Interview tips to help you land that apprenticeship!
Interviews can be daunting for many not just budding apprentices, sitting in a room with people you don’t know and trying to sell yourself so you land that all important apprenticeship.
There are some simple yet affective tips we can offer to make the process a little less daunting and for you to be on your way in your apprenticeship journey.
What to wear at your apprenticeship interview.
Dress to impress - No matter what type of apprenticeship you are interviewing for whether it be a Cyber Security Apprentice or Trade Apprenticeships you should always dress to impress. By this we don’t me donning your best tux or ball gown, but more along the lines of wearing something that is appropriate for the apprenticeship on offer.
It’s the 21st century and gone are the days of having to wear a three piece with tie, most apprentice employers work in environments where smart dress is required but style is also just as important. If for instance you’re interviewing for a trendy start up then dress trendy, do some research on the company and their culture. Check out profiles on LinkedIn and see how they promote their brand.
Make sure there is a drink on hand during your interview.
Wet your whistle - On arrival for your interview 99% of the time the interviewer/s will ask if you would like a drink, if they don’t then you should ask for one. Why?
Having a drink gives you an opportunity to take a moment and think about your answers, we’re not saying guzzle cups of water each time a question is posed to you, just a sip will do. You’ll also tend to find talking a lot at interview will make your mouth nice and dry, making it hard for you to talk, sometimes it may increase the pitch of your voice or you might get a little tickle at the back of your throat, having a sip from time to time will prevent this.
Keep your prospective apprentice employer talking...
Keep it open ended - Interviews surprisingly consist of questions, the interviewer will ask away and you will answer, the difference in how you respond will determine how long your interview lasts. In our opinion the longer the better. But not too long we don’t want you boring them into submission.
To tackle this, we recommend you bat questions back, but keep them open. For instance:
Closed Question example: Do you have anyone else to interview?
Response: Yes/No
Open Question example: How many other people are you looking to interview for this role?
Response: At present we don’t have anyone else in the pipeline or we have already interviewed two other candidates.
Another example of closed question: Do you have a company growth plan over the next 12 months?
Response: Yes/No
Open Question alternative to above: What is your companies expected growth plan over the next 12 months?
Always start an open questions with either: What, Why, How and When. Using this technique will make your interview last a lot longer and you’ll tend to find companies love talking about themselves, it also shows the interviewer/s that you have an interest in the company.
Don’t be overconfident it may come across wrong!
Confidence not cocky - Prospective apprentice employers like to know a new apprentice will succeed in the apprenticeship training and won’t need to have their hand held. Demonstrating confidence in successfully completing your apprenticeship training and hopefully being successful in securing a permanent job with them is key.
This doesn’t mean being overly confident as it may come across in the wrong way. Demonstrate your ability in a direct structured manner and remember team work is key, when answering questions don’t for get to include “team” in your answers. I.e “Working in a team”
Start applying for apprenticeships and when you get that interview, remember what we told you and you'll nail it.