Four students from the Master’s in Psychology and Human Resources Development (PHRD) at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa took part in the “Speed Interviews” activity, integrated into the 2nd edition of the event “Charting Paths and Shaping Horizons in Vocational Education”, organised by Escola Secundária Augusto Gomes. The initiative enabled vocational education students to experience a simulated job interview and prepare for future challenges of entering the labour market.
The students Beatriz Pratas, Beatriz Silva Santos, Juliana Adrego and Rita Campos took on the role of interviewers, conducting individual interviews with students from the Software Development Technician, Multimedia Technician and Tourism Technician courses.
Ten minutes to develop skills for the future
Aimed primarily at 10th and 11th grade students, the activity, which took place on 30 October 2026, sought to introduce participants to some of the dynamics associated with recruitment and selection processes, encouraging them to reflect on their skills and experiences.
Each interview lasted approximately 10 minutes and focused on topics such as personal and professional skills, as well as experiences beyond school. At the end of the morning, the interviewers provided the students with overall feedback, including recommendations and good practices for future job interviews.
From the classroom to practice
The participation of the PHRD Master’s students continues a collaboration that began in the previous semester within the curricular unit “People Recruitment, Selection and Integration”, which involved the development of a project with Escola Secundária Augusto Gomes.
For Juliana Adrego, who had been involved in the partnership since the initial contacts, the experience enabled her to apply in practice the knowledge acquired throughout the master’s programme. “One of the aspects I valued most was precisely the preparation of the interviews. Designing the interview guides, adapting the questions to the different fields of study, and developing an observation grid provided opportunities to apply knowledge acquired in the People Recruitment, Selection and Integration curricular unit, particularly with regard to structuring interviews and identifying competencies relevant to different roles.”, she says.
Beatriz Pratas, who had also already participated in previous activities developed within the same partnership, highlights the value of the experience for both parties: “As I enjoyed the experience and considered it to be so important, both for us as future professionals in the field and for these students who will soon enter the labour market, I decided to take part once again in this project, through the Speed Interviews.”
An enriching experience for students and pupils
During the interviews, the master’s students had the opportunity to develop communication, active listening, adaptability, time management and interviewing-leading skills, while helping vocational education students to gain greater confidence in a situation commonly encountered during recruitment processes.
According to Juliana Adrego, the initiative proved to be more than a simple simulation: “During the activity, despite the short duration of the interviews, I also had the opportunity to put into practice communication, active listening and interviewing-leading skills, adapting my approach to the characteristics and experiences of each student. It was interesting to realise that, more than simulating a selection process, the activity also took on a guidance and feedback dimension, helping pupils to identify their strengths and areas where they could improve.”
For Beatriz Pratas, the participation reinforced the importance of practical experiences in both academic and professional journey: “This experience, in terms of my academic journey, enabled me, once again, to realise that learning does not happen only in the classroom; it also takes place when we challenge ourselves to go further and volunteer for projects such as this one, from which we emerge enriched. Professionally, it was a way of beginning to practise interviews, an activity that may form part of my future career.”
The activity formed part of the programme of the 2nd edition of Charting Paths and Shaping Horizons in Vocational Education, held on 29 and 30 October, which also included technical workshops and sessions dedicated to the development of transferable skills. Once again, the initiative highlighted the value of collaboration between higher education and secondary education in promoting employability and preparing young people for the challenges of the world of work.
