Practise makes perfect!

"My native language is Chinese," continues Cherry, "and I speak Japanese, English as well and I am currently learning German. My goal is to get a good internship in Switzerland where I can use these skills."

Speed Interviews give students like Cherry an opportunity to try out different approaches within the safety of a role playing environment. Interviewers come from many different countries including Switzerland, Germany, the USA, France, the UK and Australia. Students therefore have an opportunity to experience different interviewing techniques based on personality and culture. Moreover, students can also watch their colleagues being interviewed and observe cultural differences in body language.

Anyone wishing to employ a "César Ritz" Colleges student for an internship or management traineeship should contact Ms Trude Gulbrandsoy, Career Development Manager at trude.gulbrandsoy@ritz.edu

With many interviewers claiming to make up their minds about a candidate within thirty seconds of first contact, preparation and practise for interviews is vital.

With this in mind, Miss Cherry Sun and 60 third term students at the Institut Hôtelier "César Ritz" recently participated in Speed Interviews – a series of five minute interviews based on the concept of speed dating.

"I was very nervous before the interview and became more comfortable once I was able to start telling the interviewer more about myself," says Cherry. "After five minutes, the bell rang and I had to move onto the next interviewer. It was my job to make sure that I provided a good first impression. This included how I look, my eye contact and body language."