Are you considering applying for an apprenticeship you have seen online? Or just getting prepared to apply for apprenticeship opportunities in the future?
Apprenticeships are highly competitive opportunities, with often hundreds of applications being received for each vacancy. An effective way to think of it is – the bigger the company, the more applications received! Therefore, it is vital that you make your application and CV stand out from the crowd.
Here are some tips to help you develop a strong application:
- Research, research, research. It is vital that you have a strong understanding of the company, and the apprenticeship you are signing up to. Make sure you clearly demonstrate a knowledge of the company/apprenticeship in your application. This is even more important at the interview stage, as you need to show a strong understanding to the interviewer, to show you are serious about the opportunity.
- It is not just about work experience. Make sure you highlight extracurricular activities that you have got involved in over the years – have you taken part in a Duke of Edinburgh Award, or another award that demonstrates your ability to work as a team?
- Show your personality. Your application is just that … yours! If you demonstrate that you can do the role, and understand the requirements, then there is nothing wrong with adding in some of your personality – have you got any interesting hobbies you could briefly mention?
- Demonstrate your passion. One of the most important things you should do in an application is ensure your passion shines through for the subject area of your apprenticeship. Think to yourself – what makes me better than the other applicants? By demonstrating a passion for the subject area, this will help your application and/or CV stand out from other candidates.
- Personalise your application to the company. It is important that you ensure your application statements are personalised to the company you are applying for. It is easy to write a statement and copy and paste it for all your applications … but this may tarnish your application. Make it clear that you have researched the company you are applying for – looking at their website in detail is a suitable place to start.
- Double-check for mistakes. This is super important! Make sure your spellings are correct (use spell check on word!) and ensure you have used acceptable grammar throughout your application. A great idea is to send your application to a family member, friend or your school career adviser to check it for you.
When it comes to your CV, it is important that you include key information such as:
- Name
- Address
- Details of Employment or Experience
- Dates of employment, or experiences
- Truthful information (you don’t want to ‘enhance’ your CV and not be able to provide examples of this in your interview!)
- Qualifications (or expected grades)
However, it is important that you do NOT include the following:
- Photos
- Untrue information
- Unverifiable employment details/dates
Hopefully, this information will support you with your application and CV writing. However, more support is available through the NGTU website.
Good luck!!
