FDM Group Interview Questions & Answers

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.

Applied online and received a callback almost immediately.

Organised a 10 minute phone interview which consisted of very typical questions about why I wanted to work for FDM and what my degree was etc. Received an invitation to an assessment centre a few days after this.

The assessment centre started at 8:45am and finished at around 3pm. It consisted of a logical test, a maths test, a venn diagram test and a set of three 5-minute interviews

Would you compromise the quality of your work in order to meet a deadline?

What does success look like?

Read up on the company beforehand and prepare yourself for a lot of time 'learning without earning'. The 'deal' here is that you receive up to 16 weeks of unpaid (!) training, after which you will be placed with one of FDM's affiliated companies. On the day you start your placement, you enter a two year contract with FDM, during which time you may potentially be relocated anywhere within the UK. You are given a £500 bonus upon the acceptance of your first placement but as far as I can gather you receive no further financial help if you need to relocate again. Cancelling the contract can also incur a fine of up to £20,000 which they claim is the cost of the training. They aren't trying to catch anyone out and are very upfront about these terms, but it still seems like a bit of a rum deal.

Practice your mental maths, make sure you know basic computer-related acronyms (HTTP, HTML, SQL etc).

The three interviews are only five minutes long but consist of scripted questions. This means the interviewers will not ask you for further information about anything you mention, so make sure you embellish! They also won't have read your CV (for fairness, apparently) so make sure to point out anything that was on there that is relevant to the questions.

The assessment centre began with an introduction to the company, followed by a logic test lasting around an hour. The test was for both technical and business streams and so there was a range of questions. Some were flow-chart/pseudocode based, some were definitions, one was an anagram!

The test was followed by the interview stage. There were three separate rooms with three separate interviews, each focused on a different aspect of the job. One was about your education and degree, one was more about FDM and why you wanted to work for them and one was more situation-based, posing hypothetical workplace issues and asking how you'd deal with them. This was followed by a lunch break

After the lunch break, there were two more tests. One was a set notation and venn diagram test and mostly involved shading in the correct region of venn diagrams. There was an instruction booklet that came with this, if needed. There was also a maths test based at GCSE level to be done without a calculator, involving questions on Pythagoras' theorem and simultaneous equations etc.

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.