One of the key messages I tell people applying for apprenticeships is to prepare. Research is paramount, and often assessments and interviews can be simply a matter of practicing. If you prepare for as many scenarios as possible, you are less likely to be caught off guard. The more you can practice your strengths, the better chance you have of performing under pressure. Additionally, take failure as a learning experience. From my personal experience, there are going to be many rejections, and the only way to see success is to take it lightly and improve on your mistakes. It's important to keep a positive outlook and treat each opportunity like a fresh start, because no matter how it may seem the hard work will most likely pay off.

Having strong soft skills will help you in life. Get comfortable building relationships and being out of your comfort zone, this will help you succeed in your professional career. It has helped me build professional relationships with clients and colleagues, and makes it easier when you have to ask them difficult questions.

Based on training sessions I have attended and the induction session we have had, the most common advice given to us was ' Ask questions.' And I absolutely abide by it. I always ask lots of questions! My colleagues always remind me that there is no such a thing as a silly question. They are always happy to answer my questions and provide me with context on what I'm doing, why I'm doing it and more importantly, advise on the approach I should take to action a task. This helped me gain an insight into the wider picture of the engagement, helping me understand the client better.