Engaging with Young Job-Seekers

In November, Action Appointments staff attended a workshop facilitated by YearBeyond, a one-year employability programme for youth to get skills for the job market. Many of these youth come from schools and home environments that could not adequately prepare them for the process of making a strong job application, which is something our staff have a lot of experience with.

YearBeyond aims to provide 18 to 25 year-olds with a meaningful work experience and a pathway to further studies or work

AA staff reviewed CVs of more than 40 young people at two events, performed mock interviews and gave them 1-on-1 feedback. This was to make the process of finding a job less intimidating, and to give them a simulated experience of selling themselves in a job application process.

As director of Action Appointments I really value the opportunity to share some of our recruitment skills and experience with young people at the start of their journeys. Being able to provide hints for writing excellent motivation letters and producing simple and effective CVs is a huge pleasure. From our recruitment experience we know how important it is to get these documents right. We really enjoyed ourselves at Beautiful Gate and at the YearBeyond career fair and hope to add value next year as well. - Lisa Garson, Executive Director

Action Appointments staff field questions from young graduates of the YeBo programme

The staff found it rewarding to share our knowledge of how to structure CVs, what strengths to emphasise in different interviews, and how to market your skills and experience as relevant to the job requirements. We were often surprised by how much these youth have already accomplished in their communities and personally.

Being able to share CV and motivational letter writing, as well as interview tips with the amazing young people from YearBeyond was such a fulfilling experience for me. I was inspired by their eagerness to engage and really pay attention to what was being said. They asked questions and also shared their previous job interview experiences. Their facilitators have done a great job at ensuring that these young people get exposure to opportunities and thus give us as “industry specialists” an opportunity to be able to share our passion, knowledge and skills with them. - Joy Ngaphu, Recruitment Assistant

Our staff took part in one-on-one mock interviews and feedback sessions

We look forward to working more with YearBeyond, and would welcome other programmes that would like Action Appointments to visit their youth and assist them in putting their best foot forward when entering the job market.

Many young people were interested in the tips shared by our staff