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IBEW apprenticeship

The IBEW apprenticeship interview: what the panel asks and scores

By the nodiexam team Updated

The IBEW apprenticeship interview is a short oral interview, often 10 to 20 minutes, before a JATC committee of IBEW and NECA members. IBEW interview questions cover your work history, why you want the trade and how you have handled problems at work or school. Each JATC writes its own questions and scoring, and a few, such as Phoenix and Boston, use a written form instead.

You reach the interview after a qualifying score on the aptitude test. The electrical training ALLIANCE, which writes the test, says a qualifying score leads to an oral interview with a committee of people from both NECA and the IBEW. What happens in that room is up to each JATC, the local committee of the IBEW and NECA that runs the apprenticeship. This page puts together what named programs publish about their interviews, and labels the few applicant reports as reports.

Who interviews you, and how long does it take?

Expect a panel of IBEW and NECA members and a short interview, usually 10 to 20 minutes at the programs that publish a length. At Local 1340 the whole session runs about two and a half hours, so the wait around the interview can take far longer than the interview itself.

ProgramWho sits on the panel and how long it takes
Tucson Electrical JATC, Arizona8 committee members from the IBEW and NECA take turns asking questions, and most interviews take 10 to 20 minutes
NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center (NIETC), Portland, OregonNIETC's interview lasts ten minutes, before a panel of 4 to 10 people from IBEW Local 48, the training center and NECA, who ask four or five questions
Hampton Roads Electrical JATC, IBEW Local 1340, VirginiaA NECA and IBEW committee, and at Local 1340 the interview session runs about 2.5 hours, but the interview itself lasts 10 to 15 minutes
Missouri Valley JATC, outside lineLine contractors and members of the local union

Applicants describe other setups. For example, one applicant wrote that Local 1 used two-person panels, about 20 running at once, each asking the same 5 or 6 questions. And one applicant wrote that the panel asked two questions and the interview lasted 4 to 5 minutes, the same for everyone that day. So treat the published lengths as a guide and be ready for a short slot.

What do IBEW interview panels ask about?

The programs that describe their questions agree. Panels ask about your work history, why you want the trade and how you handled problems at work, at school or at home. None of them describes a quiz on electrical theory.

  • Times you handled a problem. At Tucson, the questions ask how you handled situations at work, at school or at home, and the handout says to give the situation, what you did and the result. NIETC gives "Why should we choose you?" as an example of the behavioral questions its panel asks.
  • Why this trade and this union. NIETC tells applicants to be ready to explain why they want to be an electrician rather than a carpenter or a plumber, and why being an IBEW member counts for them.
  • Work habits. Local 163's JATC says its panel uses scenarios from everyday life to judge problem solving, reliability and teamwork.
  • Your experience and ability. Pacific Power and Local 125 JATC asks every applicant the same questions on work experience, mechanical and technical ability and motivation, and rates each topic 0 to 5.

Expect the same main questions as other applicants: federal rules for registered apprenticeships require a program to apply its selection procedure the same way to every applicant. The Washington standards for Puget Sound and Southwest Washington write it out: all applicants will be asked the same questions.

Prompts to practice with

We wrote these to match the kinds of questions above. They are not taken from any program's interview.

  1. Tell us about a time you had to learn a new task fast. How did you go about it?
  2. Describe a job or project you finished from start to end. What went wrong along the way?
  3. Tell us about a time someone criticized your work. What did you do next?
  4. Why the electrical trade, and why a union apprenticeship?
  5. What do you know about the work an inside wireman does day to day?
  6. You will work days and go to class at night or on set days for years. How will you make that fit?

How to answer: situation, action, result

Tucson's handout and NIETC's tips give the same three-part shape for each answer. Say the situation in a sentence or two. Then say what you did, in the first person: "I called the supplier", "I stayed to finish the job". End with how it turned out, and what you learned if it went badly.

Keep each answer to a minute or two. With four or five questions in ten minutes, a long story costs you the next question. Pick your examples before the day: two jobs, one school or training project, one time something went wrong, and one time you worked on a team.

How is the IBEW interview scored?

Each panel member scores you on set areas. At Missouri Valley, SEJATC in Ohio and Lansing in Michigan, the members' scores are averaged into one interview score out of 100. Few programs publish their score sheet, but three describe it:

  • NIETC lists three scoring areas, character and attitude, work experience, and education and training. Under character and attitude it lists punctuality, dress, presentation and knowledge of the industry. Under work experience it counts trade-related work and letters or photos that document it.
  • At Missouri Valley JATC, each committee member scores you from 0 to 100, and the average goes on the ranking list.
  • At Pacific Power and Local 125 JATC, each topic gets a score from 0, unacceptable, to 5, excellent.

Your interview score then feeds your rank, and programs weigh it differently. NIETC in Oregon ranks applicants by interview score, while the Sacramento training center scores each applicant on the application, the test result and the interview, and the total sets the rank. The electrical training ALLIANCE's general description is that your overall ranking comes from the interview and a review of your qualifications, and names leave the list in rank order. As one data point, one applicant wrote that training center staff at Local 595 told them the interview carries more weight than the aptitude test.

What should you bring and wear to the IBEW interview?

Bring what helps the panel score you. NIETC's panel reviews anything you bring, such as a cover letter, a resume, letters of recommendation, photos of trade projects and industry certifications. A thin folder works well:

  • the letter or email that invited you,
  • a one-page resume that lists hands-on and trade-related work,
  • letters of recommendation, ideally from employers or people in the trade,
  • photos of projects you built or fixed, with a short caption on each,
  • copies of certificates, such as OSHA 10, first aid or trade classes.

For clothes, NIETC says clean pants or jeans and a button-down shirt are fine, and Local 163's JATC suggests business casual. Dress can still run higher at some locals, and one applicant wrote that at Local 98 most of the seven applicants waiting with them wore suits or a button-up shirt and tie. Arrive early. Local 1340 asks applicants to be there at least 15 minutes before the session starts.

Programs that use a form instead

Some JATCs that give the GAN aptitude test hold no in-person interview. Phoenix, Boston and Local 26 have applicants fill in a Personal Experience Form, scored by GAN Human Resources, in place of an interview. If your letter mentions a Personal Experience Form, your work history, school records and letters of recommendation go into that form. The advice on this page about documenting your experience still applies.

How long until you hear back after the interview?

No program we checked publishes how many days it takes. Tucson and Local 163 both say the committee's decision comes by letter or email, and that selections are not always made right after the interview. The electrical training ALLIANCE describes the result as a place on a ranked list, with names called in rank order as new places open. The IBEW ranking list explains what your number means and how long it lasts. Your local's letter says how and when it tells you.

Questions people ask

How long is the IBEW interview?

Usually 10 to 20 minutes. Every program that publishes a length falls in that range. Tucson says most of its interviews take 10 to 20 minutes, and NIETC in Oregon allows ten. Local 1340 says 10 to 15 minutes, inside a session of about two and a half hours, so plan for the whole session.

How many questions do they ask in the IBEW interview?

Often four to six. NIETC in Oregon says its panel asks four or five, and one applicant wrote that Local 1 asked five or six. Tucson's committee has eight members who take turns, so the count depends on the panel.

What should I wear to an IBEW interview?

Clean, neat clothes a step above work clothes. NIETC says clean pants or jeans with a button-down shirt are fine, and Local 163 suggests business casual. One applicant wrote that most others at Local 98 wore suits or a shirt and tie, so if you are unsure, a collared shirt and clean pants are a safe middle.

Is there a list of the questions IBEW panels ask?

No program we checked publishes its full list, and questions differ between programs and years. What programs do publish is the kind of question, mostly about times you handled a problem at work or school, and what they score. Practice those, using the prompts on this page.

Does the IBEW interview test electrical knowledge?

Not as a quiz. The programs that describe their interview ask about your experience, your reasons and how you handle situations. NIETC does list knowledge of the industry under its scoring areas, so learn what inside wiremen do and how the apprenticeship works before you go.

Sources

Facts on this page come from these pages. We checked each one on the date shown.