The time has finally come! You have written a convincing application and have been invited to an interview. You’re certainly excited, after all, you want to start the internship or apprenticeship now. Don’t worry, we’ll give you tips on how to bag the contract.
Company research: Find out about the company so that you can provide specific details during the interview.
It is important to find out about various aspects of the company. This includes the company’s history, core products or services, corporate culture and current projects or developments. This information will help you to ask specific questions during the interview and show that you have done a lot of research into the company. It is also useful to know the company’s values and consider how your own values and goals align with them.
Prepare answers to typical interview questions:
- Why did you choose this particular career?
- What do you like about this company?
- Have you already gained experience in mechanical and plant engineering?
- What hobbies do you have?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What are your plans after your apprenticeship or studies?
You can be confident in your answers and show your best side. Just make sure that you answer honestly. The only exceptions to these rules are inadmissible questions.
You do not have to answer honestly to questions about your family planning, your background or similar. You even have the right to refuse to answer such questions altogether.
Practise your self-presentation: It can be helpful to go through an interview like this in front of a mirror with a friend. This will give you practice and make you more confident in your answers.
Clothing and appearance: Choose appropriate, neat clothing to make a professional impression. You generally can’t go wrong with a white shirt or blouse. If necessary, lay out your clothes the evening before so that you don’t get stressed if you realise just before your interview that your white shirt is in the wash. During the video interview, you should also make sure that you are sitting in front of a neutral background. Disorganisation goes down well with very few companies.
Mental preparation: Mental training and relaxation exercises can help to reduce nervousness. The evening before, map out the route to the company, which train or bus you need to take and when, and how much time you need to plan for the journey. This way you are prepared and can start your interview the next day with enough time and without stress.
Formulate your own questions: Think of questions in advance that you can ask the interviewer to show interest and commitment.
Your own questions could be, for example
- Questions about the apprenticeship: „What does a typical working day look like?“
- Questions about the company: „What values are particularly important to your company?“
- Questions about the team structure: „How is the team I would work in organised?“
- Questions about the corporate culture: „How would you describe the work culture in your company?“
- Questions about further development: „What opportunities for further training and personal development does your company offer trainees?“
Talking about strengths and weaknesses
When talking about strengths and weaknesses in a job interview, it is important to be honest and self-reflective. When talking about strengths, you should choose skills and attributes that are relevant to the position and back them up with specific examples or experiences.
For example:
- Ability to work in a team: „I work well in a team and have demonstrated this in a school project where we developed a successful presentation together.“
- Problem-solving skills: „I am good at analysing problems and finding solutions, as I did in an IT project at school where I solved a difficult software challenge by working intensively on the topic.“
Nobody is perfect, so don’t be afraid to admit that you have weaknesses too. Here it is advisable to choose a weakness that you are actively working on to show how you are trying to improve it. Avoid mentioning weaknesses that could be critical to the position you are seeking.
For example
- Time management: „I sometimes struggle to manage my time efficiently, but I am working on this by using planning tools and to-do lists.“
- Public speaking: „I sometimes feel insecure about public speaking, but I am working on this by attending school presentations and seeking feedback to improve.