Interview practice for your trade

Every employer is different. But many trade interviews follow a similar pattern.

• It is in English. The employer may speak fast or use local trade words.
• It is often a video or phone call. The employer cannot watch you work, so you have to explain your work in words.
• It starts with you. Expect questions about your experience, your work day and why you want to move.
• Then it gets technical. You may be asked how you do a common job, step by step. You may be asked how you find a fault or check your work.
• Safety comes up often. Employers want to hear that you think about safety on every job.
• Some questions are about people. For example, what you say to an unhappy customer, or how you report a mistake to your supervisor.

You do not need perfect English. You need clear steps, the right trade words and good reasons.

Each trade has its own page. On it you will find:

• The real skills for that trade. These are the skill groups you choose from in Skills Practice.
• Sample questions. These come from the practice, so you can see what the questions are like.
• What employers ask. The main areas an employer usually covers.
• Tips. Practical ways to give a stronger answer.

When you are ready, create an account and choose that trade. An interviewer asks the question on video and you answer out loud. Your answer is compared with a model answer. Then you get a score and feedback.

Trade knowledge is one part of an interview. You can also practise:

• personal questions about you, your work and your plans
• tool, part and safety words with pictures
• job-site situations, such as a customer complaint or a safety risk
• a full mock interview with a timer

See how it works for each step.

We write the questions one trade at a time, so the list grows step by step.

If your trade is not on this page yet, tell us which trade you need.