Rotary prepares next generation of Aotea College job seekers

Job interviews can be one of the scariest parts of obtaining a first-time job for school leavers. Plimmerton Rotary just made this a whole lot easier for Year 12 &13 students at Aotea College as they prepare for the working world.

Over two days Rotarians put 55 students through their interview paces in a collaboration with Partners Porirua.

Partners Principal Advisor, Michelle Robinson, says the sessions were a huge success with some amazing feedback from students.

“I enjoyed the knowledge and reasoning behind the interview. It gave me a lot of insight on presenting myself,” said one Aotea College student.

Michelle says the student feedback was extremely positive with 60% rating the sessions ‘Awesome’ with another 37% saying it was ‘Pretty good’.

“There was a noticeable difference between the demeanour of the students reluctantly going in and then when they left, they were all buoyant and smiling saying how great it was.”

For many students this was their first interview experience with a stranger, and they said it has boosted their confidence and helped them feel better prepared.

“We had previously run these interview sessions with Rotary for many years but over Covid they had dropped away, and it has taken us quite some time to reboot the sessions – that’s why we’re so happy with how this went. For the students it was a chance to practise these skills and to feel more confident talking about themselves to different people.”

Colin Whyte, President of Plimmerton Rotary, said everyone involved from their end wants to do it again. “The staff and students were very friendly and welcoming.”

For Rotary it’s a chance to strengthen their commitment to changing lives and making lasting improvements in their communities around the world.

“We’d like to thank the Rotarians; they were so friendly and put everyone at ease – it was a really positive experience for the students. Not only that, but a couple of students were offered casual positions by those interviewing them!”

The session also opened the door for one young person interested in a career in the Police. “Partners Porirua is holding a Police recruitment session which we were able to link the student to,” says Michelle.

“We really appreciate the time from all these wonderful Rotary volunteers.   They really were great with the young people, and we are grateful to them for giving up their time to get involved.”

If your organisation would like to get involved in supporting Partners Porirua please contact us admin@partnersporirua.org.nz.