I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Keyence (Edinburgh, Scotland) in Feb 2025
Interview
I interviewed for Keyence's Edinburgh Sales Graduate Role.
Interview process is held in 4 stages:
- HireVue Interview: a 3 minute recorded interview that you send to them. Usually have to answer only one question. Mine was "How would you be a good fit for this role?" and I was told the question before the interview, so I had prep time.
- Mechanical Aptitude Test: After the recording, you take a really simple common-sense quiz to show that you're not stupid. Really straightforward physics based questions like "What happens to the water level of a pot if you remove a chicken from it?" Easy stuff, and you can always have a separate device open to google answers you might not know.
- Virtual Assessment Centre/Group Assessment/First Individual Interview: This is as far as I got. You are invited to a group meeting online (through Zoom) with other candidates and a recruitment/HR manager. There's an initial meeting with all candidates (lasts roughly an hour) where you are taken through the basics of the company. You are also asked to introduce yourself and state your greatest achievement, which I believed to be quite a backwards question that not everyone can answer. You are then invited to an individual assessment with the recruitment manager. This consists of 15 minutes of usual interview questions (some of mine were "Tell me a time when you faced backlash for a new idea" or "why sales"). They don't let anything away when you answer them and remain very flat-faced. Then you must complete a 15-minute roleplay, where you are asked to sell conference room space to Keyence. This is where they analyse and evaluate your ability to sell and also your passion for it. It can be very tough as you are just expected to know everything about hotel conference rooms, but you always need to remember to close the deal no matter how stubborn they are with you (which is quite stubborn). If they tell you that you can just send them a financial brochure through and they will consider it, then you've either already failed or are still failing. Don't do what I did and just say "Sure! I'll send you one through" and end the imaginary phone call. That's probably what lost me the job in the grand scheme of things, but hey ho!
The last stage is a standard interview in-person with a hiring manager. I'm assuming that this stage is likely just a formality, but I wouldn't know.
I was told I would have hear from them in one working week. This is not what I experienced. After two weeks of trying to contact them, I was told that they had thought I was informed of my result and then broke the news that I did not get any further. I then asked for feedback which took another 3 or 4 days to come through to me.
I had a good experience overall, but don't expect them to be in contact with you if you are unsuccessful. If you have to continue to contact them for answers after a working week, you've probably failed.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Sell me (Keyence) conference toom space as a Hotel's agent.
Assessment day and an individual interview with the recruitment team. I was invited to the final stage interview with a sales manager, but I never received further communications to schedule the interview.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The task was to role-play selling a car to the interviewer
I interviewed at Keyence (London, England) in Apr 2026
Interview
1st round application 2nd round apptitude testing 3rd round assessment centre and interview and 4th round interview with managers. all stages online bar the last which is in person in the local branch
First I had to do a Mechanical test which was pretty straight forward. Then I was invited the virtual assessment centre which is group call explaining the role, and then a one on one interview. They asked what my greatest achievement was, a time when I didn't achieve a desired outcome and at the end had to do a sales role play, where the I had to sell the interviewer a car, and also some competency questions