I applied for Dyson’s Graduate Communications Executive role on 8th August 2016. There were five stages to the application process. The first few stages of the application process were very quick. The initial application form was pretty standard – I had to submit my CV, some questions about work experience, academic background, why I want to work at Dyson and what I can bring to the role. On the same day, my application had been reviewed and I was invited to answer a few more questions that required some longer answers, and to write a 200 word article. Two days later I was invited to complete an online verbal analysis test, which took approximately 30 minutes. It involved reading a block of text and answering multiple choice questions under timed conditions. A day on 11th August I was invited for a telephone interview with Sophie from the HR department. I was given two days and a number of time slots to choose from, either on 15th or 16th August. The interview itself took around 45 minutes. Sophie was extremely pleasant and helpful, and the interview was more of a two way conversation about the role than a proper grilling. After the telephone interview, however, the process began to slow down. The HR department did contact me on 24th August and again on 5th September to inform me that the applications were still under review. However, it wasn’t until the 27th September, nearly 6 weeks after my telephone interview that I had a date for a face to face interview confirmed. This did hinder my job search as I didn’t want to let go of the opportunity to work at Dyson, and this left me in a ‘job hunt limbo’ for over a month. My interview at Dyson’s Global HQ in Malmesbury took place on Tuesday 4th October at 9am, and finished around 11:30am. Dyson is only really accessible by car, so I drove up the night before and stayed in a local hotel to ensure that I arrived on time. The building itself is very impressive, and would be an inspiring place to work; the entrance looks more like a modern art gallery than a work place! We were told not to wear suits but to dress in something comfortable that reflects a professional image. I was also asked to prepare a 5 minute talk on a designed object that costs less that a fiver, discussing why I thought it was an example of good design and how it fits in with Dyson’s design ethos. The interview began of an hour long interview with two senior members of the communications team, in which I had to start by delivering my prepared talk, followed by a half hour written exercise where I had to write a 200 word press release. This was then immediately reviewed by another member of the communications team, and another short interview took place with her before a tour of Dyson and the opportunity to meet a current Graduate Communications Executive, who was very enthusiastic and friendly. Overall, the interview and application process was a positive experience, it was just a great shame that it took so long to arrange a face to face interview as this process holds graduates back from other opportunities if they are not successful.

CV and covering letter followed by two telephone interviews and an assessment day. The fist telephone interview was from the HR team to asses my initial suitability for the role, just a brief (15mins) discussion about my CV and whether or not I was genuinely interested in the job. The second telephone interview was from a member of the communications team who talked a bit more about the job itself and wanted to know more details about my experience.