Apprentice employers are increasingly turning towards strength-based interviews during the recruitment process. Why? Because apprentices tend to be young, and often don’t have that much, if any, professional experience or qualifications.
But what is a strength-based interview? And how do you make sure you land that apprenticeship?
The idea of a strength-based interview is to find out what you are good at and what you are interested in, rather than what you are able to do. By finding out your strengths and giving you a suitable role to match these, the employer will see an increase in productivity and you will enjoy your job, so it’s a win-win situation.
So how do you prepare?
The great thing about strength based interviews is that you can rattle on about your passions and hobbies, which should come quite easily to you. This avoids the robotic, pre-packaged answers such as being a great team-player or having acute attention to detail. Say, if you play a team sport and talk about this in the interview, the employer knows automatically that you work well with others, without you having to spell it out for them.
Here are a few example questions you could be asked:
- What are you good at?
- What comes naturally to you?
- What do you learn quickly?
- What subjects did you find easiest at school and why?
- What subjects did you enjoy the most?
- When did you achieve something you were really proud of?
- Do you find you have enough hours in the day to complete all the things you want to do?
- What is always left at the bottom of your to-do list?
- What do you enjoy doing the least?
Apprentice employers are looking to invest in a person, and to see them grow professionally within the company. Therefore your personality and how you come across is just as important.
Good luck!
