Aldi - Area Management final interview help

Hi there,

I have my Aldi assessment day on Monday and was hoping you could shed some light on what to expect from the day. Any interview questions you can remember or the group excercise/presentation topic. Your help would be much appreciated!

Cheers

@bob85 - missed this thread - how did your interview go? I expect you were asked about current issues affecting retail, Aldi in relation to their competitors, that kind of thing? Hope it went well.

@marcus84 - I can't give you any direct info (although I expect others can) but I can tell you they like outgoing, confident people, who understand retail, understand Aldi in relation to the marketplace and have a firm idea of where they want to go (i.e. "I want to be top level manager within five years").

The articles on Group Exercise and Assessment centre should be helpful to read too.

E.

Hi there

Thank you for your comments and for getting back to me so quickly. I haven't had the interview yet, its this coming monday so this information will prove very useful.

I am interested to know however, what the difficulty level is with respect to the numerical and verbal tests! It mentions GCSE standard on this website but should I exept a similar standard to the SHL data interpretation tests often found when applying for jobs in financial services?

Thanks in advance!

M

It won't be any harder than our numerical reasoning test. Read up on GCSE level statistics, percentages, ratios, etc.

Thanks!

For those interested in Aldi, I had my final interview with them last month but didn't get it. I had to go to their HQ in Atherstone and have a one-on-one with their regional MD. It lasted only 30mins or so and included:

Tell me about yourself
Why Aldi?
What makes a good day/bad day in your opinion?
What makes a good boss/bad boss in your opinion?
What is your ultimate ambition?
Are you ambitious?
What do you think you'll find hardest about being an Area Manager, etc etc

So, not really competency based and we only touched upon commercial awareness stuff. Plenty of time for questions at the end though, so have lots lined up. I wasn't sure whether I wanted and perhaps this came through in the interview. Either way, I wouldn't have taken it. The money's great, but they'll work your balls off and it's really not worth it in my opinion.

Hope this helps though

Great company, but awful graduate scheme. If you manage to stick it out you'll be made for life, but for those 2 - 3 years you'll literally have no life, apart from Aldi.

Where are you applying now? Apparently retail is great for grads right now. Applications are down because everyone thinks there's no jobs... but really everyone's recruiting and they're desperate! Great if you want to work in retail!

E.

Aldi is taking on the IBs in terms of work intensity and hours?

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone could shed any light on what the first round interviews are like for the Aldi Area Manager role? I have mine coming up during March, and would really appreciate any help/advice from someone with first-hand experience....

Cheers and best of luck to all!

....anyone????

Hi All,

I had a first round interview for Aldi and was not successful. When i asked for feedback they wouldn't give any. They told me to apply in a years time but if they don't give you any feedback on your performance on the day how are your supposed to know what you did wrong???

Thank you

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your post on Aldi- Indeed there is not much info on the interview process on wiki- I would really appreciate it if you could fill me in on the FIRST INTERVIEW-

>I know there are verbal/numerical tests which i'm fine with.
>As to the individual presentation- what sort of themes did people go with?
>Can you give any more details about the group exercise?

Many Thanks,
B

Hi Solaz2

Can I pose the same questions to you that I posed to Bob- more info on presentation and group exercise?

Would be much appreciated!

Thanks B

Hi,

I had my interview in May and the first round interviews went like this

1) Have you visited an Aldi store and what you you think of Aldi? (for this they went round everyone in the group. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE VISITED AN ALDI STORE AND READ THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT THERE PRODUCTS. Eg mension some awards and focus on the good news not the bad !!) KEEP IT SHORT AND TO THE POINT.

2) You are given two minutes to talk about a experience (an acheivment) in your life that you have learned from ? Sporting, charity work, ...

3) You are given a task that you have to order 1- 18 tasks that you would have to do if a costumer had a complate about a product. FOR THIS ONE AFTER YOU HAVE ORDERED THE NUMBERS YOU HAVE TO DISCUSS WHICH TASK YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND SEE IF YOU HAVE THE SAME RESULTS AS THE OTHERS IN THE GROUP. MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT PUSHED TO THE SIDE AND MAKE YOUR VOICE AND OPIONS HEARD SINCE THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO TAKE OVER. (I FOUND THIS TASK THE MOST CHALLENGING). There is two columns on the sheet one for your results and one for the group. When trying to work out the numbering use some scrap paper and maybe divide them in to most important number and less important numbers since there is a lot of information.

4) NUMERCAL, VERBAL RESONING and PERSONALITY TEST. EACH LASTING 4 MINUTE OR LESS.

5) QUESTION AND ANSWER SECION WITH THE MD. TAKE THE INICATIVE AND ASK YOUR QUESTIONS FIRST BECAUSE ALOT OF THE OTHERS WILL HAVE THE SAME QUESTIONS.

Good luck and I hape it goes well for you. After I didnot get the job I spoke to my careers advisors and they gave me some information about the company. As you move up the ladder in other organisations you are supposed to site some managerial exams but aldi does not focus on getting you through these exams. Maybe you could ask about what are some of the qulifications you offer as you progress through your career in Aldi? Then you will know if you will have the oppertunity to get industry recognised qualifications so if you did decide to move from aldi the move to another organisation is much easier. I hope that makes some sence.

Good Luck

Sol

Hi Sol,

Thank you soooo much for that info- it is extremely helpful indeed and i will be following it up with much research!

I hope you have secured a job and it's going well,

All the best B

Hi,

Is anyone trying to apply to Aldi at the moment? I'm struggling with their online system. I've completed the form, submitted it and been sent an email:
"Thank you for your interest in a career with Aldi. So that we can process your application you must log in to our online application form and complete your application."

But whenever I try the log on, it doesn't work - says either the password or email address is wrong {definitely not - I've done it so many times!} or the application is completed or it's been deleted. There's no number to call or any way of getting hold of anyone from recruitment to ask them. The email is a no reply one. Anyone else having the same problems? I've got no idea if my application has been sent to them or not!

Thanks,

Rhi

Hi,

I have a first round group interview coming up and was wondering if this was the same as what is mentioned above. I got a letter but it didnt give any info about a presentation or anything!? Any advice would be really appreciated!

Hi,

Well i attended the first round interview in jan 2010 and it was prtty simple. just scratch up on ur maths, english and logical reasoning skills. Nothing above GCSE level is required for example wat is 7.5/2.5. No calculators allowed obviuosly! Then there are two short presentations. The first is just introducing yourself and the second is talking about someone who has inspired you, this has to be for three minutes long though talking for longer is promoted. Personally we did not have any group activity but instead had a questions and answer session for an hour and half (you ask the question and they answer!). Therefore i would suggest that you research any potential questions you have for the aldi director. I would suggest try asking three or four really good ones. Hope this helps anyone.

Thanks very much for this information. That's a great help!!!! How long did they take to get back to you after sending your application form in (online)...anyone..Thanks!!

they took 6 weeks to get back to me

hi all,

thanks for all the useful information.

could anyone spare a minute to tell me what the online application part involves? (competency questions? industry-related questions? a cover letter?)

cheers.

ammw

Hey

I applied for the area manager scheme and got invited for an interview with the MD...is this is the first round? is there an assessment day after this? or did i by some stroke of luck make it to the final round.
What questions can be asked on the interview with the MD?

Hi guys.

Contemplating applying but just needed to know if/ what the pay is during training?

Thanks and good luck to all who are in the process

Hi.

I was just wondering if anyone had some really concrete tips on the presentation part. I mean, if they ask me to present a subject, I can use the generic tips used, but can anyone tell me exactly what are the best things to talk about if they ask me to present myself?

I was thinking of structuring the presentation so:

A. Brief introduction, and explaining the structure of the presentation
B. Me (as in, where I am from, how many languages do I speak)
C. My education and work experience
D. Why do I want to work for Aldi
E. Conclusion

I understand that talking about personal topics is a big no-no, but what about saying upfront "I speak four languages" - will that be seen as boasting and reflect poorly on me?

Thanks a lot. By the way, my interview is in Belgium, so don't worry about competition :P

Hi there,

I've applied for the Aldi grad scheme and received a message saying if they haven't been in touch in 2 weeks i hadn't been successful. Did u receive the same message and how long did it take for them to get back to you after the online app?

Many thanks for your help in advance.

pman,

I emailed them after 3 weeks to say i hadnt heard anything. they replied saying 'chill your beans, you have an interview we just havent sent you the letter yet.' I got the letter through about 4-5 weeks after application.

goodluck

Many thanks Kirky!!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Pman

I applied online last week and heard back from then within the week with a date for an interview. The online process is fairly simple it includes 3 questions one on each about dedication, teamwork and your proudest achievement.

Has anyone attended a recent interview day?

@ JP14 - Did you have a telephone interview before a face to face?

I also applied about a week ago and have a group interview next week. No telephone interview.

Where is yours @JP14?

@242 - Have you had the group interview? If so how did you find it?

I have an interview next week. How is the group interview like??

Hey kirkyX5, it too has been 2 weeks for me, however I cant locate an email address anywhere. I dont suppose you still have this do you? I would be hugely grateful if you could provide me with it.

Many Thanks in advance X

heyy all

i received a letter today inviting me to an interview/assessment centre. but it has no further information other than it lasts 3 hrs! has any one else received any info?

Oh and i think i applied about 6 weeks ago... definitely long enough for me to have forgotten i had even applied as i had received no correspondence until now!

nee =)

Hey nee87...

Im worrying because I applied just over 3 weeks and have heard nothing. They do say if you dont hear within 2 then you're unsuccessful dont they? Good luck! Maybe you can offer me any advice if they tell you the rest of the details? :p And of course if I even get an interview :( x x

hey princess win!

You know what, i cant even remember if thats what they said when i applied!
but i know it was definitely over 2 weeks ago i applied so don't loose hope!
what area did you apply for?

Im trying not to! So much competition though! I believe I applied for the Essex area, Chelmsford. How about you? Can I ask what sort of background you're from, like Uni graduate? What degree etc? I have no idea just how creme de la creme people applying are. Probably way out of my depth here: / x x

aww cool, i applied for northwest region so fear not im sure you sill hear something eventually!

My background, actually has nothing to do with retail! lol my undergraduate was in psychology and masters in Forensics! I dont think it matters to be fair, just how you come across and whether you have potential as you can apply your skills in any situation! i remember going to my first one with RBS and all the candidates was so posh i felt like a right commoner! lol

Hey guys,

This may seem like a silly question, but do you need to be able to drive to apply to the area management scheme??

Hi Everyone

Hope your Aldi interviews went well.

I have a group interview coming up soon and would be grateful for any advice. I know there will be testing and a presentation.

What are the tests? and what level can we expect?GCSE?Also, what subjects do we need to discuss for presentation?

Any tips on introduction, presentation etc would be amazing.

Any reply would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Dom P,

where and when is your interview? I have one next month for the north west.

I am reading these forums with great interest for preparation tips.

For any and all interested, I went through the entire interview process for Aldi's graduate area manager job. The details are here:

http://www.wikijob.co.uk/forum/retail-fmcg-manufacturing/aldi-graduate-area-manager-interviews-revealed-northwest-england

I would also mention that when I got a rejection after the 2nd round interviews, they were concerned about how I would relate to blue collar workers. If you're a bit academic like me and you make it to the final interview stage make sure you demonstrate how you can connect with people from different backgrounds. Best of luck!

Hi

Thanks for the insight. I look forward to reading more about your businesses!

Hello, I have gone through the whole interview process and secured a job with aldi so hopefully should be able to give you some insight into the recruiting process.

Group Interview Stage :
- Testing ( numerical non calculator and verbal reasoning)
- Introduce yourself briefly ( short background, interesting fact about you and why you are suited to the area manager role)
- Group asked about what we believed made a good manager
- 3 minute presentation on what was our biggest acheivment
- question and answer session with managing director

Final Interview Stage:
- Very indepth questions about your past ( schooling/family/hobbies/jobs)
- What you think would be the toughest thing to deal with as an area manager, questions of those types?
- What attratced you to this job
The interview went on for an hour and a half, i am sure it varies hugely on what your answers are. Focused on leadership but very relaxed and friendly interview.

Hope this helps! Good Luck everyone

Hi iv been to the group interview can anyone tell me how long u wait to hear if u have been successful?

Hi guys,

I've got an upcoming interview with Aldi head office for buying Assistant role. I have been told recruiters at Aldi were quiet tought with candidates. I have got no idea regarding the type of questions they will be asking...
I also heard that they were quiet demanding, the salary is very good but there is no progression. once you sign for the job you retired as whatever you've signed for...

So has anyone has applied for this type of role with Aldi before? and could you guide me on how to succeed on my interview?

Many thanks
D

As a former Area Manager with ALDI, I would strongly discourage anyone with a university degree from going for the Area Manager role with ALDI. The typical people you will be working with in these roles are obnoxious, aggressive and over confident. This is the ALDI type they are after. They only want people with uni degrees because it shows you can achieve something. You won’t be using anything you’ve learnt at uni, so it seems such a waste of all that study. The role is basically running their supermarkets, a job which people without a uni degree could also manage easily.

They will work you to the bone for 2-3 years and then replace you with new grads. There are very limited opportunities to progress above Area Manager, as the number of Director roles is limited and everyone is competing for them, and the existing Directors won’t leave their current roles so they don’t come up often.

The progression from Area Manager is to Store Operations Director, Buying Director, Property Director or Warehouse Director. Given the existing directors have nowhere else to go, besides Managing Director, there are limited opportunities for progression. Each region can only have 1 or 2 Store Operations Directors etc., there is only 1 Managing Director. So the number of people in the Director roles is small.

Most people working for ALDI develop very specific skills in overseeing supermarkets, and there are limited opportunities to move into other retail companies with the ALDI experience. Other retailers would rather promote their existing staff into management, and so if you leave the company you will find it difficult to gain employment elsewhere with the ALDI background as your experience.

I would strongly discourage anyone from pursuing an opportunity with them, as they are a ruthless company and will use you until they can replace you. ALDI only operates for the profit of the German owners. ALDI don’t hesitate to replace people they don’t like, and their staff turnover is very high.

Uni graduates would be better advised to work in roles where they can utilize the degree they’ve studied, which in the long term will give them a lot more opportunities than ALDI can offer. Whilst other companies offer a lower starting salary for graduates, you will quickly catch up, and in the long term be in a much better position with a career that actually makes you attractive to many firms.

Whilst the ALDI starting salary is high, it doesn’t go up much further once you are in the company. It is a bait to attract lots of applicants to apply, and then you get stuck. I really regret working for ALDI and would have been better off starting off in a career oriented firm where I was using my uni degree.

Tombrady, thank you so much for your honesty - I have been really attracted to the ALDI GRS, mainly for the salary admittedly, and your post has answered one of those nagging questions that I had; "why is ALDI's GRS salary so much higher than everywhere else?".

The truth is i'm not even a 'fresh' graduate, I graduated in 2005 with a law degree, have done my LPC and am currently working at an intermediate level as a paralegal a top 10 UK law firm. I'm earning more than my friends who qualified as a Solicitor in small firms (but not as much as those in firms like mine of course) but I decided about a year ago that the legal profession may not be for me - not sure I'm built for the 'desk' job - I much prefer to be about and about so to speak.

Changing career completely is not easy though, and when you are used to earning a certain amount, the ALDI GRS looks perfect as you start off on the right pay level. I guess all that glitters etc...

I have probably been hasty and perhaps just need to sit down and really think about what I want to do, and whether a career change really is the right thing or whether I just need to make a shift within the legal profession.

Thank you.