Day breakdown
1. Entry
2. Briefing from Nicole
3. Group activity
4. Presentation
5. Lunch
6. One-on-one interview
7. Analytical test
Entry:
• Sat down in Nissan entrance
• Met other candidates
• Introduced ourselves
Briefing from Nicole:
• Introduced officially to each other, with light ice-breaker activity
• Briefing given by Nicole about the placement scheme and Nissan Maple Cross HQ
Group Activity:
• Given a briefing sheet, pen, scrap paper & calculator
• Briefing told us that we were to organise a marathon, produce financial report, and then present both aspects
• 40 mins given to organise
• Information presented in set of emails - 4 different emails
• Decisions to consider: branding, event organisation, venue organisation, scheduling, sponsorship, and pricing
• Feedback from me:
○ I tried to split up the tasks into pairs - but I was over-ruled by the rest of team talking over me
○ Team spent too long discussing branding, logistics and venue - not enough focus put into financial side
○ Calculations made were not accurate
○ Presentation was not structured - people kept talking over one another
• Feedback from Nicole:
○ Should have split into smaller teams, she heard me mention it but wondered why it was not implemented
○ Detailed financial report was not produced
Presentation:
• Taken into smaller room and called two-by-one to present to two different boards
• My board had two people, both from HR
• 10 minutes allocated for presentation
• Went overtime with my presentation but didn’t matter
• Was asked around 7 or 8 questions about my chosen topic: How to become an Employer of First Choice
• Board were impressed with presentation, asked for details of my references
Lunch:
• Taken to central canteen - lunch was paid for by Nissan
• Got the chance to meet and talk to current placement students
• I spoke to two, one from HR and one from PR
• Both gave positive feedback about Nissan
One-on-one Interview:
• Was interviewed by Alex and Nicole
• Questions asked related to my work experience, and personal experiences
• Answered with information relevant to that of my CV
• Kept interview light-hearted, made jokes about previous experiences
• Questions asked related to my employment conditions, whether I was happy with the placement
• Informed that feedback on interview and offer would be made within the next two weeks
• Feedback from Interviewers:
○ No detailed feedback given, maybe because my job application was successful
○ Generic feedback regarding STAAR and SMART responses was given
Analytical test:
• Briefing sheet, calculator and two pieces of lined A4 given, one for scrap notes and one for submission
• Information regarding fiscal year sales from 2013 to 2016 for Nissan and competitor pick-up truck models was also given
• Questions were asked regarding forecasting, trends, and comparing competitors to Nissan
Offer:
• Offer was made once I got home around 1 hour after my analytical test
• Even though I applied for marketing & communications, aftersales placement was given
• Accepted offer by email
• Contract received around 3 weeks post-assessment centre