I applied in-person. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at ALDI (Bolton, England) in Oct 2020
Interview
First stage is a lengthy online application form. From there you move on to various psychometric tests.
The next stage is the video interview. You will have 30 seconds to think before it starts recording and you can speak for 1 or 2 mins depending on the question. Make sure you finish before the timer cuts you off. Its competency based so will ask you to think of a time when you exhibited you were an effective leader, for example. There are 6 questions, the first ones are simply stating your name and the region you wish to work in.
The next stage is the group assessment centre. You meet a member of the HR team who will be assessing you and 5 other candidates. You are in a large room, socially distanced round a big table. The first part asks you to introduce yourself, so talking about university, hobbies, and your favourite aldi product. The next part is the individual presentation. You pick a number which correlates to a certain topic and have to do a 3 min presentation on it. Some of the topics on my day were: PR and Marketing, Competitor Analysis, Core Value of Simplicity, Special Buys, Product Branding. You should use your store visit to inform this presentation. You will be asked a follow up question when you finish your presentation. Then there is a short break before the final part. You are given 4 CVs and have to choose who you think is the best person for an imaginary job. You have a minute to present back to everyone who you think should get it. Then the group has 20 mins to discuss who the entire group is going to choose. Halfway through this they introduce a new candidate for you to consider. You then have 2 mins to present back to the assessor as a group. The assessor will then question the groups choice. Be sure to answer these questions as they are open and not directed at a single person. That is the end of the assessment centre.
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at ALDI (Bolton, England) in Sep 2020
Interview
From initial application to offer, the recruitment process took about 2 months. Although challenging, I found the experience very positive and I heard back about each stage quickly.
There are five stages to the recruitment process. Stage 1 involves completing an initial application form with your personal details and answering some competency-based questions about your skills and experience. You are also required to complete a situational judgement based test.
Stage 2 involves completing a psychometric test with three elements; verbal, numerical and diagrammatical reasoning. Personally, I find these sorts of tests challenging but I made it through so don't let it put you off applying! The practise tests are much easier than the graded ones so be aware of that.
If you've passed the first two stages, you will then be invited to complete a video interview. This is an automated process where questions will pop up on the screen. You will have some preparation time and then roughly a minute to give your answer. I had done a lot of preparation for this stage so found the time to give answers quite limited. I had about 9 questions, some personal, some about Aldi and then some competency-based questions.
Stage 4 is a group assessment based in Bolton. You've done really well if you've made it to group assessment as it is so competitive to reach this stage. Although it may be quite a stressful few days preparing in the run-up, I personally found it a really positive and rewarding experience. The session was split into two sections; presentations and group task. My advice for the presentation would be to have a really good overview of Aldi and your store walk. I had prepared well for about 6 obvious topics to come up; store layout, products etc. However, some of the presentation topics on the day were ones I hadn't thought about but because I'd done a lot of research during my store walk, it went smoothly. You'll be fine if you do your research.
For the group task, my advice is to be a leader but also make sure you listen to others and give them a chance to give their opinion. Work as a team together. Assessors will be tough and will ask you some difficult questions, but you will need to be resilient for the area manager role so it is a good test!
The last stage, final interview, is in your allocated area and with the Regional Managing Director. It is a real honour to get to this stage and an amazing opportunity to engage with someone so high up in the company. The interview was a lot less intense than I was expecting. It was more an opportunity for them to get to know me and see if I was someone they would want in their team.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Video interview Q's:
Why Aldi?
What is your greatest achievement/ something you are proud of?
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at ALDI (Bolton, England) in Oct 2020
Interview
*Online Application - psychometric test and basic information
*Video Interview - answering questions why you would like to work for Aldi
*Assessment Day - presentation and group assessment
*Final Interview - with Managing Director of region
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Assessment day involved: introduction, 3 minute presentation based on a store walk and a group exercise