Follow your dreams
Think about where your strengths, passions and interests lie and research the career options in this area.
Top tips
Top tips
for finding the right apprenticeship for you
1
2
Set your goals
Think about your own personal career ambitions and the skills you need to develop to achieve them.
3
Qualifications
Decide what level of qualification you need to achieve your career goals.
4
Timeframe
Consider over what timescale you want to complete your Apprenticeship.
5
Find your path
Determine your entry point on the Apprenticeship pathway and work out the route you need to follow to achieve your dream.
6
Get the balance
Consider if the balance of work and study will work for you and your lifestyle.
7
Be proactive
Research the employers you want to work for and contact them to demonstrate your enthusiasm for working for them.
8
Pick the right partner
Visit the college or university you will be studying at to see if you like it.
9
Get some advice
Talk to someone in the know – for example your careers adviser. They can help you identify your options and look for the vacancies that suit your needs.
10
Ask for support
This is a big life decision, involve your family/carers and close friends and ask them for their support.
Top tips
for being ace at applications
1
Make sure the opportunity is right for you
Is it in the right location, do the pay and benefits work for you, do you meet the entry requirements?
2
Allow plenty of time to complete your application
Include time for making revisions and submitting it ahead of the deadline.
3
Read the instructions carefully
Ensure you know what is required of you before you begin completing the application.
4
Be clear about what you have to offer the employer
Match your skills and experience to the job specification.
5
Make it personal
Include a bit of your personality in your responses so the employer gets a chance to get to know you through your application.
6
Be honest
Ensure everything you include in your application is truthful as qualifications and references will be checked.
7
Make it easy for people to read
Present your answers in bitesize chunks, using paragraphs and bullet points to separate key points.
8
Check over your application
Make sure there aren’t any spelling or grammatical mistakes and that you’ve included everything you’ve been asked for.
9
Make a note of the key dates in the process
If you’ve not had any feedback on your application by the date stated, contact the company unless they request not to be contacted.
10
Ask for feedback
If you are not successful you could always ask for feedback on your application, so you can learn from the experience and use relevant learnings to inform your approach to your next application.
Top tips
for winning at interviews
1
Preparation is key
Look in to the organisation, research their competitors, customers, products and services.
2
Practice makes perfect
Do a mock interview at home or at school/college. Ask your family/carers and friends for honest feedback.
3
First impressions count
Wear something that makes you feel confident and meet your interviewer with a smile and a firm handshake.
4
Show your enthusiasm
Let your passion and enthusiasm shine through and tell the interviewer how keen you are to work for their organisation.
5
Be clear and concise
When answering questions, look your interviewer in the eye and be clear, concise and positive.
6
Ask for clarification
If you don’t fully understand a question that’s being asked, don’t struggle to answer it. Ask the interviewer to explain.
7
Don’t panic
If things aren’t going to plan or you don’t know how to answer a particular question, take a few deep breaths and compose yourself before moving on to something you feel confident talking about.
8
Close with confidence
Remind the interviewer of your strengths. Leave them with the key skills and qualities you want them to remember about you after the interview.
9
Create a lasting impression
Thank your interviewer for their time and be polite and professional to everyone you meet there.
10
Learn from your experience
Ask for feedback from previous interviews and use this to improve your interview performance going forward.
Be a STAR
Using the STAR technique to respond to interview questions will give structure to your answers and prevent you from waffling or going off on a tangent.
S = Situation
Give some general background to the situation you found yourself in. Don’t go into too much detail but be clear enough so the interviewer has a good understanding of why it’s relevant to the question.
T = Task
What was the brief or project? What was the problem you had to solve or the task you faced?
A = Action
Describe the decisions you made and why you took them. Talk about the key skills and qualities you demonstrated and how they were applied to the situation.
R = Result
Describe the outcome of the project or situation. What did you achieve? Were there any tangible or statistical results you can share? Reflect on what you learned, how you felt at the end and if you would do anything differently if you were presented with the situation again.
Go Higher West Yorkshire, or GHWY for short, is a partnership of Higher Education Providers in West Yorkshire. GHWY exists to help everyone who can benefit from a Higher Education to access the information they need to make the right choice for them.
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