Aldi Graduate Scheme - Your Guide to Success

The Aldi graduate scheme is a 52 week program that develops candidates into Aldi Area Managers. The Aldi grad scheme covers every aspect of Aldi, from stocking shelves and working the till, understanding Aldi culture, to becoming an effective leader. 

Given the massive investment into each Aldi grad scheme participant and the big responsibility that you will carry once you become an Area Manager responsible for a number of Aldi stores, Aldi want to ensure that they choose the right candidates. This is done through a battery of tests that measure cognitive abilities, work styles, and personality attributes. Let's review each element of these tests, and learn how you can prepare for them. 

Aldi place a lot of importance on this part of the assessment, and if you don't appear to have the qualities they are looking for - such as emotional intelligence, leadership skills, and hard work - you will find yourself out of the program. This is why preparing for the test is vital - it will teach you how to think like an Area Manager, and to understand what it is that Aldi are looking for.  

Once you have completed the SJT, you have to provide details about your previous work experience, educational background and answer competency based questions. Here are some examples of questions from the firm’s applications:

• A leader behaves in a positive and cooperative manner, encouraging their employees to use their initiative and intelligence. Please explain below why you believe that you have effective leadership skills.
• The Aldi area manager position requires real dedication. Please demonstrate below when you have displayed impressive levels of dedication.

Candidates applying for the graduate scheme, apprenticeship, industrial placement or for area or store manager positions will have to take a series of Aldi online tests provided by Saville Consulting. These tests measure your cognitive ability through three sections on numerical, verbal and diagrammatic reasoning.

• Aldi Numerical Reasoning Test - The Aldi numerical reasoning tests assess your ability to work with information provided in numerical formats such as graphs, tables, formulas and ratios. The test presents you with two sets of numerical data and you have two questions on each set, for a total of four questions.
• Aldi Verbal Reasoning Test - The Aldi verbal reasoning tests assess your logical and linguistic abilities. You are given two passages followed by two questions each. The questions involve determining the meaning of specific words as well as comparing two sections of the passage.
• Aldi Diagrammatic Reasoning Test - Diagrammatic reasoning assesses your non-verbal reasoning skills and your ability to draw logical conclusions from information presented through shapes and patterns. You are given two rules and for each rule, you need to determine if a certain pattern or sequence meets that rule.

Let's review a sample question you could find in the Aldi verbal reasoning test: 

For more Saville practice questions, click here!

In the next stage of the recruitment process, Aldi uses a video interview to assess applicants who were successful in the previous stages. This is a pre-recorded test done via a video program sent to you by email. You are given 5 or 10 Aldi interview questions to answer (depending on the role) and you have 3 seconds to read through the question before the program begins recording your response.

The Aldi video interview is a way for Aldi to get to know you so most of the questions are motivational or competency based. Here are some examples of questions you might be asked:

• What is the most interesting thing you have learned about Aldi from your research?
• What qualities do you think the placement will bring out in you?
• Why do you want to work for Aldi?

Before beginning the Aldi video interview, it is important to read up as much as you can about Aldi, the position you are applying for, and your reasons for applying. Ask yourself, what do you know about Aldi? What do you know about the Aldi working culture? What about the Aldi graduate program attracts you most?

Having solid answers for the Aldi interview questions will show your recruiter that you have a good understanding of the company, and the seriousness that you show here will assure them that you have what's needed to complete the Aldi graduate program. 

After completing the Aldi recruitment process, you will receive a starting salary of 44,000 in your first year, rising in increments to over 81,000 four years later. Another benefit is a fully expensed company car, which will come in handy when you drive between the Aldi stores you are responsible for! 

Career progression is another exciting aspect of the Aldi graduate programme. You will gain valuable hands-on experience in business administration, and with hard work you could climb from area manager to executive positions such as operations director or managing director.

Aldi also offers international secondment opportunities (mainly the United States and Australia, but not only!) for those Aldi graduates who show the drive and determination for moving forward with their career. 

Aldi is one of the largest recruiters in the UK and is considered a great place to begin or continue your career. Within such a large company such as Aldi, there are numerous employment opportunities: store assistant, store manager, area manager,, all the way up to managing director, operations director, and executive positions. 

The Aldi grad scheme isn't simply looking for new area managers - it is searching for the next charismatic leader that will be able to pull all the working parts of the Aldi stores together and push the organization forward. 

*For some positions, there may be additional phases in the Aldi hiring process so make sure to read your correspondence with Aldi carefully.