Mastering the Apprenticeship Interview: Tips and Strategies

what's going on everyone this is Dustin Stelzer with another episode of journey to mastery today we're going to talk

about how to interview for an apprenticeship alright so there are a lot of different ways that you can get

into an apprenticeship I have other videos you can click up here if you want to see really how to find

apprenticeships and whether or not you should go Union versus non-union really if you can just get in to an

apprenticeship you're golden but what do you do once you're in that room with the guy we're in the suit or you know like

you're you're actually sitting there what do you say a lot of people get into apprenticeships and they have no

experience whatsoever and I get so many messages and comments from people like I really want to do this but it's so hard

in my area to get in I don't have any experience I've never used a damn tool in my life I just don't know how to get

into this and even start going so there's a couple of different options to do that as well like I talked about

trade school if you want to go to trade school there's a lot of places like really big places that are heavily

unionized and so you have to go through the Union to be in them it's like New York City in LA Chicago Boston you know

like places that are are large build places a lot of other places that are like mediocre size you know like Austin

we have a union here but I don't really meet any electricians that are in the Union most of the people here they're

like 1500 electrical companies most of them are non-union so like getting into this tract is a little bit different you

know you don't have to go to the Union house and sit and go through their process and take all of the tests to try

to get in with non-union the route that I went I was able to just sit down in front of the man that owned the company

and talked to him and I've had a few different companies that I've interviewed with and talked to them and

I've kind of worked through as you know I've also hired before so I know like an interview process that a lot of you

especially younger guys that are just now entering workforce might be able to utilize so

here's the first thing if you're gonna go into an interview talking to people that haven't really interviewed before

you need to be on time like first and foremost people in this trade people in the trades time and efficiency is a huge

thing if you're late all the time for work you're not gonna last long so this whole video doesn't matter you you need

to start setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier waking up thirty minutes thirty minutes is not a lot

go to bed thirty minutes earlier so it doesn't kill you and get you off in your schedule but you need to start waking up

30 minutes early er than you normally do that way you're not sliding into the shop every single day like at the last

minute try to be there because you're new you know you'll see people that don't do that

but you want to make a great first impression and you want to make a great second and third and fourth impression

you want to be known for who you truly are so if you can get into the habit of setting your phone earlier waking up

earlier and making sure that you get to the shop like at least 15 minutes early every day it's just a good habit to get

in especially when you're learning things you're a student now so you it's kind of cool to be able to sit and talk

to the older guys the more experienced guys that are there and shoot [ __ ] like listen to terminology that they're

talking about and kind of get an idea for what you're doing you know if you're sliding in last minute every day it's

almost like the most important thing you do every day which is work is like a secondary thing to your life when in all

reality it's the most important thing that you're doing because you're providing for your family you're trying

to bring an income in so you need to treat it like that you need to take it very seriously this specifically in the

trades like this is a career path you're not going to McDonald's to flip burgers and it doesn't really matter because

you're probably gonna have another job in here like this is a career path that you're going to set on and you're a

student for the next four to five years depending on what state you're in most of the places it's four years but you

need to at least make the first impression count and I'm gonna talk about a different a couple of different

ways in which you can do that which you can kind of stand out throughout the video but first and foremost just be on

time be early there's to be a saying that I was told in high school if you're if you're on time you're late if you're

early you're on time but that's true you know it just shows that your that you can kind of come in

wax you're ready for the day you're not like frantic coming into work so that's number one number two when you meet the

boss the guy that you're interviewing with for a lot of again younger guys that don't really know this shaking

somebody's hand looking them square in the eyes confidently not like you're scared you know like looking confidently

in somebody's eyes smiling and being like hey man how are you doing today you don't have to say man I mean I'm

younger so if somebody says hey man to me it's not an offensive thing but a lot of these guys are older dudes

so the procedure and like respect is a huge thing in these men and women but if you can if you can make the first

impression that you give a firm handshake you look people square in the eyes you smile you're confident and you

say hello sir how are you doing my name is so-and-so it's really really good to meet you

you know be the one that speaks don't just wait and be soft-spoken and wait to be spoken to just a really good idea

because you're trying you're putting off an air of likability and I know like my last video I just did is about being me

not being plastic and fake but again you're trying to sell yourself to people that want to put an investment in you so

you kinda have to put on a sales face you don't want to be fake you don't want to be you know like pretend I'm talking

on to people that don't have any experience in the field you need to just at least make yourself appear to want to

be around really that's it so if you give like a sloppy handshake and you're just kind of like hey are you you know

that just says a lot about your work character because people that bust ass and like work hard they have a kind of

like a way that they walk in a demeanor in a way that they talk and everything and that's just a really important thing

because people that are hiring they're looking for qualities lots of different qualities that are going to add up to

can i form this person into a badass electrician or is this person just a waste of my time

is do I see any value here so again you're not happy you don't have any skills right you haven't turned tools

and wrenches you don't know what you're doing so instead of just being able to sit back

like a journeyman might be able to at a new office somewhere and be like man I've been in industrial environments

I've done motor controls I've done lighting control I know what noh-varr is Lutron you know spouting off all of

these different things I know how to troubleshoot a bit and this and this you can't rely on that you have to rely on

this person being like you know what this guy has no experience or this girl has no experience but I like their style

and I'm gonna give him a shot because I think I can turn him into an electrician so that's my next point once you get to

the you know sitting down meeting I think that it's important for you to do a lot of the talking you kind of lead

the interview and allow them to ask you questions that they want don't cut them off you know it's their interview

they're there to hire you they're the one in charge and in control let them have that alpha seat but you do want to

talk about yourself and you know ask them questions kind of shoot the [ __ ] with them a little bit because they're

gonna naturally start asking you what have you done where'd you go to high school have you ever done anything with

tools before and of course like that's the one question you're sweating bullets on right now and the honest answer is

what I would tell you is if you use the screwdriver once to pry open your iphone don't say you know like you have you

screwdrivers I know a little bit about tools don't [ __ ] them because they're

gonna know right away the real truth these old dogs have been doing this [ __ ] for decades they can tell somebody

walking in is bullshitting by within two words of what you're saying so what I recommended do to people is tell them

you know [ __ ] nothing and that you're so excited that you know nothing say you know what I'm glad that you brought up

the tool thing I don't have very much experience in tools but I am a badass worker I work hard when I when I want to

do something I stick to it I set my mind to it I figure it out I I can figure my way through problems you want to build

who you are your character what what kind of a person an individual that you are and they're looking for stability a

lot of electrical companies funny enough they'd like to hire married people that have kids because it shows them they're

gonna stick to something they're bound down they're not going to just fly and like go

places and be everywhere they've got mouths to feed so they you know if you're not married you don't have kids

it's not in your detriment it's just to show what the kind of people that they're looking for breeds like

stability and somebody that's going to be around for a little while and a trick that I tell people when they're

interviewing it's a little bit of psychology but what you want to do is you want to build a picture in their

mind of you wearing tools and being an electrician and instead of letting them see you as just a dude sitting in a

chair that they're gonna you know see 50 other dudes in a chair you need to say to them what I want to do is learn I

want to soak up everything that there is to know in this trade and I know that it's a four-year learning experience but

after my four years of me being here what this is doing is it's putting the video in their mind of you wearing tools

so now you're not the guy I remember seeing in the chair it's the guy I remember seeing tools and you're gonna

say things like again I know that it's a four-year tract but in the next four years I'm gonna prove how badass of a

worker I am and how hard I can hustle I will work as late as you need me to work I'll get there as early as you need me

I'm never gonna say no to you if you need anything you can rely on me absolutely I'm here to learn yes I don't

know anything but that's why I'm here I'm here to apprentice I'm here to learn and I want an education I want a career

I want to be in 10 years I want to be an outstanding electrician you know I've seen these other electricians out there

that are really able to troubleshoot and I want to learn how to do that and I've seen construction electricians and how

they wire new places I want to learn that like I want to learn about solar I want to learn I want to learn learn

learn learn you just keep saying that over and over and so you tell them things like in five years when I'm still

here I want to be this kind of an electrician and it's again it's just leaving a lasting image in their mind

because they're thinking about it for a second they're thinking yeah this kid's character like she's got a lot of

gumption she's definitely a person of like you know she's going home about things she's she's like a go-getter and

now I'm seeing a picture of her wearing tools and busting ass and using that same kind of like badassness to you know

turn wrenches and to pull wire and you start talking about I'd really like to be a crew lead at some point you know I

would like to run my own jobs and one day like have my own apprentice that I can teach again you're just building

this thing in their mind so when you leave they're gonna remember that they're gonna also remember talking to

you but they're at least they had a video enter in their mind of who you're gonna be and that's a really really

powerful thing okay so the last thing that you want to do my last little tidbit of advice and this goes for any

job interview not just an electrical interview I've done this in the past with sales jobs and it works really well

because you're in a sales environment so it's kind of a cool little trick to do that is more of a psychological thing

again that they don't really realize you're doing but that's to put them in the hot seat make them interview for you

so one thing I always do is I start to ask questions towards the end I usually wait till the end if they're like well

do you have any other questions I'll start saying things like yeah so just you know like it should be as truthful

as possible with me but what are some of the the best things about this company and what are some of the worst things

about this company and that gets them on more of an honest level it actually knocks them down a peg psychologically

because now they're not the glorious expert awesome guy sitting in that chair now they're like oh god I got to figure

out my flaws and you can tell right away if they're being honest with you or dishonest because it just knocked them

off their [ __ ] guard so if they try to [ __ ] some answers with you you know there's probably something in there

that's an insecurity that they're not gonna share with you but if they come out and say you know what it's truly

amazing you just asked that we've been having a really hard time getting people to show up on time like that's just it's

just a problem so like we really need to improve that or we have a high turnover rate like we get people in and then we

train them and we spend all this money on them for a year and they end up bailing so it just brings them down

humbly and it puts them in your seat and puts you in their seat and that's an emotional thing so that sends emotions

through their body it sends chemicals through their body which now is tying you to them harder because there's a

memory there's a chemical memory inside of their body when they remember your face now all right so then the last

thing you want to say is really huge their psychological trip is you want to you want to make them

sell themselves to you so I always ask the last question interviews I say you know what I really appreciate your time

thank you so much for having me I this seems like a really great company but I do have a question for you I have

some other two interviews coming up and I just want to know from you why should I pick y'all why should I pick this

electrical company what's so great about y'all and don't be dickish about me like what's so good about you but just be

honest say just what do you guys rock stars at that I just can't find it one of these other companies and again it's

knocking them down just a little bit of a pig and it's not anything out of disrespect it's just taking them off of

their roll enough so that there's a feeling there and they remember this this like strength of character in you

and this honesty and this willing to ask difficult questions because it's building character and it's just

building again another memory of you so you're tying in you know who you are face to face you're giving a firm

handshake you're like representing yourself well you were there on time you talked a lot about yourself but you

still allowed them to talk but you didn't seem shy and like sunken down in your seat and uncomfortable you were

chest out you were engaging you were really you know like you were present in the conversation they're probably gonna

ask you some pre formatted interview you know like name a time that you had to tell somebody a really tough message I

would tell them that you know what I can answer as many pre-formatted you know interview questions as you want to but

the real truth of the matter is I don't have any experience I I don't have these experiences where I have had a

leadership challenge and had to make a hard decision I'm new to the workforce but that's why I want to be here I want

to learn all of that stuff and again just remind them that you are a humble student you want to put off a confident

air that you're here to learn and that you're gonna ask as many questions as possible

don't try to over speak ever that you know a whole bunch don't try to make up things on the fly because it's hard you

get flustered when you get in with somebody that knows a lot and you're trying to pretend like you know a

lot because you think that's what they want but what they really want is brutal [ __ ] honesty they want strength of

character they want to know what kind of a man or woman are you and are you gonna be an asset because they already know

that you don't know anything they already know they're gonna have to dump like years worth of money in paychecks

to you every week to train you you're gonna make mistakes and even say that say look I know I'm gonna make mistakes

I know I'm probably gonna cost you money but I really I will make it worth your while if you hire me you are gonna have

a badass employee for the next ten years or you know in five years ten years fifteen years you're gonna have an

employee that is going to change the game of your company so again like think about all these things and you may want

to practice them if you're not like a very sociable person if you're not a very confident person a lot of that

stuff body language and how we you know how we're perceived by people is huge and when somebody's going to give you an

opportunity to work for them what they're doing is putting liability in your hands they're putting their company

in your hands and trusting you with their baby with something they have spent a lot of time developing so you

just have to make sure that you're exuding your best traits and who you naturally are but be humble be a student

don't try to pretend like you don't you know that you know a bunch of [ __ ] that you don't and leave a lasting impression

with them use those things that I talked about little psychological things to kind of build a picture in their mind

and make it seem like they need to sell themselves to you but don't do it in a dickish way you can easily [ __ ] this up

and come off like clickin to sh bags just be mindful of that but it's some of the stuff that I've used and it's some

of the stuff I've been the most impressed when other people have done I got a sales job just based off of that

but I took a different one because the guy was a Salesman and he was so surprised that I well that I made him

sell himself to me and why I should go for his company was so damn impressed by it man I wouldn't predict another

company but anyways try to use some of that stuff if you have any questions at all I've had so many people ask me about

interviewing please leave comments but get at me an Instagram you have a Twitter Facebook wherever you all know

all the places but I'll definitely try to help you through the process if you have any more questions about this kind

of stuff I love you people thank you so much for watching and I will see you in the next episode

[Music] [Music]