Interview prep for skilled trades roles

What interviewers look for

• Valid credentials. Certificate of qualification, Red Seal endorsement or the welding certification the job needs.
• Site safety awareness. WHMIS, working at heights, and the safety training the site requires.
• Relevant experience. The kind of sites, equipment and systems you have worked on.
• Reliability. Showing up on time, finishing the job, working well in a crew.

Talking about your credentials

Know your trade licence details and have the documents on hand. Be exact about what you are certified for. If a certification is close to expiring, say so and explain your plan to renew it. If you are working toward one, be honest about how far along you are.

Describing your experience

Pick two or three jobs and describe them the way you would explain them to a supervisor: the scope, your role, the tools and codes involved, and the outcome. Numbers help, such as project size, crew size or timelines. Mention any time you solved a problem on site or caught a mistake before it cost money.

Questions you are likely to hear

• Walk me through a recent job. Start with the scope, then your part in it, then how it finished.
• How do you approach a job you have not seen before? Talk about reading drawings, checking specifications and asking questions early.
• Tell me about a safety concern you raised. Have one real example.
• Are you comfortable with shutdown schedules, travel or overtime? Say what you can commit to.
• Do you have your own tools? Answer plainly, and mention any specialty equipment.

What to bring

Your certificate of qualification and any endorsements, safety tickets, photo ID, proof of work eligibility, references from supervisors or foremen, and a list of the tools you own. A short record of past projects is useful if you have one.

Questions worth asking

• What is the site, the expected duration and the working schedule?
• What safety orientation and site rules apply?
• Is the role contract or permanent, and is there a path from one to the other?
• Who supplies tools, PPE and equipment?

After the interview

Send a brief message thanking them and confirming your availability. Get the pay rate, hours, site location and start date in writing before you turn down anything else.

MapleGate recruiters brief candidates before interviews, and we check trade credentials before anyone is put forward. Candidates never pay us. Register your resume to get started.