Sunday 9 March 2014

Is it my turn to speak yet?

SSTG

My first interview was with SSTG in Kent. I was on time and not nervous. I think the amount of preparation I did helped with my nerves!
It was a lovely place, very welcoming and homely. 
The whole interview lasted about 1 hour and a half. Yes, I know, it's sounds like a long time but I didn't notice because he put me at ease and we just had a chat
At the end of the interview I handed him all my paperwork which I had already made photocopies of for him and I had the originals just in case.
It was all very smooth going.
Luckily for me, I was told there and then that my interview was a success.
THIS MAY NOT BE THE CASE FOR EVERYONE!
The sheer relief and excitement I felt was unreal! I was so excited and I just couldn't stop smiling. It really felt like a stepping stone in the right direction. 
I was told that I would receive a confirmation email from recruitment and I was to email them back with my chosen sponsors and go from there.
I didn't receive this email. I waited a little longer but then decided to call them to find out what had happened - thanks to a little advice from officercadet. 
Turned out to be a minor confusion but I did have an offer.
*phew*
I am now just waiting for all the relevant paperwork to be processed and I'll write a bit more when I know a lot more..

MAERSK

On my way back from Kent I received an email from Maersk which said that my application was being taken to the next stage. This stage was the online maths tests. There are three tests which are scored and you receive a certificate for. The pass mark I believe is 60% but I'm not completely sure. There were not too difficult. I passed all with 100%. After that I had to do a psychometric test. There are no answers to this one or any preparation you can do. Just be yourself. I haven't seen my results for that yet.
They were happy with my scoring and so invited me to an interview at their headquarters in Newcastle. There were 9 of us and I met some lovely people there!
The atmosphere here was more corporate but still very warm and welcoming. 
We had an hour long presentation which covered the basics about the company, course, e.t.c. We then had a short test  which I can't remember the name of..similar to an IQ test-ish. After that we finally had our interviews and they were a lot shorter than SSTG. They were 30 mins long.
The type of interview they have is one that you will be able to do with the right preparation - like I have advised. However a lot of it comes down to your personality and enthusiasm. You can't fake passion.
I will find out how well I did at the end of March.
Finger crossed!

I know I haven't mentioned what they actually ask you. It's because, well..that'd take the fun out of it. Don't you think? Haha!
All I can promise is that practicing your answers to pre-meditated interview questions is the way forward. 
Trust me.



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