INTERVIEW SKILLS For Apprentices

Interview Skills

• Learn how to get ready for an Apprenticeship interview

• Find out how to respond to some crucial questions

• Review your interview performance and be able to nail it

every time.

Preparation is VERY important

• Wear something that’s smart and professional

• No headwear – you’ll look like you’ve got something to

hide (except religious headwear)

• No flesh on show

• Wacky ties – NO.

Appearance

Preparation is VERY important

• Accessories – less is more

• Subtle makeup

• Odours – be careful of too much perfume or too little

deodorant

• Facial hair – clean and trimmed

• Piercing and tattoos may deter an employer.

Appearance continued

The Arrival

• Important to create the right impression with everyone

you meet

• Be polite and introduce yourself to the receptionist.

Remember you are on show from the

moment you are seen

Confidence

• Try to calm your nerves – breathing exercises can help

• Create a positive state of mind before you arrive

• Think of your biggest strength – the main reason why you

should be chosen for this job.

As you’re waiting to go

into your interview,

you’re probably going

to feel a bit nervous

Confidence

• Proper

• Planning and

• Preparation

• Prevents

• Poor

• Performance.

(the 6 Ps)

One of the best ways to boost

confidence is within your own control

Confidence

• Know about the job and the company

• Anticipate the questions you will be

asked and practice your answers

• Have some questions you could ask

• Practice your communication skills –

mock interview

• Practice positive body language – look

the part.

The Start of the Interview

• Walk and stand up straight

• When you stand make sure your

weight is balanced firmly between both

feet

• This will help encourage a strong, but

relaxed posture.

Entering the room & getting settled

The Start of the Interview

• A firm but not crushing handshake is the one to go for (no

wet fish!)

• Eye contact – look at the interviewer when you shake

their hand and smile

• Sit up straight – don’t slouch in your chair, it says I don’t

care.

Entering the room & getting settled

The Interview

There are many typical questions that

can trip you up, but with pre-planning

you can answer with confidence

The Interview

1. What is your biggest weakness?

The interviewer wants to see that you are self-aware and how

you are working to improve yourself. When you left school, did

public speaking make you nervous? However, you’ve since

practiced making speeches, thus improving your comms skills

and becoming more comfortable speaking in front of groups.

Acknowledging how you’ve learned from the past shows that you

can turn a weakness into a strength.

The Interview

2. Why should we hire you?

They are asking what makes you special and where do

your major strengths lie. You should be able to find what

they are looking for from the job description. “I have a

unique combination of strong technical skills and the ability

to build a rapport with customers” is a good opening

sentence, but then you need to back it up with specific

examples.

The Interview

3. Why do you want the job?

They are listening for an answer that indicates you’ve given

this some thought. If you’ve prepared properly you should

have a good idea of the company’s values, mission

statement and products. Use this information to explain

how your goals matches their company’s ethos and how

you would relish the opportunity to work for them.

The Interview

4. Tell me about yourself

Often the first question you are asked and can really throw

you off guard if you’ve not prepared. Give a good balanced

answer not your life story. Begin with an overview of your

highest qualification and your time in the academy. Go over

any jobs you’ve had, you can roughly follow the structure of

your CV. Give examples of achievements and skills you’ve

picked up along the way.

The Interview

Tell us more

The interviewer will probably take notes and ask you to

expand on any areas that they would like more information

on.

The Interview

If its your first job

Focus on those areas of study that you most enjoyed and

explain how this has led you to wanting this role. Explain

what you’ve done outside of school or college to show an

interest in the type of work you’re applying for.

Marketing yourself successfully

• Nerves will make you speed up, so make sure you

slow down when you speak

• Use pauses to help you do this

• Make sure you say every word clearly

• Try and smile as well

• Practice reading out aloud to improve your

vocals and learn to emphasise different

words.

Your voice is one of your greatest

assets

Marketing yourself successfully

• Eye contact will help you build a rapport and give you

confidence if used in the right way

• Always look the questioner in the eye, but not in a way that

scares them

• Be confident and don’t stare past your questioner or at the floor

• Avoid glancing nervously around the

room it’s a sign you’ve got something

to hide.

Eye contact is very powerful

Marketing yourself successfully

• If there is more than one interviewer make sure you look

at them all in turn when answering the questions.

• The most powerful moment to use eye contact is at the

end of your sentence. Make sure you hold the

interviewers attention by not looking away.

Eye contact is very powerful

Marketing yourself successfully

• Gesturing with your hands can give your voice more

energy

• Don’t overdo it – you’re not directing traffic!

• Imagine that you’re moving in slow motion - this will help

you control hand movements

• Don’t fidget and play around with your hair, pen etc.

Use your hands to increase your

personal impact

Marketing yourself successfully

• Practice

• Practice

• Practice… all of this in front of a mirror.

It’s a good idea to:

Marketing yourself successfully

The more you practice, the more

comfortable you’ll feel and the more

confident you’ll be in your interview

If you don’t get the job

• However, try to make the most of the experience

• Analyse your performance

• Ask the interviewer for feedback

• This will help you improve your performance next time

If you don’t get a job you really want, you

can feel quite depressed

Reasons why apprentices don’t get

the job

• Limit your answers to ‘yes’ and ‘no’?

• Talk too much/not enough?

• Find questions too difficult to answer?

• Give answers that didn’t seem to satisfy the interviewer?

• Provide recent and relevant evidence?

• Feel able to discuss your strengths and weaknesses?

• Show that you were listening to the interviewer?

After an interview, check if these apply to

you. Did you:

Reasons why Apprentices don’t get

the job

• Say why you wanted to work for the organisation?

• Seem confident, interested and enthusiastic about the

job?

• Dress and behave appropriately?

After an interview, check if these apply to

you. Did you:

Reflect on key learning points

• What have you learned?

• What have you realised about yourself?

• What are you going to do now to bounce back and be

prepared for your next interview?

There will be a number of actions you

want to take, but try to focus on the most

significant points:

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