Case Study: Building Confidence and Skills Through Work Experience at KX Recruit
Work experience is a short-term placement that gives students the opportunity to step into a real working environment and gain first-hand insight into how a business operates. It allows them to develop practical skills, build confidence, and apply what they learn in education to real workplace situations.
Starting With Curiosity, Not Certainty
Jannat, a Camden resident and Business Level 2 BTEC student at Capital City College, joined KX Recruit for a week-long work experience placement, organised through her college. With interests in business, psychology, and makeup, she came into the week open-minded but unsure of what she would really gain.
Very quickly, that uncertainty turned into awareness of real development opportunities. What stood out early was how the placement shifted from observation to active participation:
“After the first day I knew I could gain lots of skills here such as improving speaking, organisation skills, and learning to analyse candidates.”
Having previously completed a more classroom-based placement at Salesforce, she immediately recognised the difference in approach. KX Recruit felt practical, human, and she was going to be far more involved in real decision-making processes.
A Comfortable and Inclusive Environment
On her first day, Jannat was struck by how calm and welcoming the environment felt. Rather than a formal or intimidating workplace, she experienced something more accessible and relaxed, which helped her settle in quickly.
“It felt calm here which made me feel more comfortable and like I could get involved and have responsibilities.”
She also noticed the impact of working within a smaller team, which made communication easier and created a more supportive atmosphere. This helped her feel like she wasn’t just observing the workplace, but genuinely part of it from the start.
Experience & Activities – Exposure to Recruitment in Action
A defining feature of Jannat’s week was the level of real responsibility she was given. One of her main tasks involved creating an advertising piece for KX Recruit and presenting it to the team. While she enjoyed the creative side, the presentation pushed her into a new and slightly uncomfortable but valuable space.
“Presenting was a new nerve-racking experience for me.”
The most impactful moments, however, came from her involvement in live recruitment activity. She was able to observe and participate in interview processes with external employers, including both group sessions and one-to-one interviews.
Rather than being a passive observer, she was actively involved in reviewing candidates and contributing to discussions:
“I got to sit in on the group session as well as 1:1 interviews and then give feedback to the hiring team at the end to help decide who would be hired.”
This experience gave Jannat a much clearer understanding of how recruitment works in practice and the level of judgement and collaboration involved in hiring decisions.
Skills Development
Throughout the week, Jannat developed her communication and teamwork skills in a practical, workplace setting. While she already considered herself confident socially, she noticed a clear improvement in how she listened, processed information, and responded in professional conversations.
She also had to adapt her approach to teamwork. Naturally inclined to take leadership, she learned the importance of collaboration and shared responsibility when working on group tasks.
These experiences helped her understand how workplace skills differ from academic ones, particularly when working under real expectations and timelines.
At KXR, are accredited by SkillsBuilder, who have a benchmarking system to assess the improvement of each esssential skill for work experience students over the course of the week. Jannat’s improvement scores were extemely impressive:
- Creativity – 27% increase
- Problem solving – 25% increase
- Listening – 22% increase
- Teamwork – 19% increase
- Speaking – 16% increase
- Listening – 12% increase
- Adaptability – 9% increase
Confidence & Personal Growth – Stepping Into a Professional Identity
One of the most significant outcomes of the week was the growth in Jannat’s workplace confidence. While she felt comfortable in familiar environments, this placement challenged her to interact with new people, contribute ideas in professional discussions, and adapt to unfamiliar situations.
“Coming to a new environment and speaking to new people genuinely really improved my confidence in a workplace scenario.”
She also developed a stronger sense of readiness for future work environments. The experience helped her realise that confidence is built through exposure and repetition, not something that appears instantly.
Reflection & Impact: A Shift in Career Direction
Across the week, Jannat was exposed to a wide range of experiences, from project work to recruitment sessions and guest insights. This variety helped her understand the broader world of business and people-focused roles.
One of the most important outcomes was a shift in her career thinking. While she originally considered marketing, her experience at KX Recruit introduced her to HR as a new and more aligned direction:
“I’ve shifted a bit since working here and now want to do something in HR.”
She also demonstrated strong adaptability when faced with unexpected challenges during her final presentation, including technical issues that required quick thinking and composure. Rather than being disrupted, she adjusted and continued confidently.
Feeling Like Part of the Team
Jannat rated her experience extremely highly, but what stood out most was not just the tasks she completed, but how she was treated throughout the week.
“From the moment I walked in I was already welcome here… it felt natural and comfortable instead of forced.”
This sense of inclusion allowed her to engage more deeply with every opportunity, rather than feeling like an external observer. She felt trusted, supported, and genuinely part of the team environment.
Niamh Aziz, Programmes & Outreach Manager at KX Recruit, described Jannat’s work experience at the company:
“Jannat was incredibly motivated, she got stuck in to every activity we threw at her and offered great opinions and insights into how she experienced things.
She was able to adapt and work with all candidates we had coming in. From working with Wilson James for security interviews to Blank Street in group activities she has shown great adaptability and a brilliant level of communication. She also got on well with the members of the team, candidates and external stakeholders- feedback from people she interacted with was always positive and reflected on her professional but approachable attitude.”
Conclusion – Why This Experience Matters
Jannat’s experience at KX Recruit demonstrates the real impact that meaningful, hands-on work experience can have on young people. By being actively involved in recruitment processes, contributing to live projects, and engaging with real employers, she developed practical skills that go far beyond the classroom.
She left the week with stronger communication and teamwork abilities, increased workplace confidence, and a clearer understanding of her future career direction. Most importantly, she gained exposure to a professional environment where she was treated as a contributor rather than a visitor.
This is what makes work experience at KX Recruit stand out: it is immersive, trust-based, and genuinely developmental.
For students considering work experience, Jannat’s journey shows the value of stepping into a real working environment where learning happens through doing, not just observing.
If you are interested in participating in work experience as KX Recruit, please reach out to us on 02036914000 or send an email to [email protected].
<<< BACK TO Case Studies