This Apprentice interview guide will help you to quickly identify which candidates should be on your shortlist. By asking these questions and assessing the answers against the indicators provided, which will help you determine better which are the high performing candidates.
To be effective, however, these Apprentice interview questions need to be utilised early in the recruitment process to ensure only high performing candidates make it onto your shortlist and attend the final face to face interviews.
Using Video Interviewing as your screening tool can ensure this. It allows you to make sure all candidates are asked the same key interview questions. Video Interviewing allows you to identify high performing candidates earlier in the recruitment process. This means you can be confident that all the candidates you meet face to face have the skills required to be successful in the role.
This guide was prepared by our Head of Assessment Design, Claire Crisp (BSc, MSc, C.Psychol).
Responsibilities
- To work towards achievement of relevant industry qualification
- To proactively participate in own development plan
- To undertake work tasks as defined by specific apprenticeship area
- To take part in meetings, supervision and training as required
Key Competencies Required
Primary
- Motivational Fit
- Teamwork
Secondary
- Initiative
- Planning and Organising
- Willingness to Learn
Interview Questions
Below are two Apprentice interview questions which will help you identify and eliminate those candidates who do not possess the Motivational Fit and Teamwork skills required to be successful in an Apprenticeship. To support these Apprentice interview questions, we’ve prepared a rating system to help you evaluate a candidates’ answer.
- To assess Motivational Fit- “Why have you chosen to apply for an Apprenticeship? What is it about our organisation that attracted you to apply for us?”
- To assess Teamwork- “Tell me about a time when you
worked as part of a group to achieve a task. How did you approach this and what did you personally contribute to the group?”
How to assess: Motivational Fit
A suitable candidate will have a clear understanding of what an Apprenticeship is and why they want to complete one. They will have researched the organisation and be clear about why they applied.
| Positive Behaviours | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Negative Behaviours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provides several clear reasons for why they want to complete an Apprenticeship | Provides no or one limited reason for why they are interested in an Apprenticeship |
|||||
| Shows an understanding of what an Apprenticeship involves | Appears confused about what an Apprenticeship involves |
|||||
| Shows an interest in and understanding of the organisation they have applied to | Is disinterested or has little understanding of the organisation they have applied to |
|||||
| Provides several clear reasons for why they want to work for this organisation | Provides no or one limited reason for why they want to work for this organisation |
How to assess: Teamwork
A suitable candidate will enjoy working with other people to achieve a task. They will share ideas and encourage others to do so, whilst remaining focused on the task in hand.
| Positive Behaviours | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Negative Behaviours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enjoys working as part of a group | Prefers to work alone | |||||
| Proactively shares ideas in group situations | Adopts a quiet, passive role in group situations |
|||||
| Ask other group members to talk and share their ideas | Allows some group members to dominate over others |
|||||
| Encourages the group to complete the task | Allows the group to lose focus on the task |
