Your next apprentice probably doesn't have a CV
Ask a school leaver or a career changer for a CV and many of them won't apply. Ask them a few good questions instead.
Arku team
A lot of good tradespeople started as the school leaver who'd never written a CV, or the career changer whose CV is all retail. Ask for one up front and many of them won't apply at all.
For most trades roles, a CV isn't what you hire on anyway. You hire on reliability, attitude, whether they can get to site, and whether they hold the tickets the job needs.
| Topic | CV first | Questions first |
|---|---|---|
| Who applies | People with a CV ready to send. | Anyone who can fill in a form on their phone. |
| What you learn | Job titles and dates. | Whether they can get to site, and what they hold. |
| Time to apply | Usually done later, on a computer. | A few minutes, on the spot. |
Then pick up the phone
A ten-minute call tells you more than a page of job titles. Ask about the last time they worked hard on something, what they did when it went wrong, and what they want to be doing in five years.
How Arku helps
In Arku, every job lets you choose whether a CV is required, optional or not asked for. There are question types for driver licences and your own vehicle, and for licences and certifications, so you can see at a glance who can get to site. The application form is built for phones.
Our free resources include an apprentice job ad and trades interview questions you can copy.