Advice for the application procedure

What makes you special? Who are you? Answer those questions in your application documents. A creative and unique application will make sure that you stand out from the crowd.

A flawless application shows us that you have spent time on it and compiled it carefully. This is important for us - so, read it through a couple of times.

If you want, you can include a photo with your application. If you do decide to include a photo, make sure that this picture gives your potential employer the impression you want to convey. You can include a professional portrait picture or a picture you have taken yourself; the only thing that is important is that we see a future apprentice in you.

Show us that you have researched our company and that you know exactly who you are sending your application to. Even if you are applying to several companies, no company wants to see the wrong company address in the heading. Always make sure that the company address is correct. If you know the name of the person who will be handling your application, use their name. But it’s also ok to just write ‘Dear HR Team,’.

We can see by the date whether or not your application is new. If the date is sometime in the past, we will assume that the application has simply been copied and was not specifically written for our company or has been in the drawer for a long time.

Whether it’s a form, e-mail or on paper – you will definitely get bonus points if we can see that you have put a lot of effort into your application. This includes uniform formatting and an appealing layout. If possible, make sure that your application reflects your skills and suitability for the respective apprenticeship profession – we like applications with special designs from applicants for one of the many creative training professions in our company. Surprise us :)

It is essential that your application contains all the documents we specify – if you want to recheck, read the trainee vacancy listing again. Of course, you can also include other things we should know about you in your application.

We’ve given you some good hints about the questions you can expect, but do some research of your own so that you feel more confident.

Did you stutter whilst you were recording or did you forget what you wanted to say for a moment? That happens to lots of people – take a deep breath and start the sentence again or redo the recording up to 3 times. You should see some of our outtakes ;)

Does the time given seem too long or too short? There is obviously a lot more you could say when answering lots of the questions, but we don’t expect you to do that at this point. If we want to know more, we will ask you in the interview. The defined timeframe is a good indication of the length of answer we expect, and the displayed countdown shows you how much time you have left. If you finish before the end of the countdown, simply stop the video.

Yes, it can be a bit daunting looking into the camera at this stage of the process. Our secret tip, just stick a grinning smiley next to the camera – it will help you to look directly into the camera and smile back :)

You can film the video wherever you want, but make sure that it is somewhere where you are not distracted or and there is nothing lying around that you do not want us to see. Is there still a large pile of laundry in your room? Put it under the desk.

Tell everyone in your household that you are about to start a video and make sure your cat is not in the room. Then set your phone to silent, turn the relaxation music off and off you go!

We want to get to know you as you are, we do not want a perfect applicant robot. Perhaps you can imagine that you are just answering questions from a friend, or just improvise. We look forward to seeing you :)

... even today ;) Better ten minutes too early than one minute too late. This shows us that you take punctuality seriously and that you are reliable. And who knows, maybe there are roadworks on route or the new bus driver gets lost – it’s better to plan a little extra time.

Every company has its own story, quirks and very special products that define and impact on our day-to-day work. Fancy working at Strauss? Show us that you know what’s important. The website, our social media channels, magazines or your mate who works for our company are great sources to prepare for your interview.

Why did you apply to our company? Why will you fit perfectly into the apprenticeship team…? You can expect these and other standard questions in almost all interviews, which means you can prepare for them. This will help you keep your nerves at bay and make you appear well prepared.

As an applicant, you too have the right to ask questions. Please take out your notes and let us know what additional information you would like about us as a company, the profession you have opted for or our corporate culture. Be as nosy as you like! :)

Your party outfit from last Saturday might look good, but it is not the impression you want to leave with your potential employer. Of course, you want to look good for your interview, but go easy on the make-up, perfume or hair gel. Not sure what to wear? The photos on our website show you what our colleagues wear and what might be appropriate.

An upright posture, firm voice, friendly smile and eye contact when you speak to people – body language reflects the character. Of course, everyone is nervous and wants to show themselves in their best light. And that’s fine, but we don’t want to meet a perfect applicant robot, we want to get to know you just as you are. So just take a deep breath and look forward to the interview.

Impressed by Strauss? Show us!
See you soon in our company :)