FDM Group Interview Questions & Answers

What do you do when you have a deadline approaching and you still have tasks to complete?

The first interview was a telephone interview asking general questions, for example. What did you study? What skills do you have that will be suitable for the role? Why FDM? Why IT? It was a short interview no more than 10 minutes.

I was successful and then invited for an assessment day two weeks later. There were eight of us and we went into a room called a fish bowl, the offices were new and modern. We were first given a short introduction about the company from one of the recruitment team and then we had to stand and give a short introduction about ourselves on what we studied and where we heard about FDM. We.We then transported to another meeting room, where we stayed most of the day, and a member of HR gave a powerpoint presentation and a sample contract to look at. Followed by the numerical test (no calculator), it wasn't too bad but I did practise beforehand but during test situations it feels different as always, the test contained addition, factors, multiplication, percentages, fractions, simultaneous equations and Pythagorus. I was lucky to have a 15 minute break with another prospective, while the others started interviewing. We went to the kitchen and met someone who spoke well of FDM. He said the business pathway was 8 weeks and technical is 12 weeks (can also be paid whilst training).

I had three interviews back to back, they were short. My first one was about my degree and asked, what my degree was, my result, whether I was happy with it, my project, what would I change about my degree and what modules I liked in my degree. Second interview was a personality one and lastly one about why FDM and IT. The interviewers are friendly but do prepare to say as much as you can in a short time.

We then had another test straight afterwards the aptitude test, consisting of 50 questions. They were okay some questions were tricky they had some puzzles, personality questions, programming and basic IT questions, like what is SQL, what does a service manager do, why go from IP4 to IP6..

After a quick lunch of 45 minutes with the other applicants, we sat down for our final test on Venn diagrams and Set notation. There are four parts the last part was the hardest and the test was okay until the last part where you had produce a 3 set venn diagram and find quantities in each set. I did run out of time.

Do you like to work on many different projects? Is change a good thing? What would you change about your degree or modules in your degree? How do you balance your time and time with your friends?

Practise some interview questions with a friend. They email you information about your assessment day and supply helpful links to help you revise for the test. Dress smart. The environment is friendly and you wouldn't feel in competition with the other candidates when you are there, so try not to worry.

There were eight of us, we sat the numerical, aptitude and venn diagram tests together. Then split into groups of 2 when interviewing.

A very straightforward interview that allowed the interviewer and candiadate to build a relationship from word go. A phone interview that lasted 20 minutes, covering basic university and career desires. We covered Maths exams, diagramatic reasoning and verbal reasoning tests that revealed how numerical we were.

Describe success in three words. This was hard because it was subjective and personal. Therefore, it put you on your back foot. Another question was describe what differentiates you from someone else.

Prepare early, practice Venn Diagrams. Mock interviews and take care to look at your interviewers. Ensure that you dress smartly with a CV with you, this helps to stand you out instantly. Ensure that you know the organisation inside out covering their mission, vision, company values and concepts.

Venn Diagram test, 1 hour test whereby you describe set notations. A Maths test, 1 hour long test that tries to understand your level of basic Mathematics skills. 5 min interviews, times 3. Speed dating in an interview context.

Applied online, got a call back asking if I was available for Phone interview. they scheduled it. During the Phone Interview - it took 10 minutes and asked me 3 questions - basically things like why choose FDM etc.

Afterwards - they said they will let me know if I progress onto the next stage (which is the assessment day). 2 days later I got a response saying i was successful - and went to join the assessment day.

Overall it was quite relaxed. Quite laid back during the interview process.

Name a time you had to work with someone difficult, and what was the end result?

Learn a bit of A Level math again, it will help you when it comes to the tests. Also - during the interview you have to keep it short, they ask 4 questions in 5 minutes so keep it short and sweet.

Only apply if you are willing to stick to a 2 year commitment - and by the way, you are assigned to campaign which could be anywhere in UK, so you have to be VERY flexible. It could be for 2 months, it could be for 2 years - but when they tell you to move, you pretty much have to just move.

My personal advice is that there is a load of potential in working with FDM, however I'd say this job is really for people with no prior commitments. If you're married - then it's not as ideal as they could relocate you anywhere.

Upon arriving, there were about 12-14 of us. We all went to a room, sat down and they told us about the company and how the process works. Basically - you commit to FDM for 2 years, and they will also provide the training for you. However - FDM explain that if you leave within the 2 year commitment, you will be liable to pay them back for training (which costs around £16-20,000). As well as that, training is unpaid (there was talk of how they give you a joining bonus of £500).

We all introduced ourselves - and then got down to doing tests. Overall during the day, there are 3 tests - 1. Tests IT knowledge, 2. Test on Venn Diagrams, 3 Mathematics test.

The first test asks things like what's HTTP, what is a Mac Address and etc. All multiple choice. There was maybe 5 questions that test programming logic (written in PsuedoCode). It wasn't all programming - one of the questions asked "what is the penultimate question"

Second test - you were given a leaflet on venn diagrams, and then had to shade in the circle according to the logic given.

Third test - basic math, some hard, some not.

After the tests, we were all given an interview. These were 3 separate 5 minute interviews with 3 different groups. They all asked different questions - some were basic ones like why do you want to work here, why did you choose to study your degree... some were questions like would you rush something to get it done knowing that you compromised the quality.

Describe a situation where you had to show responsibility.

Having made an online application I was contacted by a member of their graduate recruitment team within about an hour to book a telephone interview within the next few days. That telephone consisted of simply asking why I had applied, what interested me about IT and what I liked about FDM specifically. I was then told that I had passed the telephone interview stage and was asked to book an assessment day. The assessment day consisted of three tests; mathematics, set notation and Venn diagrams and aptitude tests. Also, there were to be three, five minute interviews consisting of four set questions each. On arrival we were given a short introductory presentation as well as the opportunity to ask any questions regarding the positions available. We were also given a tour of the office and encouraged to ask people there questions. Then we had to fill in a form which asked for, amongst other things, any modules that we had failed and any criminal convictions we had that were not yet spent. Then we had the first of the three tests, which lasted an hour, followed by the three interviews. In the interviews it was stressed that the interviewer would ask just the four questions; they would not ask anything to follow up on what you had said or encourage you to answer more fully in any way, so it was up to you to say as much as you could about anything they asked, especially considering the fact that each interview was only five minutes. Then we had the second test, broke for lunch, and then the final test afterwards.

The mathematical test was GCSE standard and not difficult at all; however, having used a calculator for three years of study, suddenly being asked to do mental arithmetic was a bit of a struggle. Also, the aptitude test contained some tricky questions relating to probabilities and coding, but for the most part wasn't too bad.

Practice mental arithmetic if you feel that you might struggle without a calculator and think about how you would answer interview questions in a short space of time, whilst giving as full an answer as possible; the questions themselves are fairly standard, apart from one which was "what does success look like to you", which is just one of those where you have to think on your feet a little bit.

A GCSE-level mathematical test, without a calculator; a GCSE/A level Venn diagram and set notation test; an aptitude test, which included logic problems, questions about defining IT-related terms (such as SQL), coding problems and the sort of problems you might expect on an IQ test.

First I received a call for a phone interview which was very basic:
Why FDM?
Why you chose your degree?
Where do you see your self in five years?
Why I.T?
Then I was told straight away, I am through to the assessment centre. Was given a tour of the organisation. Then had to introduce ourselves as an icebreaker. Overall it was a comfortable environment.

"Describe a situation where you had to respond to demand?"

Research the company, have examples to relate to, brush up on communicating skills. don't go unprepared otherwise you will trip up, there are 3 5 minute interviews all competency based, they are all very friendly interviewers just relax and say what you got to say in a concise style.

3 tests, first was a maths test very easy nothing to worry about, brush up on GCSE maths. 2nd was an aptitude test, some I.T related stuff on there so maybe just research a little. Third was ven diagram, very confusing if you dont prepare, was challenging.

PRE ASSESSMENT CENTRE
Initial telephone interview was very relaxed, basic questions such as 'why IT'.
One way video interview consisted of around 4 questions such as 'why FDM?', ''Tell us about yourself'. Given 60 seconds to answer each question with prep time before each question.

ASSESSMENT CENTRE
3 interviews lasting 5 minutes each, see below for more info.

Would you sacrifice the quality of work to meet a deadline.

Technical and business pathways are assessed together so do not stress if you lack knowledge of coding. Be confident and friendly, show an interest in technology and a willingness to learn. Don't be afraid to engage in conversation with interviewers. Professional dress code.

Introductory presentation. Short exercise where candidates introduce themselves to the group.
Venn diagrams/set notation test. Information booklet provided for test and revision material given prior to assessment day was very useful.
Maths test. GCSE level maths.
Aptitude test. General knowledge, logic, basic coding and IT questions.

3 interviews (5 minutes each): Very friendly interviewers. Each interview has an un-assessed practice question.
Interview topics: -Interest in IT/FDM
-Degree/education
-Personal qualities

I had an initial telephone interview which consisted of questions such as, why would you like to work in IT? Why would you consider a career with FDM? Where do you you see yourself in 5 years time? The phone interview lasted approximately 20 minutes.

After the phone interview I was invited to an assessment day at the FDM offices in London. The day consisted of 3 tests, including an aptitude test, a maths test and a venn diagram and probability test. Each exam lasted an hour apart from the maths test which was 30 minutes. I then had 3 short one on one interviews with members of the senior management team. They asked questions about my degree, why I wanted to work in IT and some questions on my personality.

The questions were mostly quite straight forward, some questions such as 'How would you describe your perfect day at work?' were not as straight forward as they first seemed.

Be confident and have a positive attitude even if you feel the process isn't going as you initially planned. Prepare for the venn diagram test with some revision on probability and standard notation. I practiced all of the test styles before the interview a few times to make sure I didn't get a nasty shock!

3 short interviews, 3 exams. I then took an extra exam for an accelerated training program that focussed on my knowledge of pseudo code and problem solving skills.

The process began with a telephone interview which I was successful in and this was followed by an assessment centre. The assessment centre included tasks such as; group presentation, numerical tests and two on one interviews.

What is your biggest achievement to date?

Brush up on current affairs related to the company/job role.

We were split into 4 groups early on and were told to prepare a presentation. This was followed by two on one interviews which lasted approximately 15 minutes for each candidate. The day ended with a numerical and literacy test.