To most students, the graduate scheme is about filling up innumerable job applications, going through the multiple tests, barrage of interviews and jumping through hoops to gain the job of their dreams. Yet most students end up filling hundreds of online applications in the hope of getting a £24k job with a top-notch corporate house with all the benefits and perks thrown in.
However, the train to success isn’t that easy to ride, since recruiters are flooded with thousands of applications, they find it easy to reject applications on the flimsiest of reasons, and that can adversely affect your chances of getting in. But that’s no reason to get disheartened, despite their stringent procedure; the companies are routinely looking for good employees, and all you need to do is to understand the procedures and follow them in the right manner.
Let’s take the example of ALDI which is considered to be one of the ten top recruiters by the students and the Association of Graduate Recruiters. Since they offer a fantastic work environment, fast track growth and one of the highest start up salaries, they have a very rigorous assessment process. They typically offer a career in retail by offering a one year Area Management Development Program. ALDI is offering a whooping £40K starting salary with an Audi A4 car thrown in. Added to this mouth watering package are perks like private healthcare, pension scheme, five weeks paid holiday in a year, and quick growth.
So what are the pre requisites for this job? ALDI takes graduates from any discipline, minimum requisite being 2:1 University degree. The ALDI assessment process works like this:
- Online application and a questionnaire – You have to fill an application online this should include a copy of your resume, a cover letter and 2 referrals. You get only one opportunity to complete the online questionnaire so spend some time and do it carefully.
- Online Psychometric Assessment- After your resume has been approved you’ll be invited to take a 20 min online test.
- Telephone Interview- A telephone interview would be conducted to gauge your educational qualifications, extra curricular activities and work experience.
- Face-to-face Futurestep – Once you’ve successfully cracked your telephone interview, you’ll be invited by Futurestep, to discuss your career and work experience.
- After you’ve successfully completed this round, you’ll be invited to the ALDI assessment centre. Here a one-to-one interview and a group discussion will take place.
All the candidates who’ve made it so far would be invited for the last and final interview, after which the company will conduct reference checks and degree verification before giving you the offer to join the company.
So after all this effort, do you get your pot of gold? Once the company selects you it will pull out all the stops to train you and give you the exposure that will add value to your CV for years to come. The ALDI training programme exposes you to a whole range of things, right from managing the stores to product training and property management.
It is a very demanding and rigorous, you are rotated through the departments and from management to finance, you have to wear different hats depending on the situation. The training is designed to make leaders out of you and requires high level of commitment and initiatives. Progress is keenly monitored throughout the training and the day you’re ready you are given the responsibility to run 4-6 stores at one go thus thrusting you into a multi millionaire business straight away. If you are able to meet the taxing demands of the training and come out unscathed, then you can waltz your way into a bright sun for that happily ever after.
