How to prepare for an apprenticeship interview

Whether you have been hairdressing for years or you are an eager apprentice, passing an interview is probably the most important experience in your career.

Be prepared

The first step (which is the most important) is to be prepared: 

• Make sure you know how to get to the salon for your interview.

• Make sure that you arrive on time. A good tip is to make sure that you arrive at least 15 minutes before your interview. If you arrive late your potential employer may already suspect you have problems with time-keeping and that is not a good first impression to make.

• As well as arriving early, take great consideration into what clothes you will wear for your interview. Remember a first impression lasts!

For example a salon owner told us, "We once had someone that came for a 9.00am interview for our apprentice programme. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed. She came wearing track pants and mucky sneakers. I couldn't tell if her hair was wet or greasy. I asked her how much thought she had given the interview and she couldn't answer. I stopped the interview right away and told her that we are a fashion industry and it was a waste of her time”

Ideas of what to wear at an interview, follow these handy guidelines:

• Make sure you shower and apply deodorant.

• If you're female (or even a male), wear some simple make-up (foundation, eye shadow and mascara)

• Don’t wear too much jewellery. At the maximum, wear 1 ring, one bracelet or watch and one necklace.

• Style your hair! This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised how many hairdressers wear their hair in a pony tail for an interview. You are your biggest advertisement. Show off your creativity.

• Stuck for what to wear? If you're really stuck, you can't go wrong with black. Dress smart-casual. That means no jeans or plunging necklines.

• Polish your shoes and manicure your nails!

Sell Yourself

Once you've arrived for your interview you must remember that it's not just the boss you need to keep happy. You need to show that you're a friendly person to everybody in the salon. After you have gone, the boss is bound to ask the rest of the staff for their impressions of you. So smile and be friendly to everyone around you, not just the person who is interviewing you.

Keep in mind that you are selling yourself. If the owner takes you on as an employee they will be effectively 'buying your time'. The owner wants to know if you will offer value for money.

Remember to say “Thank you”

Being confident at an interview is a good thing. Being over-confident is fatal.

Remember that a salon owner interviews you because you need a job, not because the salon needs you. Tell the owner why you'd love to work at their salon and you should be fine.

Never suggest to a salon owner that their success is somehow critical to you working there; it's not! Finally, a simple "Thank you for seeing me today" with a hand shake and a smile at the end of the interview will reconfirm what a friendly person you are.

Things to remember

1. You are there to be interviewed and that means you should always have questions to ask at the end of the interview.

2. If you are planning to attend an interview any time soon, remember; 'You never get a second chance to make a first impression'.

3. Even if you fail the interview, it doesn't mean that you should give up.

For example, a salon owner told us, “I have an interesting story about a girl I have just hired. She has applied 5 times to work for me. The first 3 were a “no”, the 4th she brought her CV, dressed smartly, smiled and I thought 'Wow, she's got some persistence.”

“She is now a HITO apprentice, is a pleasure to teach, loves the salon, has fitted in so well, and is eager to learn. She told me she has learned more in 1 month with us than she did during her 1 year full-time training at a polytechnic.”

Good luck if you have an interview soon and welcome to the industry!