Possible Recruitment Process

Most processes begin with an online application form asking for various information about yourself. As part of this application you could be required to give personal experiences of times where:
       •You have demonstrated problem solving skills
       •You have had to deal with a troublesome co-worker
       •You have shown good team work skills
       •You have led a team
       •You misjudged someone
       •You have failed
       •You have demonstrated skills which relate to the job
Once you submit this application, your qualifications will usually be checked over automatically.

Providing you meet the essential qualification requirements, you will more than likely be asked to complete some aptitude tests. The employer probably hasn't even read your application form at this point. It's important you complete this tests to the best of your ability because it's no good having the best CV in the world if no one ever reads it!
Typical Aptitude Tests include some or all of the following:
       •Spatial Reasoning tests
       •Diagrammatic Reasoning tests
       •Verbal Reasoning tests
       •Numerical tests
       •Personality Questionnaires

So you've got through to the telephone interview, this means that you passed the aptitude tests (probably due to all the practising you've done) and the employer is impressed with your application form.

These interviews are sometimes outsourced to other companies so don't be surprised if you don't get a call from the employer themselves. However this also means that the person on the other end of the phone will have a set of questions to ask you and they will type up your answers for the employer to review so you might want to save some of your more interesting and bespoke questions for your face to face interview.

The questions are likely to be along the lines of "Tell me about a time/situation where you have demonstrated..." and "why did you choose to apply to Company X".

You will usually get some feedback within 10 days of completing the telephone interview but this can vary depending on the employer and how many applicants they have.

If all went well at the previous stages you may be asked to attend an assessment centre. These can vary but generally involve more tests, similar to the online ones you may have sat at the beginning of the process. These are usually time pressured so don't panic if you don't finish all of the questions but be sure to check if the employer uses negative marking before guessing the final few.

You may also be asked to take part in a group exercise where you will be required to demonstrate you ability to work well in a team. Don't be mistaken, working well does not mean that your point was the best, this is as much to show that you can listen and take others views on board as it is to demonstrate your ability to tackle the task.

You've done well, you're nearly there. The face to face interview will usually be one of the final stages of the process. This is because these interviews are usually conducted by people relatively high up in the company, their time is precious and expensive so make sure you impress.

It's a good idea to be up-to-date with the most recent current affairs in case you get stuck with what to talk about between questions or after the interview. Make sure you've done your research on the company but don't just spout off figures, they are interested in what you've done and your personality not how well you can memorise their website.