Tips for your application

There’s no single 'type' of person that makes a great apprentice. We’re proud to say our apprentices come from variety of backgrounds and bring many different experiences to a career with us.

Our selection process has activities designed to help ensure the people who join our apprenticeship program are ready for the opportunity and able to be successful.

Your responses at each stage may be reviewed by a range of different people who we refer to as ‘the panel’. The panel are representatives from different parts of our business, all invested in finding top talent to join our apprentice program.

These tips and suggestions are designed to help you highlight your skills, attributes, and what sets you apart.

Completing the application form

The responses you provide in the apprenticeship application form help the panel compare candidates quickly and consistently. Make sure you:

• Spell-check your application responses and re-read them before submitting (sometimes it helps to read out loud to see if it makes sense)
• Remember to add what skills, capabilities, experience you can bring to an apprenticeship with us
• Re-read the advertisement and try to address any questions – it is important that we understand your motivation to complete an apprenticeship and become a tradesperson in the electricity supply industry.
• Research the apprenticeship to get an understanding of the different trades types and try and understand why a particular job would suit your aspirations, skills and abilities
• When you are identifying which trade you may be interested in, don’t be afraid to consider one of the lesser-known trades that we offer because all of our apprenticeships lead to trades that are in high demand across the industry and can be a great base for a career.

Resume tips

Your resume is your introduction to the panel. We recommend you:

• Make it 1-4 pages in length
• Make sure you include your name and contact phone number
• Read the advertisement so that you answer the questions being asked
• Use plain text, and no need for fancy fonts, colours etc
• If you have several jobs to list on your resume, put your most recent experience first
• Remember to spell-check your Resume before submitting.

And make sure you include the following.

Employment history

• This could be paid work, unpaid volunteer work, or work experience
• Add in some information about what you did in these roles, what your main responsibilities were, the tasks you had to complete and if you worked alone or in a team
• Also include school or sporting activity achievements, for example captain of a sports team, helping coach younger players, or a member of the debating team etc
• If you received positive feedback you could mention that or what you did well or achieved.

School and education

• The level of education you completed, for example Year 12
• The subjects you have done, for example maths, English, history etc
• Any school awards or commendations
• Any other courses you have completed, for example Certificate II.

Other

• Any groups or teams that you are a member of outside school
• Computer skills or training
• If you speak any other languages.

Referees

These could be from paid work you have had, work experience placements, or teachers etc.

Video interview

Video interviewing is becoming the preferred way for employers to create short lists of candidates for a position. This enables us to screen large numbers of candidates and ensure we maintain consistency for applicants. Think about the following before you start your interview:

• Sound - Test the sound as well as the volume. With live video, the interviewer can give you feedback if there is a problem with sound but with recorded video you won’t receive feedback until after the interview has been viewed. The best recorded video interviewing systems like Vieple give you a test question where you can test your sound setup before you start your interview
• Lighting - An over lit or under lit video looks unprofessional. Check the lighting to make sure that it presents you and your surroundings in the most positive light
• Camera position - No one wants to be looking up your nose for the entire interview. Make sure you set up the camera so that you are in the centre of the frame and the camera is at your eye level. If you are using the camera on your laptop, prop it up with something so that the camera is at eye level. Also make sure that you are not too far or too close to the camera. Where you sit may be limited by the strength of your microphone but try to sit so that your head and the top half of your torso are in the frame
• Set the scene - Remember to check everything within the frame of the video. Remove anything that may be inappropriate or distracting. The less there is in the frame, the less distraction there is from you. Also make sure that nobody can walk into the frame accidently during your videos as this can distract both you and the interviewer and is viewed as unprofessional. It may be a good idea to notify anyone present in your immediate environment, that you are completing a video interview and wish to remain uninterrupted for that period of time
• Clothing - Keep it simple and avoid patterns and fine stripes. Small format video struggles to render both. Choose solid, conservative colours (except bright white). If you want to see what works best on video, consider what news presenters wear. Also, make sure that what you are wearing is appropriate for the position (neat, clean attire) – like what you would wear to an in-person interview
• Eye contact - That usually means looking at the camera. Constantly looking out of frame is distracting and can create the impression that you’re disinterested. If you have notes, use them for preparation but try not to use them during the interview.
• Monitor yourself - With video interviewing systems such as Vieple, you have a picture of yourself on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. Are you sitting very far forward in your chair? Is your body language showing interest? You'd be amazed what an interviewer can read just from how you’re sitting. You can practice before the interview, using just your webcam and recording yourself. Ask others for input and feedback
• Technology - Make sure your device is fully charged or plugged in and remember to put your phone on silent while recording
• Be yourself - so we can get to know you a little more.

Assessment centres

Consider the following before arriving at one of our assessment centres:

• Try to get a good rest the night before
• Consider what you will wear to the assessment centre – plan your outfit so you are comfortable, clean, and tidy
• Look at the information on our apprenticeship web pages so you understand the business and the roles we have available – doing your research shows you are interested in the roles
• Prepare any questions you would like to ask
• Arrive a little early so you don’t get lost, have time to find a carpark or walk from the bus etc
• Put your phone on silent
• Listen carefully to the activities you are participating in
• Show interest and enthusiasm – smile and remember to say hello
• Listen to the instructions you have been given, and remember to listen to others within the group as well
• Remember that safety is important for apprenticeships, so consider safety aspects throughout the assessment centre
• You will be assessed during the day – consider your communication, teamwork and interactions with others
• Make sure you participate in the activities, however let others in the group have a say as well
• Be yourself, keep a positive attitude and try to relax and enjoy the activities
• Prepare for the assessment centres – have a go at the practice tests available online (focus on practice tests covering maths and abstract reasoning / problem solving)
• The following resources may assist with preparing for our language, literacy and numeracy assessment:
  • Khan Academy
  • NECA Practice Tests
  • Exemplar Learning
• The following topics align with the numeracy required for our apprenticeships and studying these topics will assist in preparing you for an apprenticeship:
  • Estimation and Rounding
  • Fractions
  • Interpreting information in tables
  • Measurement and scales
  • Order of operations
  • Percentages
  • Pythagoras Theorem
  • Ratios
  • Reading and interpreting graphs
  • Scientific notation
  • Squares and Square roots
  • Transposition of formulas.