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UFS Mock Interviews: Shaping career-ready graduates and tackling unemployment

23 May 2025 | Story Lilitha Dingwayo | Photo Lunga Luthuli

To get senior and postgraduate students ready for the world of work, the University of the Free State (UFS) Division of Career Services’ Placement Preparation Day, which was initiated in 2023, has grown into an annual workshop – Mock Interview Day – with this year’s event taking place in the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Held on 14 and 15 May 2025, this UFS initiative – aimed at addressing employability – has evolved through the implementation of several educational subdivisions tasked with the responsibility of assisting all registered students understand the professional environment. One of these divisions is the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) ‘Graduate Attributes’ – an initiative that seeks to assess a student’s development of valuable attributes during lectures.

According to Belinda Janeke, Assistant Director of Career Services, “Feedback indicates that most students have no interview experience – a critical factor. It is through these mock interviews that students’ confidence is built and their transition from student to employee is smoothened.”

With the assistance of staff members and employees in conducting the interviews, the two-day initiative has seen evident success in both attendance and reach. “Yesterday we had about 90 students come in for the mock interviews and all of them stated that it was their first time being interviewed,” said Janeke. “Even though our office is situated on the Bloemfontein Campus, we also visit the South and Qwaqwa campuses to ensure accessibility across all three UFS campuses,” Janeke added. Emphasising results, she shared that in the 12 years she has been working in this division, student engagement has grown due to improvements in technology.

Career Services sends out letters and emails on the 11th of each month to recognise the achievements of students who have used their services. In collaboration with the UFS’ Vision 130, more directions are being explored across the three campuses, starting with the cross-campus Shoe Camp project.

This initiative targets all UFS students, prioritising senior individuals on the cusp of job hunting. “As a postgraduate student, I am looking into getting a job next year and I have never been interviewed before, so I needed the trial run to get more information on accurate interview etiquette,” said Aphiwe Mbutuma, an Administration honours student. Mbutuma said the support she received from the staff was crucial in boosting her confidence for her next interview. She further described the experience as an eye-opener, adding that students should seize these opportunities to understand what is expected of them. Zukile Daki, a second-year student in the Faculty of Law, said: “I once bombed an interview, so I came here to improve, and it went well.”

News Archive

Team UFS flexes its debating muscles

2015-08-07

Photo: Nkahiseng Ralepeli debates his way to the finals of the English as a First Language category at the UCT Open.

Team UFS flexes its debating muscles

Friday 24 July 2015 marks the day when the University of the Free State Debating Society (UFDS) outperformed the University of Cape Town (UCT) at the UCT 150^th anniversary celebration of its debating union.

Representing Kovsies were Zola Valashiya, Ntsapi ‘Neko, Nkahiseng Ralepeli, Lehakoe Masedi, and Thabang Thembani, who fought bravely for a spot in the finals.

Masedi and Ralepeli broke into the semifinals after seven preliminary rounds, eventually winning the competition. The two students were up against three UCT teams, comprising the current National Champions and Pan African finalists.

This follows the debaters’ outstanding performance at the 2015 South African National University Debating Championship (SANUDC), hosted by the University of Venda. The UFDS commemorated a decade in existence by participating in its 10^th national tournament.

After nine preliminary rounds, two teams broke into the grand finals of the two categories: English as a second language (ESL) and English as a first language (EFL). Devon Watson and Nkahiseng Ralepeli were the EFL team who fought their way through to the finals, beating UCT and the University of Botswana.

The inaugural Wits Women’s Debate Open (2014) title holders, Lerato Leteane and Lehakoe Masedi, represented Kovsies as the ESL finalists against the University of Nambia. The ladies rose to the occasion, but eventually emerged just one point short of the Namibian team’s four-point win.

Nonetheless, they were satisfied with their competitive skills, utilising the platform to address the lack of female debaters in the Southern African debating circuit.

2015 South African National University Debating Championship

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