In this article
01
Before you start: what a guidance interview is
A career guidance interview is a fifteen to thirty minute conversation between a student and their counselor or tutor, to think together about what comes next: a track, a Bachillerato modalidad, further study or work.
It is not an exam or a spoken test. A test can help open the conversation, but it does not replace it. What helps a student most is someone who listens calmly, reflects back what they said and walks with them to the next step.
So bring a few good questions and leave room. If the student does most of the talking, the interview is going well.
02
A five-step script
A simple order that works for almost any student. You do not have to follow it to the letter, but do not skip the first or the last step.
1. Open
Find out how they arrive and what they hope to get from the conversation. Two or three minutes that shape the rest.
2. Explore
What they enjoy, what they are good at and what matters to them. With concrete examples, not adjectives.
3. Widen
Open options they had not considered, without pushing towards any of them.
4. Decide
Sort what came up and see what weighs most for them.
5. Agree
A small next step, with a date, and when you will talk again.
03
Questions to open the conversation
Easy to answer, so the student feels heard from the start.
How is the year going so far?
A simple question to begin. Listen to the tone as much as the answer.
If you had to tell someone what a week of yours looks like, what would you say?
Shows what fills their time and what gives them energy, without asking directly.
Is there anything that worries you about next year?
Brings worries out early. If they do not come up at the start, they tend to appear at the end.
What would you like to take away from this conversation?
Keeps the time on what is useful to them.
04
Questions to explore interests and strengths
Ask for concrete experiences rather than general likes.
In which subject or activity do you lose track of time?
Works better than “what do you like?”, because it asks for a real experience.
Tell me about something that went well for you. What exactly did you do?
Uncovers strengths the student does not usually name as such.
What do your friends or family ask you to do because you are good at it?
What others see in them, in their own words.
What would you not do even if it paid well?
Limits say as much as likes.
Do you know someone with a job that seems interesting? Which part appeals to you?
Links interests to real jobs and to people close to them.
05
Questions to widen the options
The aim is to open doors, not to choose one for the student.
If there were no cut-off marks and no one else’s opinion, what would you study?
Separates what they want from what they think they should want.
What other routes lead to something like what you enjoy?
One interest usually has several doors: a degree, a vocational course, a related field.
Which option did you rule out very quickly? Why?
Sometimes an option is dropped because of a wrong fact or a fear, not a lack of interest.
What would you like to try before deciding?
A talk, a visit or an elective: small experiences that clarify a lot.
06
Questions to help decide
Let the student sort what came up.
Of everything we talked about, what feels most important?
The student does the sorting, not the counselor.
If you chose this option, what would need to happen for it to go well?
Turns a wish into concrete steps.
What does your family think? And what do you think?
Separates the student’s voice from those around them, without setting them against each other.
What do you still need to know to decide?
What is missing is usually a specific fact, and that can be found.
07
Questions to agree the next step
A conversation without an agreed step is soon forgotten.
What could you do this month to move forward a little?
A small, concrete step: look something up, talk to someone or visit a school.
When shall we talk again?
Putting a date on the next conversation makes the first one count.
What are you taking away from today?
Saying it in their own words confirms what they understood.
08
What to avoid
Small habits that close a conversation without anyone noticing.
Yes-or-no questions
“Do you like science?” ends in one word. “Which part of science do you like?” opens the conversation.
Giving the answer too early
Suggesting a degree at the start makes the student stop thinking. Offer options and let them choose.
Starting with grades
Grades matter, but if they come first, the conversation turns into a calculation.
Trying to settle everything in one day
A decision like this is built over several conversations. A small step is worth more than a forced answer.
09
After the interview
Write down in two or three lines what came up and the step you agreed. The next interview starts there, and the student notices that you remember.
If something comes up that goes beyond career guidance, such as a worry that keeps returning, follow your school’s procedure and talk to the right person.
With many students in your care, the hard part is not the first conversation but the second: knowing who needs to talk again, and when. That is what tools like UTalento are for: they remember what was agreed with each student and tell you who needs a conversation.
Common questions
How long should a career guidance interview be?
Fifteen to thirty minutes is usually enough. A short conversation with an agreed step is better than a long one without an ending.
How many questions should I ask?
Few. Five or six good questions, one or two for each moment of the script, are plenty. What matters is listening and asking again from what the student says.
Does a career test before the interview help?
It can help open the conversation, because it gives you something concrete to talk about. But a test does not decide: the interview is where you compare its results with what the student tells you.
Should the family be in the interview?
It depends on the moment and the student. It often helps to start alone, so they can speak freely, and to invite the family to a second conversation before decisions such as the Bachillerato modalidad.
What if the student does not know what they want?
That is the most common case, and it is not a problem. Start with what they do in their free time and what they are good at, and agree a step to explore, such as a talk or a visit. Not knowing yet is also an answer.
In which year should it happen?
Above all before the big decisions: in the last two years of lower secondary, before choosing between academic and vocational routes, and in upper secondary, before university entrance exams and applications.
Let no conversation be left hanging
UTalento helps the guidance team prepare each conversation, remember what was agreed with each student and know who needs to talk again. We will show you with your own school.
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