Interviews can feel daunting for all of us, and particularly for young people who may have limited work experience or interview practice. Through our work at Form the Future, we meet many young people with a wide range of strengths, skills, and interesting stories to share. However, they can sometimes struggle to recognise and talk about these, particularly with someone new to them.
Here are some practical tips and advice for parents and carers supporting young people through interviews, whether these are for work experience, apprenticeships, full-time or part-time jobs.
Researching the company
If your child has been invited for an interview, their CV or application will have been strong and the company is already interested in them so you should congratulate them on getting this far. Encourage them to thoroughly research the opportunity being applied for so they can confidently express their interest in it during the interview. Help them to be curious and offer to explore the details together, going back to the company website as well as the job description and person specification. You could use a highlighter pen together to draw attention to key words in the job description, skills and qualities that the employer is looking for.
Knowing their skills and strengths
The interviewer is likely to ask about what is written in the application, so encourage your child to revisit their CV, cover letter and/or copy of their application form.
Young people should reflect on their skills and experiences and how these may relate to the opportunity they are being interviewed for. Help them select relatable examples from school, hobbies, or previous experiences. They don’t need an extensive list to impress but just reflect on and express what they have learned and achieved from different experiences.
Many young people find it hard to talk about themselves in a positive way. It’s also quite likely that your child has little or no previous experience of work as it’s increasingly hard to get a Saturday job or similar these days. Teenagers often tell us that they have no hobbies or interests worthy of being discussed. This is where you can help them to see that they don’t need to have been a prefect or a team captain or have led an expedition to the South Pole! Employers simply want to have a two-way conversation about normal life experiences to see what the interviewee is like as a person and whether they will fit in. It’s fine for young people with little work experience to talk about cooking a family meal (which shows organisational skills and time management), getting shopping for an elderly relative (shows they are caring and reliable) or helping Grandad to build a shed (practical skills).
If you’re interested in looking at a structured way of highlighting skills and experience for use in a job interview, we can recommend using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). You can find out more at the link below and share this with your child: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice/the-star-method
Practice Makes Perfect
You can help your child to practise answering common interview questions at home, as repetition helps calm nerves and sharpen responses. There are many websites that can offer lists of typical questions that are asked by employers. Here is one of them: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/top-10-interview-questions
Also encourage your child to think about their body language. Nerves are natural, but by sitting up, smiling, looking at the interviewer this will help build rapport and confidence.
Practicalities
Offer support with planning for the interview, from practising the journey to getting their clothes ready beforehand. Helping with these can offer real practical assistance and help relieve anxiety.
Prepare Questions to Ask
Suggest preparing questions about the role, training, environment or culture to show genuine interest. Encourage your child to think about what they are hoping to learn or gain from the position too, and if it helps, take these notes along to the interview.
As a final thought, it might be helpful to remind your child that the adults who are interviewing are usually somebody’s Mum, Dad, aunt or uncle, are on their side and willing them to do well.
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