IKEA's PI Cognitive Assessment (PLI) Recruitment Process

IKEA is a large home furnishing retailer with many paths of entry, from till workers and warehouse stockers to designers and HR.

While you can easily apply to jobs within the UK (national jobs), you can also apply for jobs around the world (international jobs).

If you are already an IKEA employee, the internal recruitment process is very different from external recruitment. This page focuses on the IKEA recruitment process for external candidates.

The IKEA application form begins with a simple IKEA online application. You are asked to supply your basic details such as name, contact information and your availability to start work.

You must attach a copy of your CV and a covering letter to the application. There are a few more questions to answer about languages (a plus for an international company) and your prospective placement, but all in all - it is a quick process.

Following a successful application, you may be asked to complete a PLI online test and a short telephone interview to review your CV. During this time you will be invited to an IKEA assessment day or hiring event. 

If you pass your pre-employment test and the IKEA pre-recorded interview, you will be invited to the IKEA’s in-person interview. Usually, it takes place in one of the IKEA’s locations. In your face-to-face interview, you may speak with a Human Resources representative and two or three of your prospective managers.

Questions posed in the interview will be competency-based. You will also have situational questions, where you will need to tell your recruiters about a challenging situation which you faced in your past working experience and resolved successfully.

You will need to elaborate on the decision you made to achieve the resolution of the conflict and what were the alternative options that you discarded.

To give more comprehensive answers, use the STAR format when talking to your recruiters. This will give them a fuller picture of your personality and your ability to arrive at firm and fair decisions.

If you are vying for a technical position, brush up on your knowledge of technical concepts and the operational principles behind them.

Provided you create a favourable impression on the face-to-face interview, you will be invited to another interview with top managers and given a job offer.

During the IKEA assessment day, you face a number of challenges including: a personality test, aptitude tests, the IKEA group interview, a case study and an individual interview.

Before the assessment centre, review the job description and IKEA key competencies to help give you some guidance. This stage is particularly applicable for the IKEA graduate scheme.

If you come through the IKEA assessment centre successfully, you are on your way to getting that prised job offer. 

The IKEA assessment centre will either occur onsite, or in a rented venue. During your time at the assessment centre, you will be met with a number of group exercises, workplace simulations, assessment tests and interviews.

The assessment centre is an important means for IKEA to obtain a better-rounded profile of all participants in regard to their suitability for the position, as well as their compatibility with the company’s standards.

The Assessment Centre pack is an essential element of the IKEA PrepPack™ as it will give you tips on how to compose yourself while participating in the assessment centre, as well as simulations of the sorts of activities you will be engaging in while there.

Part of applying for the recruitment procedure at IKEA is by using AVATURE’s ATS system.

During the advanced stage of this process, the candidate would be asked to sit The PI Cognitive Assessments (PLI) test.

The PI Cognitive Assessment is used to measure your cognitive ability or your capability to learn and adapt in the workplace.

The test consists of 50 questions which need to be completed within 12 minutes and includes the following topics: Numerical, verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

The IKEA PI Cognitive Assessment-style tests will either be conducted directly after your CV/ resume has been screened or as part of the interview process.

Preparing for these tests beforehand will definitely give you an advantage over the other candidates applying for the same position.

Let's take a closer look at what the three primary categories of the Predictive Index test consist of.

Numerical  

• Word Problems
• Number Series 
• Maths Problems

Verbal Reasoning  

• Analogies 
• Antonyms 
• Formal Logic

Non-Verbal 

• Inductive Reasoning 
• Logical Reasoning 
• Spatial Awareness 

The PI cognitive test has a strict 12-minute time limit for a reason. 12 minutes provides the test taker with an opportunity, to, on the one hand, answer the question, and on the other hand, feel the heat of the pressure. Accuracy under pressure and the ability to quickly think will say a lot on how you will fare on the job.

 Q1: Which number has the lowest value?

Q2: Order is the opposite of?

The purpose of pre-hire maths tests is to assess a candidate’s ability to accurately and comfortably complete mathematical functions and interpret data.

Your ability to understand and analyse graphs and other numerical data is necessary for many lines of work. Depending on your job level or the position you have applied for, the level of mathematics you will be tested on can vary.

The way in which IKEA numerical reasoning tests are typically interpreted is by taking your raw score (the number of correct responses) and comparing it to the scores of other candidates. These tests are used by IKEA as a way to determine your ability to interpret numerical data.

Companies like IKEA, that are looking to fill positions such as sales, engineering, and HR, want to know that you have what it takes to deal with the pressures and complexities of a given job.

Your personality will look to uncover your attitude towards work, communication skills, motivation and your values that make you successful.

Unlike the face-to-face interview, it is difficult to charm your way through the personality, so it is imperative that you prepare.

The IKEA personality test is used to measure and understand your workplace persona. These tests will give insight into your ability to learn new information, adapt to changes, as well as cooperate with your co-workers.

There are technically no right or wrong answers to these tests, however, certain answers can make or break your ability to obtain the job you are after due to their effect on your overall personality profile. 

The PI Cognitive Assessment-style PrepPacks™ were designed to give you an advantage over the other IKEA candidates.

Dozens of detailed PI Cognitive Assessment-style tests, as well as study guides and score reports, are offered. Begin practising today and outperform the competition tomorrow!

IKEA will most likely begin with their IKEA video interview. This you can complete on your own. You will receive questions and then you will have to record your answers.

You should expect a series of brief technical and background questions which serve to further weed out unwanted candidates.

The next stage will usually entail a face-to-face interview, where you will be asked more in-depth questions on subjects not covered during the initial video interview or written application.

Be ready for curveball questions and open-ended questions that provide your interviewer with more background info. Feel free to ask your own follow up questions to gain clarity and better focus your remarks.

PI Cognitive Assessment-style assessment tests are IKEA’s most common pre-employment tests.

Those customised PI Cognitive Assessment-style PrepPacks™ will prepare you for every aspect of the IKEA recruitment process and have been designed with your success in mind.

Here is just a partial list of the wide range of companies which integrate the PI Cognitive Assessment into their hiring process.

As you can see, the list is very diverse and the test can be presented to you in almost any field. 

• Hertz
• ABB
• Danone
• HYATT
• Virgin Holidays 
• Dong Energy
• Ikea 
• Maersk Broker 
• Sunrise Senior Living
• GL and much more......