The Key Steps To Securing An Apprenticeship

Coming to the end of school feels like the end of an era and the looming anxiety of “what next?” might be starting to creep in. Don’t fear, we recommend apprenticeships for a reason. They are an amazing way of kickstarting your career the minute you finish school - and the huge perk? You will be paid to learn, so you will finish your apprenticeship scheme with a formal recognised qualification. If you want to learn more about apprenticeships read our 'Guide to Apprenticeships Blog'. If you want to find an apprenticeship now head over to our academy portal for all our current opportunities! 

 

 

Where to start?

 

In order to begin your successful job hunt you need to focus your search. You need to sit down and think about what it is you want to do. If you don’t have any idea I recommend joining some of our work experience events (you can find details of upcoming opportunities on our social media) and contact your careers service at school for some insight. Look at the subjects that interest you and let that guide you. If you love physics and maths, why not look at engineering roles - this may be better suited to you than a retail role for example. 

Once you have some idea, it then becomes down to you to land that all important role. Applying for anything and everything may not be the best course of action though. Each time you find a job that you like the look of make sure you follow the steps in our How to smash a job application guide. You need to start off with a good base CV (guide here) and cover letter (guide here). Each time you apply for a new role you need to tailor your CV and cover letter, so applying for a huge range of roles willynilly will only lead to a ridiculous amount of work for you - which probably means your quality will slip. If you only apply for roles you are truly interested in, then you are likely to complete your initial research better and put in more effort when completing the job application. 

 

Quality over quantity here

 

Having a well crafted CV and cover letter for each application will go a long way. We don’t mean to say, if you see a really interesting job role that is different to everything else you have applied for, don't go for it. Do. But only put your valuable time and effort into applications you would be delighted to achieve. 

 

Consider how much of a rush you are in

 

We totally understand times are hard and we’re all feeling the squeeze of inflation. Obviously the more quality applications you complete, the higher your chances of landing a job sooner. If you are not in a massive rush then we would encourage you to be selective. The more selective you are, the more chance you will land your dream role and love every minute of your new job. 

 

With more applications comes greater experience

 

At the beginning of your job hunt, you will be an application Newbie. You may not be very experienced at dissecting job roles, or spotting a good job - but that will come with time. Everyone faces rejection with job hunting, so don’t take it too hard. Take each as a lesson and your next application will be even better.

 

Don’t be afraid to sell yourself

 

Even though you are young, fresh out of school and may not even have a degree, don’t sell yourself short. You still will have plenty of transferable skills. You can bring your youth and fresh new perspective to any company lucky enough to hire you. 

 

You don't need to overcompensate

 

The fact you only have a couple of qualification under your belt doesn’t matter. You will be applying for entry level jobs so it will be expected. Don’t rely too much on your qualifications particularly on your cover letter, look at the soft skills you’ve learnt from school and other volunteering or work experiences you have achieved.  

 

Be you

 

The thing that sets you apart from every other candidate, you are you. The key to your success will be showing you have a personality whilst remaining professional throughout the application process. Be confident and let your personality shine through, don't be afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve. Very often you will land the job because you are the ‘individual’ they have been searching for, especially for entry level roles. 

 

So, sell yourself properly. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.

 

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Young Professionals UK, founded in 2015, are leading school-leavers experts whose mission is to bring better and more vibrant opportunities to students who need them the most. They have already helped thousands of students accelerate their careers with apprenticeship and work experience programs alongside some of the world’s leading companies. To stay tuned for future student or employer opportunities visit https://young-professionals.uk/ or https://www.instagram.com/youngprouk