Detica Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed May 2009 (took 8 months)

Those looking for a quick overview of Detica's application process for new grads can find a good explanation on their website which is largely accurate in my experience. The interviews themselves weren't hugely difficult, but for me waiting for feedback was by far the most stressful part.

After online application and a fairly basic tele interview (just really checking youâ??ve done your research on the company/industry) I was given immediate feedback at the end of the call.

This is a one-on-one getting to know you type session at Dâ??s offices. Managed to strike up some level of rapport with the interviewer. He talked at some length over the organisation of the firm, and what I could expect as a grad, followed by a very thorough walk through my CV. He started at my rational for choosing my A-levels, and took it from there! He genuinely seemed interested in what I could bring to the company and my motivation for applying. Overall a fairly intense yet useful experience. Five days later a email dropped in my inbox inviting me to the next round.

This was a panel interview/presentation, this time at their slick new offices in London. This took place two months after the first interview. In what was to be a omen of things to come, this took quite a lot of effort to arrange. The interview was with a senior consultant and a recent grad. After another runthrough of the CV, I did my pre-prepared presentation on my university project. This wasnâ??t really related to Deticaâ??s business, so I took care to cover the organisational and project management aspects of my work - which they were obviously looking for. The interviewers seemed interested, and asked relevant questions. Next came a case study, based on a hypothetical internet/software project.

The remainder of the interview took the form of a q&a on the role, and firm in general. My impression was that D treats employees well, good training for new grads, socialable hours (project dependent), nice variety of public/private sector clients ect. I also made a point of asking about the BAE takeover: the interviewers impressions were quite positive about this.

A couple of weeks after the interview I followed up with a voicemail messages/email, which went unanswered. After a few weeks of hanging on (including one notable occasion when I was promised a call back within an hour, which never materialised), I managed to ascertain that impressions were â??positiveâ?? but they were having some trouble finding me a position. I understood that this uncertainly is to some extent a fact of life in the consulting world On a personal note however I was in the middle of my finals, and the stress of checking my emails hourly in the hope of some feedback, and not knowing whether I would have a job after graduation or not was something I could do without (yeah, boo hoo, I know).

In the end it became apparent that nothing was forthcoming, and it was suggested I attended another interview for a more technical role their Datalab division which was apparently up for grabs. This role was less suited to my skillset, but I had little to lose at this point. So it was back down to London (to their credit all my travel was refunded, no problem) for a 30m chat with a fairly senior technical consultant (a PhD) This interview was more focused on programming: not my speciality, a fact which quickly became apparent as the interview progressed.

I wasnâ??t expecting any feedback promptly, and I wasnâ??t disappointed. After a month or so I started leaving messages/emails which went unanswered. I appreciate that I was rapidly becoming a royal pain in HRâ?? side at this point, but I felt I had little to lose and wanted some form of closure. And HR, despite being nice on the phone were in my view, quite evasive. Two months after the interview (and eight after my initial application) it was confirmed to me that I hadnâ??t been successful: my technical skills werenâ??t up to the level required for Datalab (fair enough, Detica have a reputation for being quite elite in this area, something I accept I am not.) and no generalist roles were available. The HR rep claimed to have left me a voicemail a few weeks before. I never received this. Make of that what you will.

The entire process took eight months, and left me with a quite bitter taste in my mouth: having applied to an advertised position, been to my knowledge successful in the first three interviews. For all I know this is standard in the consulting industry, but a bit more communication on the part of D would have gone a long way.

To Dâ??s credit, the people I met all seemed likable, and Iâ??ve no doubt employees in general are treated well. Whether my experience was a case of poor recruitment processes, overworked HR staff, or just bad luck on my part to apply in the middle of a recession I donâ??t know. I certainly wouldnâ??t want to discourage otherâ?? from applying. Just donâ??t expect the process to be quick.