The job interview - how to cut a good figure

Step 6: Apprenticeship search or school enrolment

The interview will help decide whether you get the apprenticeship or not. It is normal to be nervous, your interviewers know this and can deal with it. Prepare yourself for the meeting. Practise with an adult if necessary, but don't memorise any answers.

After the interview, it's not just you who should have answered the questions from the training company manager. You should also have clarified what you wanted to know about the company.

You must pay attention to this

• Find out exactly where you are expected and by whom.
• Clarify how you will get there and be there on time.
• Dress in a way that suits the training company.
  If in doubt, be inconspicuous and clean.
• Take your application documents and references with you.
• Take a notepad and pen with you and take notes during the interview.
• Mobile phone off, chewing gum out.
• Memorise the names of your conversation partners.
• Look the other person in the eye.
• Present yourself positively, but be honest.

You should have an answer to these questions ready

• Do you like going to school?
• How much time do you invest in homework and studying?
• We have noticed something in your application that we would like to know more about, namely ... Prepare for questions about your application and references.
• Why do you want to learn this profession?
• What other professions have you found out about?
• What do you know about our company?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses? Think about weaknesses that are not bad for the apprenticeship or explain what you are doing to ensure that these weaknesses do not have negative consequences.
• Why are you the right person for this job and for our company?
• Are you persistent? Do you get stuck in?
  How do you demonstrate your ability to work in a team? Support your answers with examples.
• What have you experienced in your previous taster traineeships?

10 tips for a convincing application portfolio

Why you should send an online application to yourself first - and
and the best way to keep track of your documents.

1. Cover letter, CV and letter of motivation should complement each other and overlap as little as possible. Think about what information belongs where.
2. Find out about the application procedure early and thoroughly. Compulsory information event? Closing date for applications? Is a taster apprenticeship part of the application process? Are tests required? Does the company prefer applications on paper, by e-mail or online?
3. In your cover letter, state precisely which apprenticeship you are applying for.
4. Find out about the training company. Refer to things you know about the company in your application. Explain what you like about it. Don't forget your personal experience during the taster apprenticeship!
5. Write your application yourself! It should be linguistically correct, but may sound like a young person. Avoid standard sentences. It is the special features that make an application stand out. Write in the first person and about yourself. Why do you want to learn this profession in this company and why are you the right person for it?
6. The school grades are what they are. There is nothing to hide, but perhaps something to explain. However, excuses will not convince those responsible for teaching.
7. Merge all documents into a single PDF.
8. Online application: If possible, send a test application to your own address and see how your documents are received by the recipient. Can anything be optimised?
9. Final check: Are the company name, address and name of the person responsible really correct?
10. Keep a list of applications for yourself: to whom sent, name of the person responsible, what is the status. This is particularly valuable if there are many applications in parallel and the training companies call you back.