Aldi is a global supermarket chain with over 7,000 shops worldwide. The firm is also one of the world's largest privately owned companies.
Aldi is a highly aggressive graduate recruiter. The firm have a much higher recruitment marketing spend than other firms because they suffer from a very high burnout rate amongst their graduate hires.
Burnout rate is so high because the general graduate scheme is so demanding, with many recruits reporting working 70 hours or more each week, including working on both Saturday and Sunday, sometimes for months at a time.
Graduates who do last until the end of the Aldi training scheme will gain great experience of retail and be offered a very high salary to continue working for the firm, but for many, the life-cost of working in this capacity for the firm is just too much.
Aldi's graduate area managment trainee positions offer applicants one of the highest salaries of any graduate role in the UK - £40,000 a year immediately after graduation. Successful hires will also be provided with a company car (the infamous Audi A4) and promised rapid promotion, if they do well.
The Aldi graduate scheme, which officially lasts for one year, offers a good start to graduates with an interest in the retail industry, or gaining experience in management positions.
The firm seem towork their graduate trainees hard. Applicants should expect to work 60 - 100 hours each week, spread over six or even seven days a week, throughout the length of the graduate scheme. There is little time for a social life, or even a life outside work during the Aldi graduate scheme.
Reports indicate that the drop out rate of graduate hires at Aldi is quite high. Not everyone is prepared to work as hard as Aldi expect, and many graduates lured in by the very attractive starting salary do leave the company after a few weeks, or months.
Those who stick with the company are promised, and seem to acheive, swift promotion. Graduates have been known to become directors after just five years.
Trainees are expected to spend time working in every job role offered by the company during the graduate scheme. This includes less-skilled roles such as shelf-stacking, working on tills and cleaning, as well as office based roles.
Although the Aldi graduate salary and company car are attractive, reports suggest that Aldi offer very little else in the way of benefits to trainees. Staff kitchens are apparently not even stocked with tea and coffee; staff must buy their own.
The Aldi graduate scheme is tough, and will only suit graduates intent on earning money, gaining experience or achieving rapid promotion in the retail industry/management. Trainees must possess great leadership skills and be able to communicate effectively with employers at all levels. It is also essential for trainees to have a good level of physical fitness, to cope with the excessive amount of work, and have a great deal of geographical flexibilty, as they must relocate as and when the company decide.
The Aldi graduate scheme is called the Area Manager Graduate Training Programme. This lasts for one year and offers graduates management training, the chance to work in many different roles within the company and the prospect of rapid promotion.
Salary
The Aldi graduate scheme starting salary is one of the highest offered by any graduate employer in the UK at £40,000, with a company car. Trainees can realistically expect to earn in excess of £60,000 after three years at the company.
Geographical flexibility
Graduate trainees at Aldi need to be highly geographically flexible and prepared to spend a large amount of time travelling. Once hired, you may be positioned anywhere within the UK, and may be moved at any time. Trainees will also need to travel extensively within their allocated region, in order to visit the four to six stores that fall within their jurisdiction as area manager.
Work diversity
During the first six months of the Aldi graduate scheme, trainees must spend their time doing each of the less-skilled store jobs that they will eventually manage. For example, trainees will mop floors, work on supermarket check-outs and stack shelves. After this inital six-month period, trainees will officially take on the responsibilities of an area manager.
The application and interview process at Aldi is as follows:
Aldi do not pay expenses for anyone attending interviews.
The Aldi graduate scheme assessment day consists of:
Aldi usually invite about 12 candidates to attend each assessment day. The day lasts for about three hours and starts with an introductory talk from Aldi's Managing Director.
Presentation
After the introductory talk, candidates will be asked to deliver an individual presentation on something of personal interest. Everyone will have three minutes to prepare their presentation. Each candidate will then be asked to give their presentation in turn, and must talk for at least two minutes on their chosen subject.
Group Exercise
The Aldi Group exercise will almost certainly be about surviving a plane crash. There will be several questions that your group must decide answers to. For example, you may be asked to rank, in order of importance, items you would take with you from a plane that has crash landed. Your job will be to discuss with your team how you should evaluate items, and to come up with a system to rank items in order of necessity. It is essential that you show your leadership ability, by leading the discussion and taking the initiative, either by taking notes, or summing up the discussion at the end of the exercise.
After the exercise there will be a further group discussion about the plane crash scenario.
Aptitude Tests
After the group exercise candidates will be asked to complete verbal and numerical aptitude tests. You will need to rush to complete these, and each test will only last for a few minutes. The standard of the maths and verbal reasoning tests will be GCSE level.
Question and Answer Session
The assessment day will end with a Q&A session during which canidates can ask questions about the interview process, the graduate scheme or the company itself. During this tiem you may also be asked if you have visited an Aldi store. Make sure you do visit a store before the assessment day.
The Aldi Assistant Manager position is not specifically a graduate scheme, but Aldi do accept graduate applicants for this position.
Aldi usually invite up to five candidates to the Assistant Manager interview. To start, candidates will be asked to introduce themsevles. They will then be asked to talk about what they know about the company and the Assistant Manager role.
This is followed by a long question and answer round, during which you should ask pertinent and intelligent questions. If you want to impress, visit a store and talk to a store manager before the interview and find as much as you can about the role you are applying for.