advice on interview

Hi guys im looking for some advice.. i live in australia and have an interview in a couple of weeks for an apprentice electrician.. i missed out last year and one of the reason i didnt have a good enough project to take in.. so this year i want somethin good to make/build to take to the interview. Something that is relevant to the electrical trade. Any ideas???

Jeremy,

Maybe you could make a small adjustable bench power supply - like a typical 0-12V 1A linear supply. This would show that you have a basic understanding of AC/DC voltage.

During your interview, you could talk through the basic design of the supply - explaining the rectification, filtering, fuses, etc.

Good luck!

Cheers mate thats just what i was lookin for. And thanks for the good luck wishes. appreciate it

I am assuming that you are looking to be an electrician and not an Electronic technician. That being the case might I suggest a simple motor starter circuit. Start/stop buttons, relay and light bulb. the light bulb will simulate the motor. Then you can explain how an across the line motor starter works. this would be more in-line for an electrician.
Just adding my 2 cents

Hi Jeremy,

It's time for you to make a 'me' book. I have one here somewhere, but I haven't changed jobs in a dozen years so I haven't used it in awhile. You carry the book to all interviews. It starts with your resume, and extra copies. The rest of the book you fill with all about you and your work. Include diplomas, certificates, transcripts, licenses, letters of recommendation, awards, and samples of your work; plenty of photographs, samples of code, whatever. (Get permission if any of that is proprietary to a previous employer). Include your hobbies if they require skills that would be valuable to your prospective employer. When the interview gets to the part where they say: "Tell us about your previous work", I plop down the book and go through it page by page with narrative. I also explain that I know it appears terribly narcissistic, but then, that's what an interview is about, isn't it?

Good luck,
Gary

This is a swell idea. You could even print a real book, via one of those on-demand print services, and give it to them to keep.

They'll take your book and stack it on top of the other resumes. You'll be sure to stand out like a boss.

Here's another idea... Create a business card that is actually a circuit board. Again, pretty hard to not stand out against your competition with something like this...

http://blog.makezine.com/2010/05/25/pcb-business-card/

Let us know how the interview goes.

Thanks for all the help guys i honestly wasnt expecting a reply.

Just wondering if you could recommend a good website that i could get the plans and a list of parts. As you know im new to this.

Thanks again for all the good ideas im going all out on this one and ill be sure to let yas know how i go.

I would just do a google search for the term "power supply kit" and try to find one suitable for a hobbyist and within your price range.

You could always polish it off by making your own custom enclosure with handles and a machined face-plate.

Post some pictures of the finished project on here when you're done!

Jeremy

Also have a look at:

"Your text to link here...(EEVBlog)":http://www.eevblog.com

Under the Episodes List, search for interview, there are some tips by Dave which will also help. (I think there are 2 videos on
this.)

Good luck!