Structuring interview questions – behavioural & situational, open ended and probing questioning. Questions to avoid. Planning skills tests / role playing.  Weighting and scoring. Who to include in interview. Cultural fit. Reducing interview bias by becoming aware of own biases. Reducing stress for interviewees. 
The interview – before the interview starts, as candidates arrive, first impressions, meet & greet and making people feel at ease. Introducing your culture and representing your school. Asking the planned questions and when to probe. Body language. Spotting red flags. 
After the interview – evaluating candidates fairly and consistently & making a decision. Additional interviews. Timely follow up. Making a conditional offer  - Pre employment checks & reference checks. Making a firm offer.
Mock interview examples to try.

COURSE TOPICS - INTERVIEWEE SKILLS
Preparing for interviews - Dealing with nerves, The practical details, Researching the organisation and job, Anticipating key questions
The Interview - Creating a positive first impression, What to wear, Body language & using your voice.  Getting to grips with interview questions and telling your story. Selling your strengths. Showing enthusiasm for the role & being engaging.  Great questions to ask the interviewer
Different interview types - Successful telephone and video. interviews. Giving presentations. Tests and exercises
Leaving a positive impression
After the interview

COURSE STRUCTURE
The sessions are delivered over the internet in pre-recorded format, where users can login at ANY TIME to follow the course. Notes, assignments and videos are provided on the online platform.  For the student course, we recommend following the online videos and then using the handout sheets, exercises, skill practice and mock interviews directly with the pupils.
 
These two session costs £99 for both per school.  It is also included free of charge in our Unlimited Training Package that includes all the Microsoft Office and other MS programs at all levels, School Finance, Staff  & Pupil wellbeing, GDPR and much more for £299 per school!  Find out more here.