Practice Interview Event - October 2024
Applications are now closed.
Thank you to the Business Disability Forum for use of their image.
How it works and your commitment
Interviews are a difficult and stressful workplace hurdle that everyone has to face.
Especially so for people who stutter who often experience bias in interviews that favour spoken fluency over substance. We also face difficult decisions about whether, when and how, to disclose our stutter.
It’s a “lose-lose” situation. People who stutter miss out on the right roles for our talents while employers miss out on talented employees, who often have strengths in resilience, empathy, creativity and listening.
This is where our online Practice Interview events come in.
What are our Practice Interview events?
Supported by leading employers, we offer interview practice for those of us who stutter – as well as for those interviewing us.
We provide the opportunity to practice your interview skills in an online, judgement-free environment and to learn from people who really want you to succeed.
For employers, it’s also a great chance to learn about attracting, interviewing and recruiting candidates who stutter.
Who can participate?
You can get involved whether you stutter or as an ally who doesn’t stutter.
If you stutter, you can participate as an interviewee or an interviewer to improve your skills in either role.
If you don’t stutter and your job includes interviewing, you can participate as an interviewer. You may work in diversity, equity & inclusion, talent attraction or perhaps be in a management role.
Interviewees must be age 18 or over and interviewers must be age 25 or over.
How much time will I need to commit?
You’ll need to commit a minimum of 5-6 hours over 21st-28th October to cover your preparation, the educational briefing, CV review, one interview and the group feedback session. If you have more than one interview, you will need to add an additional 2 hours per interview for your preparation, interview and feedback.
What will the event cover?
With a blend of education, interviews, feedback and further learning sessions, the event is designed to be valuable for everyone involved.
More specifically, the goal of each practice interview will be determined by the interviewee. For example, practicing for an interview for:
- a first job
- a new job
- a promotion
- something else
For more information and feedback on previous events, see our Practice Interview section.
When is it?
The event will run from Monday 21 - Monday 28 October. Please be aware that participants need to commit a minimum of 5 hours to the event over the course of the week, including an educational session on Monday 21 October, which is mandatory and lasts 1.5 hours.
What’s included?
All times will be in UK time (GMT).
1. Monday 21 October: Mandatory Educational Briefing for all participants - 90 mins
To accommodate participants from different time zones, you have the choice of which mandatory briefing session you attend.
a) 12.30 - 13.55pm - Europe, Africa, Asia and Pacific
b) 17.30 - 18.55pm - Europe, Africa, Asia and Americas
Please note: to help ensure the quality of the experience, it is mandatory for all participants to attend one of the Educational briefing sessions. Non-attendance will result in withdrawal from the programme.
2. Wednesday 23 October: 13.00 - 14.00pm - UK time: Optional learning session 'Exploring the intersectionality between stuttering and other human characteristics'.
3. Monday 21 to Monday 28 October: Online practice interviews and feedback sessions – 1 hour each (arranged by participants contacting your interviewer/interviewee).
4. Monday 28 October: 16.00 - 17.00pm: Community sharing of experiences and learning from practice interviews.
How are the interviews arranged?
The majority of the practice interviews offered will be 1:1.
We will offer a small number of 1:2 practice panel interviews (1 interviewee and 2 interviewers).
We will create interview pairs / panels by using the information you provide to us to match you with your interviewee(s) / interviewer(s).
We will then advise you of the name and contact details of your interviewee(s) / interviewer(s) by 14 October.
You should then contact them to agree the timing and platform you will use for your interview e.g. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangout etc.
Further details will be provided nearer to the event.
What’s the timing of the interviews and feedback?
Interviews should take place any time between the initial Educational Briefing (Monday 21 October) and the community feedback session (Monday 28 October).
Each interview should last for an hour, including time for personalised feedback, between the interviewer and interviewee.
The community sharing and learning session, on Monday 28 October, is a wonderful opportunity to share your experiences and learn from others, including from participants from different countries and cultures.
What about different cultures?
Our events always attract people from different countries bringing a diversity of cultures and attitudes towards stuttering. Therefore, it’s possible that you’ll be paired with someone from a different country and time zone with the learning and networking opportunities that brings.
What about different languages?
The group sessions will all be held in English. Interviews will also be in English, unless you agree otherwise with your interviewer/interviewee.
How can I apply?
There are separate application forms for interviewees and interviewers.
These are posted at the top of this page.
When is the closing date for applications?
Applications closed on Wednesday 2 October.
Whom can I contact?
If you have any further questions, please email us at events@50millionvoices.org.
Please note all information regarding the Practice Interviews will be communicated via email.
Thank you for your interest in our event.
Donations
We are a small charity/not-for-profit and this event consumes a lot of our resources to organise and run. To help us cover our event costs, please make a donation in recognition of the value you expect to gain from participating. Any amount is welcome; it all adds up to enabling us to offer similar opportunities to more people who stutter in the future.