Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
23 May 2025 | Story Lilitha Dingwayo | Photo Lunga Luthuli
Mock Interview
UFS students shine with confidence at the 2025 Mock Interview Day, ready for career success.

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

Second book by UFS alumnus celebrates his mother
2016-06-06


Twice an author: Ace Moloi,
author of Holding My Breath.
Photo: Eugene Seegers

Ace Moloi, author of Holding My Breath, describes his memoir as a graveside conversation with his late mother. In the book, he lays bare the intimate details of his life from childhood to his journey as a student at the University of the Free State (UFS).

“It is a letter to my mother that I wrote to celebrate her but also to tell my story. So you will find that it speaks about the strength of motherhood and at the same time it talks about the life struggles of a young black South African,” said the second time author.

The UFS alumnus’ first book - a fable entitled In Her Fall Rose a Nation - was published in 2013 while he was still a final-year Communication Science student at the university. Moloi’s second volume was launched on 3 June 2016 at the Bloemfontein Campus.

Growing up in the small village of Sekgutlong in Qwaqwa, Moloi dreamt of being many things - a radio presenter, a soccer player, and a writer. The writer in him soon took precedence over the sportsman and radio anchor. Because his mother did not live to see her son reach his many milestones, Moloi has dedicated Holding My Breath to her memory and as a belated Mother’s Day present.

Moloi’s writing accomplishments include winning the Young Writers SOMAFCO (Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College) Trust National Essay-Writing Competition in 2012, being selected as a runner-up in the Beyers Naudé essay writing competition in the same year, and being nominated for the Top 10 Human Rights Desk Essay Competition in 2014. Now he can add being published by BlackBird Books, an imprint of Jacana Media.

The young author said to have been “humbled” by the reception his book received at its official launch on 1 May 2016 at the Kingsmead Book Fair in Johannesburg.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept