How can you have passed, but still feel like you might have failed?
Getting A Level results and not achieving what you hoped can make you feel like you’ve failed, even though actually you’ve passed.
Year 13 student Alex was unsure about what was coming up after A levels, but he felt it was unlikely to be university. Many 6th Formers tell me that as a ‘non-uni’ student, they can fall into a black hole, and don’t get really meaningful support. Other students’ UCAS Personal Statements are scrutinised - but often no-one even sees their CV.
Luckily for Alex, his school put him & his Mum in touch with me, & we were able to start working together.
Alex’s A Levels were the 3 science subjects, but he was unsure what job opportunities there in science with A Level entry…and whether there were any laboratories locally. And anyway 2 x D grades and an E grade didn’t fill him with job-seeking confidence.
We created his CV and looked for opportunities to add some value to it….a key thing was to join the Royal Society of Biology as a student member for just £5. That looked great on his CV! 👏
We searched & found that there were a bunch of ‘science’ companies based within 5-10 miles of Alex’s home...so we knew there would be career opportunities.
And then a Trainee Lab Assistant role was shared on a local Facebook community group by a major brand. The perfect opportunity, and he looked like a great candidate - relevant A Levels + lives locally + really into science.
We worked together on interview technique and coached Alex on how to deliver a presentation on something he liked doing - he chose to talk about his favourite X Box games.
He smashed the interview, nailed the presentation….and got the job!
With a starting salary of £20,000 straight out of 6th Form 🤩 and a job-role he really wanted, Alex has shown that with focus, effort and a bit of coaching……those ‘disappointing’ A Level grades were a gateway a brilliant job.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
👍 Don’t let your grades define your aspirations
🔎 Find opportunities to add value to your CV
🎮 Talking about X Box games can get you a great lab job!