1st Step: Phone Interview.
Was contacted by an FDM recruiter. Was really just a phone screening to say they had recieved my application and if I was still interested and what pathway I would be intersested in. I was told I would then be sent a link to a video interview via email which I would have 3 days (until midnight on the third day) to complete and submit.
2nd step: Video Interview
Put on your best suit. Find a well lit place in your house (preferably opposite a window). Pick a time that is quiet that you wont be bothered. It would be wise to use the first two days to practice and do it on the third.
You are given 5 questions (one practice, four real) with 1 minute to answer each into your web-cam of your laptop/computer. The first question you can practice as many times as you want. For each of the real ones you will be presented a pre-recorded video with a question. You will then have 30 seconds to prepare an answer followed by 1 minute to answer and submit.
My questions were:
Which one of FDM values do you thing describes you best and why?
Would you be prepared to relocate?
Why have you chosen your pathway?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
How do you keep up with the latest technology news?
3rd Step: Assessment Day
The London branch of FDM is right opposite the London Brige station Tooley St. exit. Walk in the the Cottons Centre. Grab a visitor badge from the front desk and take alift to FDM on the 3rd floor. I was told to grab a name badge and wait in a lightly air contitioned room where I and around 20 of us graduates (I was told the number is usually around 12) would be called.
We were given a presentation on FDM and asked (alot of) questions afterwards. This took around and hour. We then were asked to stand up infront of the rest of the room and give a brief introduction about oursevles (Name, university, degree, hobby or fun fact) just to get rid off any nerves.
1st Test: Venn diagram and set notations. Most questions were either 2 set or 3 set venn diagrams where you had to shade in an area to the matching set notation, so practice using youtube. The last two or three were a little trickier asking you to divide an amount of students and subjects into an area and guess how many did eg. both maths and physics.
2nd Test: IT Applitude test. This is probably the hardest of the three tests and I was told the avrerage mark is around 50%. Its almost impossible to revise for as the topics have such a wide range but luckily it is at least multiple choice. Topics ranged from spelling and grammar to work scenarios. From programming knowledge to Business knowledge. I wouldnt even bother spending too much time to prepare for this test. The questions are very specific ands Its really stuff you either know or you dont. I spent a few days revising for this test alone and the only thing that really helped was learning what SQL,HTML and HTTP stood for.
Next Was Lunch: Your in central london so there are plenty of places to eat. e.g. a pret a manger right outside.
3rd Test: Maths. the easiest out of the 3 tests and really you need to get very high in this to stand any hope of getting the pass mark required from all three tests combined. Lots of long addition, subtraction, multiplication and divition. Some fractions, percentages and decimals. There were also two crazy difficult simultanious equation questions right at the end of the paper aswell that involved x and y being fractions.
Finally the 3 face to face inteviews. With our brains fried from the tests it was time for the interviews. You're taken out in groups of 4/5 people and each taken to seperate rooms where you do 3 short 5 minute (if that) face to face interviews. My interviewers were very nice people and spent most of the time head down frantically scribbling down what I was saying.
First interviewer
Why I chose my course and do I have any regrets?
Would I give an inferior product to a customer to meet a deadline? What if the customer really pushed me into giving it to them now?
Why I chose my pathway?
Second intiviewer asked mostly questions about myself.
What FDM values represented me and why(yep same from video interview)?
What success looks like to me?
What would be a successful result to completing the graduate scheme?
Three strengths that I could bring to FDM?
Third interviewer the questions were quite technical
Apple or Andriod? (Say why)
Any news in the IT industry I had recently heard about
A time I have used technology to help me on a project
To be honest my brain was completely burntout before the interviews from the tests and Im sure I talked complete rubbish in them. But I was told in feedback they liked my enthusiasim and friendliness. Also they want to see how you think so be reflective and explain your reasons.
