Application Process & Interviews at Alcoa Australia

I applied online and had a phone interview with a HR representative and he Process and IT manager. After this stage I was informed I had been unsuccessful. A few months later, and after a bit of work experience, I was contacted saying that another position had opened and if I was still interested. I had another phone interview which I was successful. I then went to a company that does monitored testing, involving numeracy, literacy, patterns, and self evaluations. I was successful for this and was then flown down to site for a face to face interview, process walkaround, medical testing, and a tour of the local area.

1 formal interview with hiring manager and HR staff, 1 psychometric assessment and then an informal catch up with hiring manager, HR manager and director

Comprehensive vetting process.

Phone interview, in person interview with a panel, psychological assessment, medical assessment, job offer.

Apply with CV and Cover Letter. Selected for interview in a panel with two experts in your field plus a HR representative. Next step was psychometric testing at an Alcoa site which is fairly simple and similar to other psychometric tests in the industry.

Initially the position became available online through an online application - this included uploading a resume, cover letter, current grades, along with any other supporting documentation. From this I was sent to perform the Chandler Macleod online testing were my results were sent to my employer along with the analysis. I was then contacted for an interview where I met with 3 technical staff and 1 HR staff member.

There was a panel interview consisting of 4 or 5 people. Followed by aptitude and temperament testing, medical and then reference checking

The interview was conversational and relaxed, I completed it over the phone when i was on the job in Newman

Interview followed by single half day length assessment.

The process is quite simple. Apply directly to the company, go for an interview, do psychometric testing, do a medical and then you're hired.

Online application including resume submission, round table interview with 3 people (1 HR representative and two technical personnel), reference checks, aptitude testing at Chandler McLeod in Perth CBD, medical assessment. Over a period of about 5 months.

Standard behavioural questions - Why Alcoa? Tell us a time when you demonstrated x?

Mostly behavioural questions and maybe 1 question about technical knowledge.

The questions were very standard "STAR" (situation, task, action, result) type questions where the interviewers were interested in how I responded to certain scenarios and difficulties.

I was asked to give examples about demonstrating things like teamwork, safety, how my values align with the company etc. I was also asked what my career goals/aspirations are and where I saw myself in 5-10 years time.

Nothing too specific about technical knowledge. More focussed on my experiences both in university and in extra-curricular endeavours, as well as how I deal with various situations. The interviewers gave the impression that they valued leadership potential above all else.

How I handle large workloads, conflict, working and interacting with diverse people- ie: age, ethnicity, religion.... What do I enjoy doing in my spare time/ hobbies etc.

As it was a graduate role, questions were predominantly focused around teamwork/cooperation and experiences rather than technical knowledge.

Understand that Alcoa is more than just either mining, refining or smelting and have general knowledge about the operations - think of the business as a whole and not just one particular BU

Be honest. Make sure you read up on the company, the location, and responsibilities of the role. Make sure you're comfortable with the location (that was one of the biggest factors for my position). Organise a list of questions for each person interviewing you, try and tailor them to their role and interests.

Provide specific recent examples of how you have demonstrated your values/morals; excelled in a project; worked well in a team.

Prepare some answers to time you have experiences hardship, conflict, success, working in teams, dealing with difficult people.

Understand the company and what they do. Cater your CV to demonstrate that you meet the exact job requirements listed on the ad and that you personify Alcoa's values. Do your research, it makes a difference.

Be yourself, chatty and friendly. Look up common interview questions and prepare some examples

I Would recommend being calm, as hard as that is to do. Prepare by thinking of difficult situations you have overcome, and clearly laying them out in your head: How do I describe the problem , How do I describe what I DID to fix it and finally what was the outcome.

Understanding the dynamic of a process plant would be helpful. Knowing that a graduate is part of a wider team with certain roles and responsibilities and that within the company there are other teams (operators, contractors, other engineering teams) that you will have to work and relate closely.

Alcoa doesn't ask technical questions, so don't stress about that. Instead, focus on making sure you can use the STAR method to give practical examples of you demonstrating the company values and the core behaviours that companies typically look for eg. teamwork

Draw on a wide variety of life experiences when answering questions to show that you take learnings from all parts of your life. Get to know the company a bit first but don't worry too much about the technical processes.