Got an interview for your first (or next) tradie role lined up? We’ve got the low-down on how to nail it and take the next step in your tradie career.
Do your research
This one’s pretty important – you need to know as much as you can about the company you’re looking to work for. Otherwise it’ll kinda be like going on a blind date and finding out that it’s really NOT going to work but you can’t just walk out. Researching the company should be pretty easy, do a Google search, a Facebook search and find out what work they’ve done, what their values are, and you can even do a little stalk of the person who’s interviewing you if you know who they are.
Ask questions
Maybe the job site isn’t the best place to ask loads of questions, but the job interview is. By asking questions, you’re showing that you’re interested and that you’re valuable enough to want to know what you’re getting into. Ask things like who you’ll be working with, i.e. big team, small team, etc. If you want to go one step further, you can also ask about the interviewer’s professional background and what their role is in the company – it takes the heat off you and shows you can hold good conversation with others.
Answer questions
Obviously this is an interview so there will be questions fired your way as well, usually involving things like why you want the job, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and why you left your last job. It’s good to prepare your answers to these beforehand – especially the weaknesses one as this is the one people find most difficult to answer. You can be honest, as long as you show what you’re doing to improve this weakness. It’s the same with the question about your last job, if you left on bad terms or your boss was an a**hole, don’t tell them that, just say something along the lines of you decided to look for a new challenge.
Show up earlier than the interview time
Not only does showing up earlier give you time to chill out and calm down before the interview, it also sets a good example of you as a person and shows you have great time management skills – a great skill to have on a job site! Obviously don’t be arriving an hour beforehand, that actually shows that you don’t have good time management skills – about 15-20 minutes earlier should do the trick.
Think about how you look
As with a date, first appearances are everything so wear something appropriate. The best option for this kind of interview is probably smart casual – wearing a full-blown suit and tie will just be too much, but jeans and a t-shirt won’t really cut it here. Try some chinos and a shirt and nice shoes and you’ll be set! Your body language says a lot about you in an interview too – don’t hunch or slouch or look around the room too much. You want to give the best impression you can, so shake hands, smile, and make good eye contact.
Do you have any other great tips for acing an interview?