Enterprise Rent-A-Car Interview Questions & Answers

I was originally referred to the graduate scheme by a friend who already works for the company and he encouraged to apply online initially. After doing this I was lucky enough to be accepted onto the next stage of the recruitment process where I had a telephone interview.

This involved a talent specialist calling and basically summarising if your previous job experience would be suitable for a role at enterprise and there were also competently based questions. I was then invited for a one to one interview at the company's regional head office. She mainly asked competency questions such as ''explain a situation where you dealt with a difficult customer' and 'explain times where you've had to upsell a certain product. It was fairly informal built up of these types of question and discovering if you had the right personality.

They are huge on customer service aptitude. I received a phone call inviting me on a branch visit where I spoke to current members of staff and got a feel for daily life in a branch, it also involved similar questions again with the branch manager. The final stage was the assessment centre where there were individual tasks about planning a day at the branch and a couple of customer scenarios where you had to upgrade someone into a better car and deal with a complaint. There was also group discussion and one to one interviews.

The customer scenario questions where you had to upgrade a customer into a larger vehicle and sell the benefits.

Just to simply get on the website and learn the company founding values as well as there mission statement. This can really set you aside from other candidates if you can bring some facts to the table. Also ensure you're prepared with plenty of company based answers as they ask hundreds of them to ensure you have a strong sales/customer service background. If you don't have this they won't look at you.

We were given a presentation about the company and it's founding values and mission statement etc. afterwards we were each given a charity idea for the company to support but with a certain budget amongst ourselves so only a few could be chosen.

It's important to be heard here but not to be too overpowering and controlling. Bringing the quieter applicants into conversation can look very good at this point. We were then give scenarios that would occur on a daily basis at the branch and this was role played with the area manager, this was a opportunity to show you can think and problem solve efficiently.

The most difficult task was having to plan part of a day in the branch where a number of things went wrong and you had to logically plan how to correct them and ensure the branch smoothly. The last interview was with a member of staff from head office who summarised why you'd applied and why you think they should hire you etc? 24 hour turn around on the decision.

I orginially found out about Enterprise-rent-a-car at a graduate fair at my University. I went over to the stand the women there were super friendly and they advised me to apply online. Once you have applied online your application is accepted or declined, mine was accepted and I was informed I would have a telephone interview. The telephone interview was to get to know me and look at my experience, and how my experience would help in the role. At the end of the telephone interview my interviewer told me she would like to meet me at a face to face interview at the regions headquarters. The interview was relaxed yet formal. She asked me competency questions like 'tell me a time where you have gone beyond expectation to help a customer', there were lots of these types of questions. At the end of the interview she said she would be in contact with me if I had been successful. By the time I had got home she rang me and told me that I had indeed been sucessful and she had arranged a branch visit. This included watching other members of staff and how the branch worked. After this I met with the branch manager and had a 30 minute formal interview with him. There was a lot of competency based questions. A week after the branch visit I was told they wanted to see me at the assessment centre.

Competency questions. In each interview they ask the same questions just worded differently. Make sure you have plenty of examples for them.

Know your stuff! They will ask you what you know about the company and what particular things you like about their values.

Be prepared with your examples for the competency questions, there are lots of them so be sure you know your information so you won't trip up on your own information.

When we first arrived we were put in a presentation room and we watched the talent acquisition manager give a short presentation about the company.

After this we were spilt in to two groups to have a discussion about a charity and we had to push our charity to get picked. I would recommend to be heard but do not take the lead and be too loud, the interviewers do not like this at all.

We had a short break then we were individually taken in to a room by an area manager for a role-play in an every day situation, this was fun as you get an insight in to the company.

After lunch time we had a test where we were given information about a branch and we had to prioritise tasks and find logical solutions for everyday problems. Finally we had another interview with an area manager, they asked us how we thought the day went and what roles we took in each of the tasks.

At the end of the day we were told we would be told within 24 hours if we were successful.

Stage 1)

Application process online: Asked some competency questions and had to attach CV.

Stage 2)

Telephone Interview: At this stage you are asked about your customer service background and sales background. Always good to prepare your answers here. You are asked about times when you gave excellent customer service and when you have had to manage a team. These do not necessarily have to be about your working background - if you have volunteered at all this can also be useful. I was told on the phone I had been successful and would go through to the next stage.

Stage 3)

Face to face interview: I went to one of the regional head offices for my face to face interview. As soon as I walked in everyone said hello, really friendly environment which put me at ease. The lady who interviewed me was lovely and she asked me the same sort of questions as my phone interview. She told me at the end of the interview I had been put through to the next stage.

Stage 4)

Branch Placement: This stage was a 3 hour placement at one of the enterprise branches. This was a really good opportunity to see how the branch is run and whether you'd like to work for the company. I really enjoyed my time at the branch, it seemed like a really great place to work and the staff were again really friendly and approachable. The day consisted of watching the staff and how they work. Some advice here is to talk to the graduate trainee who is at that branch and ask as much as possible about the role. At the end I had another interview with the branch manager - similar questions were asked again. The branch manager put me through to the final stage.

Stage 5)

Assessment day: Getting through to this stage is an achievement in itself! Only 10% of applicants get through to this stage and the offices generally get about 25 applications a day. Another positive thing to remember is that you are not competing for one job - the other candidates are NOT your competition. The candidates at my assessment day were all really nice and you could see why they had got through to the final stage. .

Tell me about a time you have had to change your priorities.

Tell me about a time you have had to meet a sales target.

Be yourself. If you have customer service experience let them know about it! I had no sales experience and I was honest about this.

Smile and be confident - I was extremely nervous.

I took the role without even doubting it. I knew I wanted to work for this company.

Firstly there was a presentation about the company and we met the regional managers. Then we had to do an 'icebreaker' by introducing someone else to the rest of the group. After this, we had to do a group exercise. We were each given different initiatives and a budget; the idea was to argue your initiative and get it chosen. The assessors are not looking for the 'winner' but how well you work in a team. The next part was a meeting where all sorts had gone wrong in the branch and you as the branch manager had to sort it out. Next was a customer service scenario (individual) where a customer was refusing to pay and you had to deal with it. Finally was a 30 minute interview with an area manager.

The online application was straightforward. Personal details, education, work experience and any additional information (achievements, training etc..).

The next stage was a 30-minute telephone interview with a talent acquisition manager (this person was also at the assessment centre). We discussed the main points on my CV and then moved on to competency questions. These were in line with the jobs competencies (leadership, team work, sales, customer service, decision making...) so have some examples prepared!

The next stage was a branch visit. At the start, I was set a task by the branch manager to obtain specific information from all the employees at the branch (time at company, likes/dislikes of the job, hobbies etc...). This was an exercise to measure communication skills and get an idea of my personality. I then sat down with the manager and talked about the interview process and a normal day in the role amongst other things.

As this stage takes place at a working branch, you get to experience day-to-day tasks of the job. I experienced a complaint and went to pick up a customer during my visit.

After this, I completed an interview with the branch manager, which lasted around 40 minutes. There were several competency-based questions for each core competency of the job.

The next stage was the assessment center.

Be fully prepared for an expansive range of competency based questions which are designed to test both your prior experiences and how closely aligned these are with the core competencies of the position.

Take time to compose your answers as any gaps will be picked up on and scrutinised irrespective of your academic achievements and transferable work experience, knowledge and skills.

Assessment day activities. Make sure you practice them!

Research the company and the industry fully. They don't expect you to know everything but the more you know the easier the process will be.

Be sure to use a range of examples from your past work experiences and use the STAR model (situation, task, action, result) when answering, as this will ensure your answers are concise and you actually answer the question!

Prepare for how to act in the activities during the assessment day. The outcome of activities is not necessarily the most important aspect (although you should meet the objectives!). But rather what role you play within the group, how you justify your actions in the individual activity and how you act in the role-plays.

I've been to a few of these now and I see how some people struggle to perform well in a group activity, as they were uninvolved or too aggressive!

A full day that consisted of; a group exercise, an individual exercise, role-play scenarios and a final interview.

Group exercise- We were all given information of the organisations background along with its core values. Also, we were each given a different business initiative and had to argue why our own should be chosen. We had a budget (meaning only a couple could be chosen) and had 30 minutes to decide which the group would choose, along with reasoning???s to be presented to the finance board (area managers).

Individual exercise- I was given 30 minutes to organise a day in the life of a branch manager. Of course, this was not made straight forward as employees had called in sick, cars were not ready to go out, the correct type of cars were not available for customers etc... I had to address this and draw up a fleet plan, employee duties plan, deal with customers and other issues.

As was explained, there was no one correct way to complete this, but I had to justify my plan.

The assessor was quite thorough and went through my whole plan, ensuring there was no holes in it. Probably the most difficult part of the day for me!

Role plays-2 different scenarios.

1. A customer service scenario, where a customer had not taken out the insurance waiver thus had to pay £500 before they left to cover damages that had incurred while they had the car.

2. A sales scenario, where a customer had booked a basic car with zero extras. I had to encourage sales through upgrading to a higher category car and get the insurance waiver.

The assessor played the part well (must have seen it too many times!) and made both scenarios difficult for me!

Final interview: Again, a competency based interview to measure experiences against competencies of the job role. Lasted around 40 minutes.

So I initially started with a one to one interview with a recruiter. The recruiter was really nice and made me feel comfortable and took away my nerves. The interview was just finding out about me, my experiences, education etc. I received good feedback and some advice on how to improve but was successful and was put through to the next stage, Branch Interview.

On this day I was there for a couple of hours and shadowed one of the current trainee managers and interacted with customers, went on drop offs and pick ups and just got an understanding of how the company ran. After this the branch manager took me through for another one to one interview and asked me similar questions to the ones in my first interview, next day my recruiter called me back to tell me how fantastically I did and how impressed he was with me and that they really liked me so I'm through to the final stage, Assessment Centre.

You would typically have to work 55hours + a week, how do you feel about that? (It's a bit of a weird question to be honest, what do you respond to that?)

I would say really think about if the job is worth the time and potential money you will be investing into the interview process. I had to book a nearby hotel to make it to the interview on time and then be told I was unsuccessful after all my efforts!

On this day, I was with 7 other candidates and had to be there at 8am,

We started by doing a quiz which is where prior research would've come in, I was fully prepared and was the only one who put up my hand for a few of the questions.

We then were introduced to area managers and given a cheap and shitty breakfast which didn't even look edible may I add, after that we had to do sales and customer service role play with one of the area managers, which I got good feedback from. We then had to do a 'morning meeting' with two of the area managers. We had to motivate them and get them going. Discuss figures, targets and aims etc. Again at the end of it I received some good feedback that I was energitic, bubbly and made them smile. We then had to do a group discussion with the rest of the group, we each were given an initiative to pitch and between us had to decide to which one to go for then pitch it to the area managers. This is where we had to be involved etc. Lastly we had another one to one interview with an area manager asking the same questions as all the other one to ones and finished at 2pm. It was a very long day and pretty hard to keep energy up especially because there was ALOT of waiting around through ou the day. We were told we would receive a call the following day to find out wether we got the job or not.

On my call back, they told me I was unsuccessful because I wasn't oozing with confidence, which I find is completely unfair because I received a lot of good feedback from various people in the company during my stages.

The presenter Raj, was talking about how when she first started she disputed washing cars, setting off a negative thought in everyone's mind. I was then with another candidate who came unprepared, didn't bring a pen or a notepad and kept pulling his phone out during the day!! Had a really foul attitude and was sitting like he just didn't care and I later discovered he got the job. There were many of us in the room who visibly really wanted the job and a few of us didn't get it. And yes I know we are not competing against each other, I just find it unfair and disheartening that you could get all this way and really proving that you want it and sell yourself for an a****e like this guy to carelessly walk in and get it. I'm so gutted and upset at the company but I guess all blessings are disguised.

Following my online application for the Graduate Management Trainee role at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, I received an email from a Talent Acquisition Manager at Enterprise whom requested a telephone interview the following day. My initial telephone interview lasted approximately 30 minutes and covered a number of sales and customer service-related positions I had held and documented on my CV. I was asked a number of competency questions in which I had prepared examples taken from my prior work experience, voluntary community fundraising and educational attainment to demonstrate my suitability to each stated requirement.

I was then told by the Talent Acquisition Manager that I had been successful in my telephone interview and asked to attend an interview at the Central Office in Heathrow. This initial meet with the Talent Acquisition Manager consisted of a 45 minute process in which I was asked approximately 12 different competency questions ranging from my experiences in exceeding sale-related targets, working alongside a busy team in a small workspace and describing my greatest sense of achievement.

I initially received no feedback for approximately 3 days and so I contacted the Talent Acquisition Manager to prompt a response. I was then told that I had passed the 1st interview stage and was asked to attend a branch interview and 'shadowing' exercise at a disclosed Enterprise Rent-A-Car location.

Upon arrival to the local branch, I was asked to 'shadow' two members of staff for approximately 3 hours and in interviewed with the Branch Manager. This interview also consisted of a Senior Member of staff sitting in on a portion of the interview in which I was asked a range of new competency questions, asked to participate in a small role-play and give examples of 'upselling' and negating objections. The entire branch interview process lasted approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Describe a time in which you failed to hit a sales target and what was the outcome?

Describe an experience with an angry or irritable customer, how did you manage the situation?

Can you describe a step-by-step sales process which would be utilised here at Enterprise on a day-to-day basis?

Be fully prepared for an expansive range of competency based questions which are designed to test both your prior experiences and how closely aligned this are with the 'Enterprise' model of sales and customer service.

Take time to compose your answers as any 'holes' in your answers will be picked up on and scrutinised irrespective of your academic achievements and transferable work experience, knowledge and skills.

My application was not put forward towards the assessment centre stage.

The entire process was well communicated to all of the candidates from beginning to the end. I was very aware of where I stand, what was expected of me and details information about the company.

The telephone interview was simply competency questions and very informal. Once you passed this stage, you had a day spent at your local branch shadowing the staff to see first hand what the role involved which was very interesting. You then had a one to one informal chat with the branch manager.

The most difficult question was adapting yourself into the company's core values and explaining how as an individual you had some of these core values.

Be yourself, they want people who are genuine, leaders and team players. Being a leader is what the role involves but being a team player also plays a big role in the type of candidate they are looking for.

At the assessment day, ensure to make yourself noticeable and be vocial enough and take part in all of the activities.

A variety of different tasks both group and indivdual based all of which included what the role would involve day to day. This was slightly more difficult than expected but it was fun and very different from other companies as you are more engaged with everyone.

Furthermore, an interview with the general managers with a variety of different competency based questions.

After applying online, I shortly received a phone call (which turned out to be a phone interview) of which involved some questions about my background, what I know about enterprise, what I do and have done etc. The phone call ended with an invitation to a face-to-face interview.

The face-to-face interview involved plenty of competency based questions. Additionally, this stage talked briefly a bit more about the specifics of the role. At the end of the interview, I was invited to attend a branch visit to the branch I had applied for.

The branch visit involved meeting all the employees at the branch, and shadowing several employees for an hour or two before a interview with the branch manager at the end of the visit. This was the most informative stage of recruitment, as I was able to witness the specifics of the role I was applying for. After the branch visit had ended, I was informed a week later by phone call that I had been invited to attend an assessment centre.

Upon attending the assessment centre, I met 11 other candidates, of which 2 were applying for the same branch as me, I was briefed about the structure of the day. The day started with a group discussion, of which each candidate had to persuade the group to pursue their initiative (of which the group had to consider the associated costs and then come to a collective decision). The second task was a day in the life of a manager, whereby candidates were given several pieces of information, and were asked to plan the morning based on said information. The third task involved role play; where candidates had to convince customers (acted by Area Managers) to both upgrade their vehicle and ask them to pay for damage to a vehicle (two different scenarios). After these tasks, candidates were provided with free lunch, and were then invited to ask any questions (essentially a Q & A session). This concluded the assessment centre.

The next day I received a phone call from the area manager of the branch I had applied for offering me the position.

The most difficult question I received was at the branch visit, of which the branch manager asked for a time where a customer had complained to my face about the service I personally had provided. This was the only question I failed to answer.

Be confident with your attributes.

Learn the values of the organisation and try to relate your answers to these values.

Ask as many questions as you can, the company enjoy people who are inquisitive and want to learn more about the company.

Upon attending the assessment centre, I met 11 other candidates, of which 2 were applying for the same branch as me, I was briefed about the structure of the day. The day started with a group discussion, of which each candidate had to persuade the group to pursue their initiative (of which the group had to consider the associated costs and then come to a collective decision). The second task was a day in the life of a manager, whereby candidates were given several pieces of information, and were asked to plan the morning based on said information. The third task involved role play; where candidates had to convince customers (acted by Area Managers) to both upgrade their vehicle and ask them to pay for damage to a vehicle (two different scenarios). After these tasks, candidates were provided with free lunch, and were then invited to ask any questions (essentially a Q & A session). This concluded the assessment centre.

Following an online application form and some basic personality testing as part of the application process, I received an email within a day and a telephone interview just a few days after that.

The telephone interview was with the Group HR Manager for the West Midlands and lasted around 10 minutes. Questions were fairly straightforward and were generally expected, talking about past experiences in terms of customer service, leadership and decision-making.

I was offered a one-to-one interview very quickly, within two weeks, at a regional office. The interview was 50 minutes-1 hour and was a combination of expanding on my past experiences and the interviewer explaining the interview process and a normal day at work amongst other things.

I found that the interviewer did speak a little too much at times, and I couldn't expand on my points as much as I wanted to because they tended to "butt in" a little. Because of this and without wanting to interrupt, by the time she had finished talking she was onto another question.

The interview was successful and I have been put through to the next stage which consists of a three-hour visit to a local branch. During this time I will shadow a fellow trainee or employee and see how a store operates on a day-to-day business, and complete a checklist with tasks to do throughout the three hours, such as checking returned cars, view of a contract being signed and head to a customer pick-up. I will be assessed on how I interact with clients and colleagues, and further interviewed by a regional manager with some competency questions to end.

After this stage, if successful, I will be put through to an assessment centre with other potential candidates.

"Describe a situation where you showed initiative..."

Research Enterprise, their values and what they're looking for, and be able to apply these findings to the interview process, and throughout your working career.

Have a set idea about why you want to do the job, and be prepared to respond to questions if your degree is quite a specialist one. For instance, I am completing a degree in Accounting, and have been questioned several times on why I don't want to further this career path, I think they fear that Accounting students only want to be Accountants so will not be fully committed to a management role.

Think outside of the box when answering questions and don't relate every single answer to your employment. Any activities outside of academia such as sport clubs, societies or groups seem to be welcomed.

Yet to complete one.

I initially had a telephone interview which asked some basic questions like when I graduated and what I was doing. I was then asked to arrange a Skype interview for the following week. I have never used Skype so found the second interview a little uncomfortable and I could constantly hear my voice echoed from the feedback on the interviewers side. I didn't really see the point in a Skype interview as opposed to a face to face or extended telephone interview, especially as most of the questions asked I had already previously answered in the first interview. Because of this I got the impression I wasn't being listened to the first time round and thought that dragging out there questions over a two step period was unnecessary and a waste of time. I kept being told to adjust the camera and the signal kept cutting out, it was just a very awkward experience.

I was asked to give an example of a time I gave great customer service so I gave an example of when I helped a blind wheelchair user around a supermarket and into her taxi which is obviously not in the contract of a checkout operator. I took some time describing in detail all the things I helped this customer do but my interviewer just dismissed it as something I should have been doing as part of my job anyway (far from the truth) and not relevant. At this point I decided to end the interview myself.

When they ask you to discuss what you thought about the values of the company make sure you mention the customer service one. When I got asked I got the impression that I did not need to list all 7 values as we were on limited time so I only addressed a few and gave my opinion on why I agreed with them but this again was dismissed by my interviewer who pulled me up on "forgetting about the customer service value" (I wasn't aware there was a quiz?)

Unfortunately I did not make it this far. I have heard good things about the company so I was disappointed my experience wasn't a good one, I guess it all depends on who is interviewing you.