5 Top Tips to Stand Out as an Apprentice

If you’re looking to become an apprentice and you’re wondering how you can stand out from the crowd to a potential employer, you’ve come to the right place because I’ve been there, done that, and wore the t-shirt.

When I headed to The Juice Academy in the hopes of becoming an apprentice, I was up against 53 other candidates. The 53 and I battled it out in order to impress 22 employers and, as I was successful and because we are heading back to The Juice Academy for our next apprentice this week, I want to share my best tips with you. 

Talk about Other Skills

Chances are you have just left school or college, and so you may lack skills that people in the industry already have. However, this isn’t a problem at all, instead make sure you talk all about other skills you have that would fit within a workplace. These could be social skills like organisation, team-work, social problem solving, or skills related to other work you’ve done before.

Research the Industry and Employer

Not only should you research the industry you’re wanting to work in, but you should also have a good common knowledge of the employer. This will prepare you as they may check if you’ve done your research and surprise you with a question during the interview. You may also want to turn the tables and ask the employer a question as it shows you’re interested. Check out their website and social media profiles to get a basic understanding of what they do, you might even be able to see some of the team members and make yourself familiar with faces.

Make Yourself Known

If you’re heading to a recruitment day like The Juice Academy, you are going to be up against a whole group of people. Your answers to any questions should be different than the generic answer that the employer will hear countless times before you and countless times after. If you’ve got to do a presentation about yourself, talk about something that makes you different from everybody else, something that an employer will remember when they come to meet you later on.

Clean up your Social Profiles

Your social profiles are basically your online CV and it’s incredibly common for employers to check them out before meeting you. Now is the time to clean up your act online, if you wouldn’t want your nan to see it then chances are you definitely wouldn’t want a potential employer to see it either. Use social media professionally to engage with an employer; like their Tweet or Instagram post so an employer is already aware of you.

Have Confidence

*Eye-roll*. You’re probably sick of reading it, but it’s true; confidence is key. Make sure you don’t go over the top and become cocky, be confident in your answers, how you present yourself and how you approach people. Make sure you go in for the first handshake with an employer and speak up, you’re more likely to make a lasting impression if you aren’t muttering with your shoulders hunched. If you think you haven’t got enough of confidence, the best advice is to fake it till you make it.

We’re looking forward to meeting a whole group of potential apprentices when we head back to The Juice Academy this week in the search for our next apprentice and hopefully with the top tips above, we’ll be sure to see some of you standing out to us. You can apply now by clicking here.