Appear the Part
We ask all our students to work to be the best Scholar, Citizen and Ambassador they can be. In all of these, first impressions count. We make this fact explicit to our students.
All employers will judge your son/daughter when they meet them. We train our students to be an open-faced, confident citizen who will be eager to help.
Employers who come into our academy are asked to comment on the following check-list. You will, as a parent, want to support our academy in telling your son/daughter that this is how they need to be. Look through this list and check whether you think your son/daughter would pass this first impressions test.
Appearing the part checklist
- Did they act sensibly when they first met the employer?
- Was their appearance smart? Even if they are in school uniform their tie should be business like, top button done up and they shouldn’t be chewing gum!
- Their hair should be neat and tidy and out of their face.
Body language
- Did they make good eye contact?
- Did they shake your hand?
- Did they introduce themselves?
- Did they sit comfortably? Did they fidget or pick their nails?
- Was their voice calm?
Outside interests and achievements
- Did they talk openly and enthusiastically about their hobbies and interests or did you have to drag the information out of them?
- Could they identify their achievements?
Evidence of teamwork, leadership, getting on with other people
- Were they able to give an example of being a good team player?
- Could they identify when they had taken control of a situation?
Communication skills
- How clearly did they speak?
- Were their answers interesting and did they include relevant information?
- Did they come across as a confident person when they spoke?
Overall performance
- Could you highlight an area that the student excelled in?
- Could you identify areas that the student could develop?