MAKE ME A GROWN UP
PROGRAMME 6: ALISON
BACKGROUND
Seventeen-year-old Alison lives in Newcastle. She left school two years ago with five GCSEs and has been job hunting ever since. She wants a job so that she can afford a 'nice life' with a car and holidays, things that her family cannot afford because they are unemployed.
Alison has had many interviews but has never completed one successfully. Most people suffer from interview nerves but Alison's reaction borders on the phobic. She is fearful and self-conscious in situations like interviews where people are judging her. Preparation intensifies her fear. By the time that she reaches an interview she is almost unable to function. Her extreme anxiety is obvious – breathing difficulties, flushed skin, clammy hands, an inability to think, tears, restlessness, rigid posture, closed body language, and a desire to escape as quickly as possible.
In conversation with Lisa, Alison reveals that she was bullied as a child. An operation solved the physical problem – protruding ears – but the psychological impact remains. Lisa helps Alison to see the connections between her childhood experiences, her lack of self-confidence and her fear of being evaluated by others. The mentoring team concentrates its efforts on helping Alison to:
- learn to relax and look confident even if she is not feeling it
- believe in herself
- sell herself to others
- dress with style.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EXERCISES
During the public relations exercise, Stephen uses basic relaxation techniques to reduce Alison's stress levels. These are simple exercises that can be used in any situation that generates anxiety, including the run-up to examinations. Alison's yoga homework builds on and develops the relaxation techniques used earlier. The space hopper exercise moves Alison's attention away from what other people think to what she is saying and how she is saying it. Her self-confidence increases. She communicates her ideas fluently and with greater passion. (For those wishing to replicate the activity, workable alternatives to space hoppers are pogo sticks and bouncy balls.)
THE MAKEOVER
The makeover shows how a smart casual outfit can be dressed up for an interview and down for a night out.
THE FINAL CHALLENGE
Alison's interview is for a two-year apprenticeship with a travel agency. Stephen and Lisa give a running commentary. This highlights what interviewees should be aiming to achieve in an interview – appearance, posture, body language, and tone and content of responses to interview questions.
