3M employs more than 75,000 people worldwide. The firm manufacture thousands of products, develop new technologies and supply a range of services to consumers and businesses in more than 200 countries.
3M brands include Scotch, Post-it, Scotchguard, Thinsulate and Scotch-Brite.
Graduate roles at 3M fall in to three main categories:
There is also a general Graduate Development Programme that offers training and experience in several key business areas.
3M graduates are encouraged and supported to take relevant professional qualifications including CIPD, CIMA, IMechE and CIPS.
Candidate Requirements
Applicants for graduate jobs at 3M should have:The graduate starting salary at 3M is approximately £23,000 to £25,000.
The graduate recruitment is run by an external company called Volt Europe.
Candidates must complete an online application form on the 3M website. The application form is fairly standard, with a few background and competency based questions.
If you are successful at the online application stage, you will be invited to complete two online tests, one numerical reasoning and one verbal reasoning test. These will be SHL tests, similar to the practice tests aptitude tests on WikiJob.
At this telephone interview stage of the interview process successful candidates will be interviewed by a member of the 3M HR team. The interview itself takes about 20 to 30 minutes and is fairly straight-forward. Candidates should expect general questions on their CV and application form and general background. There will also be questions about the company itself and why you want to work there and competency based questions about your skills, competencies and capabilities.
You may also be asked to prepare and give a presentation. There will also be opportunities to meet current trainees and other graduates from the speciality you have applied for.
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company. The company has over 200,000 employees (as of Sept' 2010), operates from over 200 locations in 52 countries and reported revenues of US$23.3 billion at the end of Aug 2008.
Accenture is one the largest consulting firms in the world (if not the largest) and is one of the largest computer services and software companies on the Fortune Global 500 list.
Accenture UK operates from London, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh.Candidates should think carefully about their intended career path before applying to Accenture as there are various possibilities available.
Unless you have specialist technical skills or experience, or a particular reason for wanting to start elsewhere, the Analyst Consulting Group may be the best place to start your Accenture career. The Analyst Consulting Group provides core consulting experience and opportunities to work across different industry groups and areas of specialisation within Accenture. This group is home to most new graduate entrants and a great place to start because it provides opportunities to learn about, and gain experience in, different areas of the business – all supported by training.
Find out more information about specific Accenture graduate schemes.Be prepared to discuss information on your application form at interview.
You should hear back from the Recruitment Team at Accenture within 10 working days of receiving your application.
TIP: Be detailed in your application. Make sure you include all your extra curricular activities to show that you are a skilled and well-rounded individual. Always check your application thoroughly before submitting it.The minimum entry requirements for graduate roles at Accenture are: 340 UCAS points at A Level (or equivalent if you studied outside the UK) and a 2.1 honours degree (any discipline) with some flexibility for very strong candidates. For example, if you do not meet these academic criteria but you have excellent experience, specific technical skills or could speak several languages, then you are very likely to be considered for interview. Accenture accept job applications throughout the year. Accenture also accept applications from candidates with GNVQ qualifications. Call the company helpline 0500 100189 for more information.
Graduate hires will need to be able to work in Accenture's London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Newcastle offices although the majority of the opportunities are based out of London. Full staff mobility is essential.
Candidates MUST have a strong interest in consulting, business and technology.
The company look for people with more than just excellent academic records (although this is important). Accenture favour individuals who are passionate about something outside their academic studies, highly motivated for success and with at least some level of work experience.
Your work experience does not need to be commercial or related to the work Accenture does. For example, teaching English in Brazil is good experience.
Accenture offer 8-week summer placements in July/August for penultimate year students expecting a 2:1 or better.
The selection process starts with a 45-minute interview with a member of the Recruitment Team or a Manager from Consulting. This interview will take place at Accenture's London office or via a telephone interview, if requested.
TIP: Before attending your interview find out EXACTLY what Accenture does and what you will be doing if you are successfully offered a job here.
TIP: Prepare to be asked to name Accenture's competitors and clients and a case or two they have been working on recently from both within Accenture's recruitment brochure and elsewhere.
You are likely to be asked about your long-term career plan and motivation, about your interest in IT, consulting and business, and several competency based questions.
Competency based questions are likely asses your:
-Decision making skills
-Innovation and ability to work with uncertain parameters
-Persuasive skills
-Adaptability and flexibility
Additionally, you will be given a mini case study to test your logic and problem-solving skills. These case studies may be within one of the following areas: Strategy, Communications and High Tech, Supply Chain and Customer Relationship Management.
Your interviewer will want you to provide recent examples of interpersonal skills such as communication and initiative. Also, you will be thoroughly questioned about your motivation for this role. You interviewer will want to be certain that you have researched your career options and can show your commitment to a career in business and IT.
You will find out if your interview was successful within 10 working days of your interview taking place. If you have any questions in the meantime, you can call the Accenture recruitment helpline on 0500 100189.
If you pass the initial interview stage you will be invited to attend a half-day assessment centre, once again at the London office. Typically, six to ten candidates attend each assessment.
The half-day assessment centre will be made up of the following:You will also get the chance to meet some of the people who work at Accenture.
Click here to take a practice In Tray exercise
The third round assessment is for those potentially suitable for a strategy or SITE (strategic IT Effectiveness) position and consists of two interviews.
You will be likely to discuss where you might fit best within Accenture and he or she will answer any further questions you may have about the company and your job.
Your interviewer will be looking for evidence of your ability to think logically and laterally within and ‘around’ the problem, your capacity to prioritise and to suggest solutions and action plans where relevant. The case study interview is intensive and you will have to think on your feet.
Throughout the two sessions you will be assessed on a number of criteria, including your problem-solving skills and initiative, as well as your level of career focus and interest in strategy.
You will be informed of the outcome of your interview by e-mail within 10 working days, so make sure the company has your email address and that you check it regularly!
Once you've joined Accenture, you will gain access to a special "Waiting Room" site. This is designed to help you transition smoothly and easily into the company. It provides you with a central source of information with everything you need to know as a new starter, including contacts for help and advice, a guide to company technology, a 'Who's Who' guide and a helpful jargon buster.
Accenture’s dress policy is smart business casual. This means that staff wear tailored trousers or a skirt, a shirt with collar or a smart top/blouse (for women). When you meet your interviewer, he or she may not be wearing a suit.
Candidates are not required to wear a suit (although they are not discouraged from doing so) but must be smartly dressed. There is more information regarding dress code in the General interview advice section.
The budget for first round and second round interviews is £120. If you are likely to spend more than this on travel you may be able to claim a slightly larger amount but you will need to confirm this by replying to your Invitation Email and confirming with HR that it is acceptable to do so.
TIP: Try to meet a member of staff from Accenture at a graduate recruitment fair before you make your online application as they will be able to provide you with useful hints and tips for applying.
Accenture offers a number of internships and placements that are designed to give you an insider's view of the company life. You can find more information here.
You can also join a selection of clubs and societies, many of which are subsidised by the company.
Consulting work can take you all over the country (literally anywhere, as you will often be working at client offices) and beyond. You may frequently find yourself working in a location far from your home office.
There are now seven options available for some employees, to allow greater control over how and where work gets done. These are: flexible hours, home working, compressed working, revised home/office/client site ratio, part-time working, job sharing and outcome-only working.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a global management consulting and technology consulting firm. The firm employs over 10,000 people on six continents.
Capgemini is headquartered in Paris, France and operates in more than 36 countries. The firm has over 110,000 employees in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific region and the Middle East . Apart from management and support roles, the firm's employees are grouped into four major disciplines, each of which is governed by its specific economic rules, and managed with its own profit:
The Capgemini application process involves three or four main stages, depending on which programme you apply for:
Candidates are usually told if they have been successful at this stage within 72 hours.
Group Exercise
For the group exercise you will sit with other candidates in a small room of four to six people with two capgemini assessors. You are then given 15 minutes to read a great deal of material (skim-read this to find out the important bits) and then 30 mins to complete set tasks. Make sure you say things that are constructive and intelligent.
Partner Interview
The partner interview at Capgemini is vigorous. This is where you discuss your prepared business case study and also complete a separate "on the spot" business scenario test/case study.
Manager interview
This interview is mainly an in-depth discussion about you, your education and university experience and competency based questions about teamwork, leadership and career motivation.
Questions previous candidates have been asked include:Diagramatic Test
The diagrammatic reasoning test is a series of shapes and processes which change these shapes.
Group Exercise
For the group exercise you must work as a team, rather than competing with the other candidates at the assessment centre. Make points in relation to finance, ethical issues, community involvement, employment rates, etc.
Your group exercise may be about a factory relocating to a new place, or expanding at their existing location. It may be advantageous not to volunteer as the person that writes on the whiteboard during this exercise, as this will distance you from the group and you will not be involved in the discussions as much as you should be. However, you may be able to demonstrate leadership skills if you do volunteer to be in control of the whiteboard - but make sure you are as involved with group discussion as you can be.
If you find that you are all agreeing on the same place try and choose the other place and justify your reasons. They are looking for people who are not afraid to be challenged and can articulate well in an argument, but dont take it too far as then you may be seen as being overly argumentative.
Cisco (Cisco Systems) is a multinational corporation with more than 66,000 employees worldwide. Cisco designs and sells networking and communications technology and services under five brands: Cisco, Linksys, WebEx, IronPort, and Scientific Atlanta.
The company's headquarters are in San Jose - California.
Technical Interview
Candidates should refresh their basic networking knowledge for the technical interview, although they should not focus entirely on technical preparation. For graduate Associate positions Cisco will also be interested in candidate's soft/professional skills (such as competencies like teamwork, communication and problem solving) and evidence of your past academic and working experiences.
Data Connection is one of the world’s leading complex communications technology companies. Data Connection's software and hardware products are used by some of the biggest names in the telecommunications and IT industry, such as BT, Microsoft and Cisco. This company is now known as Metaswitch Networks and is featured in the Times 100 best employers.
Detica is a business and technology consultancy who specialise in helping clients collect, manage and exploit information to reveal actionable intelligence.
Detica focus primarily on helping clients use intelligence to identify and counter those who threaten the safety of the public, the security of the state or seek to commit serious and organised crime.
Detica typically recruit around 100 graduates and placement students throughout the year.
The business outlook at Detica is good. The firm have had sustained rapid growth in the past few years and have seen their number of employees triple from around 500, to 1,500.
Note: Graduate entrants who want to go into business/management consulting will still need to do a lot of technology consulting to start with (including user acceptance testing).
Detica are looking for candidates with a strong set of A-Levels (or equivalent), and a minimum 2:1 in a numerate discipline at degree.
The company are also very concerned that candidates have highly developed communication and analytical skills and the ability to work effectively with colleagues and clients (i.e. teamwork skills).
Detica accept application all year round, and graduates may start work at any time.
Detica has a reputation for having (and hiring) smart people. A large number of employees have PhDs (although far fewer have MBAs).
Most of the people at Detica are technology consultants. management consultants represent only around 30% of the firm's employees.
Most business consulting projects at Detica are there to support technology projects or programme management projects.
Detica's market is fairly unusual as it focuses on Government and National Security work as well as Telecoms, Media and Financial Services. Few firms have ever worked in National Security and this is what really stands Detica out form other firms.
Only about a third of graduate level consultants are from Oxbridge at Detica, the rest are almost entirely from other Russell Group.
Working hours at Detica are much more relaxed than at other firms. Most consultants at Detica do not usually work more than 45-50 hours a week.
At entry level, major responsibilities range from capturing business requirements and data modelling to facilitating interviews and workshops with the client's managers and executives. Graduate trainees will also write up propositions and may contribute to the
recruitment process. From day one, graduates will be working on client site with teams of around 4 to 5 other consultants.
Starting salaries for graduate trainees will be in excess of £27,000, with reviews yearly (with an increase around 3-5% every round depending on performance).
Graduates do have the opportunity to reach salaries of £40,000+ within 18 months (not including bonus).
See this forum post for users experiences of the Detica application process.
The assessment and application process for Detica is as follows:
Detica accept applications all year round and candidates can start with the firm at almost any time. To apply, candidates need to answer a small number of questions online, and then upload a CV.
Once Detica receive your online application and CV, if your application is successful you will be contacted, to arrange a 10-15 minute telephone interview to go through your application in more detail and find out why you are interested in working for Detica.
If you are successful after the telephone interview, you'll be invited to a character interview, typically lasting one hour.
Consisting of: presentation, case study and an opportunity to meet a current graduate trainee.
This assessment stage is a more in-depth interview, for which you will be asked to prepare a presentation, typically on a university project or a period of relevant work experience. This will be a long presentation, lasting up to 20 minutes, with a 10 minute question and answer period.
You will also be asked to answer questions on a written case study, which lasts about 45 minutes. No financial knowledge is needed and no maths based questions will be asked.
Detica suggest that feedback on your interview performance will be provided shortly after your interview.
Google employs graduates for a range of positions.
The Hewlett Packard (commonly referred to as HP) is an information technology corporation, with UK headquarters in London. HP is the largest technology company in the world and operates internationally. HP specialises in building various IT related products and media devices for both business and personal use and offers a range of service to businesses, such as management consulting.
HP are looking for candidates with a minimum of 2.1 in a related bachelor’s degree or country equivalent, either already obtained or expected.
There are four main graduate schemes available at HP for the UK and Ireland:HP's internships last for 13 months and are available in the following departments:
Technical - HP's technical roles for Interns include but are not limited to software engineering, supporting IT applications for customers and infrastructure administration. The company are looking for Interns who are studying an IT, computer engineering or equivalent degree.
Sales - Sales interns will be involved with elements of pricing, marketing decisions, account management and supporting sales reps.
Marketing - Marketing roles in HP could see interns supporting campaign managers, liaising with external agencies in the coordination and delivery of marketing campaigns, involved with internal communications and market research.
Business - HP's business roles for interns cover planning, procurement, and operations through to customer service and project roles.
Finance - Finance interns could be involved with reporting, monitoring costs, process reviews and financial analysis.
When you apply online it is mandatory to complete all the online questions before attaching your CV. These are used for an initial screen and creating a profile for you. If these are not completed, your application will be returned and you will be asked to re-submit a completed application. Due to the volume of applications received, you will only be notified if you have been successful at this stage.
The deadline for online applications for the HP Graduate Programme is usually the end of January each year, although the company strongly encourage you to apply as soon as possible. They receive a large number of applications and review these in chronological order.
HP arrange a first stage competency based telephone interview to determine whether you have the general skills and competencies the company are looking for.
Successful interviewees will be contacted by telephone or email.
Candidates will be informed of the outcome of the assessment centre by phone or email within 48 hours of the day. Those who are unsuccessful have the option of receiving constructive feedback on their performance.
In some instances candidates may be invited back for a final face to face interview with HP, which will focus on the programme you applied for and your career interests.
HP are looking for candidates who exhibit initiative, problem solving capabilities, good interpersonal skills, leadership potential and a good knowledge of the firm.
HP are also looking for evidence of: creativity, a sense of humour, enthusiasm for change, passion for IT (commitment to career), independent drive and candidates who are customer focused.
IBM (formally International Business Machines Corporation) is a multinational computer technology and consulting corporation (for the consulting division, see IBM Global Services). IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and offers infrastructure services, hosting services, and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology.
IBM has been known through most of its recent history as the world's largest computer company; with over 388,000 employees worldwide, IBM is the largest information technology employer in the world. The firm has engineers and consultants in over 170 countries and IBM Research has eight laboratories worldwide.
IBM employees have earned three Nobel Prizes, four Turing Awards, five National Medals of Technology, and five National Medals of Science.
IBM employs around 500 students and graduate trainees at any one time. Each year, IBM recruit around 200 new graduates, at start dates throughout the year.
IBM recruit graduates from a variety of different graduate programmes, including: Business, Finance, IT and Sales. Graduates from any degree discipline are able to apply for less technical roles, such as those in Sales or Business programmes.
There are several graduate programmes available in Business at IBM. These include:
The IBM Finance organisation is an integral part of the IBM Corporation. It comprises over 10,000 employees worldwide, covering every geography and business unit within IBM. IBM sponsor graduate trainees to complete their CIMA or ACCA qualifications.
analysis; financial planning and forecasting; accounting; and working with bid teams on major projects.
Software Engineering - As a Software Engineer you will work in the heart of IBM’s software innovation and get involved in the design, test, implementation, delivery, integration, and support of IBM's software products.
Throughout your first two years with the firm, you will be rotated through a variety of product areas and roles, giving you the opportunity to enhance your experience, network and product knowledge.
Software Engineers work in IBM Hursley, Hampshire - a 100 acre estate with a flexible work environment and lively social network.
Graduate applicants to IBM need to have a minimum of a 2.1 at degree level and exhiit the following key competencies:
The IBM selection process varies slightly depending on which role you are applying for. However, generally speaking the application and assessment process at IBM is as follows:
You’ll need to complete the IBM standard online application form and attach a copy of your CV to complete your graduate scheme application. IBM are looking for people who have the key competencies and skills to be successful at IBM, and provide a competencies based CV template on their application form for you to complete.
IBM allow applicants a week to take their online numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning aptitude tests.
First Round Selection/Assessment Day
If you pass the IBM online aptitude tests, you will be invited to attend a first round selection/assessment day. This will be held at one of the firm's offices in either London
or on the South Coast.
This day primarily focuses on your team working skills and IBM will assess how you work and interact with other people throughout this assessment period. If you are successful on this day then you will be invited to an assessment centre.
The IBM assessment centre has been designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate a broader range of skills than you would be able to if you just had an interview. You will complete a number of different exercises and interviews aimed at giving you the chance to show a range of the skills you possess.
It is the assessment centre section of the IBM assessment process that is most different for each graduate scheme programme applied for.
The assessment centre for IT and technical graduate schemes is as follows:
Technical Interview
Some of the questions you may be asked during the IBM technical interview are as follows:HR Interview
This interview will be primarily competency based. You will be asked questions such as:The IBM eXtreme blue selection process varies drastically depending on where you are applying to. Each different locale can interview very differently. This is based on the UK method of assessment for eXtreme blue.
You’ll need to complete the IBM standard online application form and attach a copy of your CV to complete your application. IBM are looking for people who have the key competencies and skills to be successful at IBM, and provide a competencies based CV template on their application form for you to complete. Some find this quite restrictive, however it is very useful for you as it provides an exact framework in which to talk about their key competencies.
IBM allow applicants a week to take their online numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning aptitude tests. This is called the IPATO test. It comprises of Sequence matching, Matrix Manipulation (tables, not horrific matrix maths) and some numerical / verbal reasoning questions. Be aware that is unlikely that you will be able to finish each section within the time given to you. Also be aware that cheating will be found out, see below.
If you pass the IBM online aptitude tests, you will be invited to attend a first round selection/assessment day. This will be held at IBM Hursley.
This day primarily focuses on your team working skills by means of a single group activity. There will also be a written test comprising of either multiple choice questions based on a mixture of algorithms, small programs and SQL / Data or an essay based test depending on your application (ie, business or technical). If you are successful on this day then you will be invited to an assessment centre. This is the last part of the very technical questions for applicants.
The IBM assessment centre has been designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate a broader range of skills than you would be able to if you just had an interview. You will complete a number of different exercises and interviews aimed at giving you the chance to show a range of the skills you possess.
There are a mixture of group activities, a presentation, a problem solving - role play activity as well as an interview. If you have got to this stage they already know your technical skill level and will not be assessing this as heavily as you might expect. At this stage of the assessment process they are much more interested in how well you fulfil the key competencies they have outlined on their website. You will not be asked to recursively program the Fibonacci sequence for instance, however you will be expected to show understanding of software engineering practices in the group activities etc.
IBM Global Services is the world's largest business and technology services provider. It is the fastest growing part of IBM, and currently employs over 190,000 people and serves customers in more than 160 countries.
IBM Global Services has two major divisions:For IBM see the wiki profile, here - IBM.
IBM Global Business Services (GBS) is the professional services arm of IBM Global Services and comprises the management consulting, systems integration, and application management services divisions of the company.
IBM's strength is IT related consulting; IBM has a competitive advantage over its competitors, with unlimited access to IBM hardware, software and technical support. The business strategy and management consulting divisions of the firm are much smaller than IT.IBM recruit about 100 graduates (in 2010, however, the Graduate Scheme intake was over 200 graduates) into the following areas of its Global Business Services consultancy wing each year:
Generally all roles are based in London, although you will be expected to be flexible regarding travelling and working away from home for both short and extended periods.
The work graduates (and indeed all employees) do depends entirely on IBM's clients during the period of your employment.The first part of the online application involves filling out various personal details and answer several long questions that require 500 word responses. These include:
Your interview will be with a consultant with five or more year's experience. The interview will be competency based and your interviewer will ask you about your experiences, strengths and weaknesses. You will be asked to give examples of situations which illustrate your capabilities. IBM are particularly interested in finding evidence of your team working and leadership skills. Make sure you have considered examples to provide at interview if you are asked on these topics.
Previous candidate's questions have included:Your group exercises will be based around solving a problem, in a group of about five candidates.
One group exercise will be a logic problem, and you will have to use clues to piece together a situation in order to make conclusions and find answers.
The other group exercise will be shorter. Your group will have to work together to decide a list of important items to take into space. The answer is not important, but you will be assessed on individual communication skills, team work and leadership.The final assessment centre will consists of:
Your first interview will be with a partner from the consulting business, although not necessarily aligned to the particular sector of consulting that you have applied to are being considered for.
Your interviewer will be testing your understanding of IBM as a firm and consulting as an industry as well as your passion for IBM and level of enthusiasm for working at the company.You may also be asked further competency based questions such as:
The final group exercise is another problem solving exercise. Each candidate will be given clues individually, but you will have to work together to find the answers to your given questions. You will be allowed to use a white board, flip chart and post it notes.
You will be assessed on your contributions to the discussion, leadership skills, teamworking skills and ideas. If at all possible, try to be the group member who ties people's ideas in together, writes ideas on the white board, analyses other people's ideas and compiles all information into one tight conclusion, towards the end of the discussion.IBM is one of the largest consultancy firms in the world. Consequently it can be hard to shine, and promotion can be hard to come by. It is also very difficult to transfer to a different section of the consulting business once you have joined, so much sure the area you apply to is the best option available to you.
At the presentation during the Selection Day, it was mentioned that you are actually encouraged to try working in as many other departments as possible as you would gain valuable transferable skills from different roles.IBM Global Technology Services (GTS) primarily works on infrastructure services. It includes outsourcing services, Integrated Technology Services, and Maintenance.
This part of IBM offers the industry's broadest portfolio of on demand computing services, delivering pay-as-you-go infrastructure support and business processes over the Internet. IBM provides utility-like computing services to help customers transform their businesses.
Microsoft UK was founded in 1982 and started life in a small office in Reading. Microsoft has offices in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Ireland.
Microsoft recruits graduates into the business through either a two-year programme of balanced training, called MACH (Microsoft Academy for University Hires), or for those with more of a passion for computer fundamentals, a six-month graduate course called the Software Development Graduate Programme .