ITI Interview Questions and Answers: The Ones Every Trade Gets

Tell me about yourself.

In four or five sentences: your name and where you are from, your trade, ITI and year with your percentage, your apprenticeship or training (company, department, what you worked on), and the job you want now. Stop there: the interviewer will ask about whatever interests them.

How to say it: Practise it out loud until it takes under a minute. The fill-in version is further down this page.

Which trade, NCVT or SCVT, and which year?

Say the trade exactly as your certificate prints it, the council (NCVT or SCVT, and the state for SCVT), the year of passing and your percentage. If the result is awaited, say which exam session.

How to say it: This is an eligibility check. A clear, exact answer is all that is needed.

Why did you choose this trade?

Give one true reason connected to the work: you liked the workshop practical, someone in your family works in the trade, or there is steady work for it near you. Then one thing you enjoy doing in it.

How to say it: Avoid "I got admission in this trade" even if it is true. Say what you liked once you started.

Tell me about your apprenticeship or training.

Name the company and department, the machines or systems you worked on, what you were taught first, and what you could do on your own by the end. Add one number if you have one: jobs a shift, vehicles a day.

How to say it: Speak about it like a job, because that is how a supervisor will count it.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Strength: one quality with an example from the workshop: for example, you check measurements twice and your jobs passed inspection. Weakness: a real one you are working on, such as speed on a new machine, and what you are doing about it.

How to say it: Do not say "I have no weakness" or "I work too hard": interviewers hear these every day.

What PPE do you use?

Name the PPE for your trade and when you use each: safety shoes, safety goggles, helmet on site, ear protection near loud machines, gloves for handling hot or sharp material, but no gloves near rotating machines like a drill or lathe, where they can be caught.

How to say it: The point about gloves near rotating machines shows you have actually worked in a workshop.

What is lock-out tag-out (LOTO)?

Before working on a machine, you switch off and isolate its energy source, put your own lock on the isolator and a tag with your name, then check that the machine cannot start. Only the person who put the lock removes it.

How to say it: Say the steps in order: switch off, isolate, lock, tag, test.

What will you do if there is a fire?

Raise the alarm, switch off the power if it is safe, and use the right extinguisher only on a small fire: CO2 or dry powder on electrical fires, never water. To use it: pull the pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle, sweep side to side (PASS). Then leave by the marked exit and go to the assembly point.

How to say it: Mention the assembly point. It shows you know the plant procedure, not just the extinguisher.

What is 5S?

A workplace method used in most plants: Sort (remove what is not needed), Set in order (a fixed place for every tool), Shine (keep the area clean), Standardise (make it the routine), Sustain (keep doing it).

How to say it: Give one example from your ITI workshop: a tool board with marked places is the usual one.

What is a work permit?

Written permission from the authorised person before risky work such as hot work (welding, cutting), work at height, confined space entry or electrical work. It lists the hazards, the precautions and the time it is valid for. No permit, no work.

How to say it: If you have only seen permits during training, say so honestly.

What is kaizen?

Small, continuous improvements suggested by the people doing the work: for example, moving a tool closer to cut walking time. Many plants have a kaizen suggestion scheme.

How to say it: One small improvement you made or noticed in the workshop is the best answer.

Are you ready to work in shifts?

Answer honestly. Most plants run shifts, including nights. If you can, say yes plainly; if you have a real limit, say it now rather than after joining.

How to say it: A clear "Yes, I can work in rotating shifts" is what most supervisors want to hear.

Can you relocate?

Say where you can go. This city only, anywhere in the state, or anywhere in India. Being open to a plant or site location helps for fresher jobs.

How to say it: Do not say yes if you will not go; the offer letter will name the location.

What salary do you expect?

Give a range, not one number, based on what the posting or the company offers freshers in your trade. If you are finishing an apprenticeship, your stipend is a fair starting point to mention. Then say you are open to the company's standard offer.

How to say it: If you do not know the company's range, ask what it is before giving a figure.

Do you have any questions for us?

Ask one or two: which machines or department you would start on, whether there is training in the first month, and the shift pattern. Do not ask about leave before you have an offer.

How to say it: Having a question ready shows you want this job, not any job.