Before you apply It's boring but true – good preparation pays dividends (and planning is a more than useful skill to have). Before you start the on-line application form, have a think about the following points: Do I want to work for Rolls-Royce? We hope you do, but it's not for everyone. We don't make cars, for starters, and we'll expect you to be proactive in your personal and career development. Most people stay with us for a fair chunk or all of their career, so think again if you're looking for two years' experience before moving on. Which programme should I apply for? Read about each programme and think carefully about the differences. Be honest with yourself about what's important to you, what you like doing and how you want to live and work. Only you can make the best decision, and we ask you to apply for Professional Excellence OR Leadership Development. Which business area am I interested in? Again, do your research. We try to be clear in our language, but what we mean by 'Logistics' might be different to what you currently understand it to mean. Our Finance programme is based around the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting professional qualifications, so don't apply to us if your heart is set on becoming a Chartered Accountant. When should I apply? We don't have a closing date, but we recommend you apply as soon as possible – we deal with applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Your application This is your golden opportunity to market yourself to us. Bear in mind that we get many more applications than we have places for, so you need to do some more preparation to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Decide which email address you'll want to be contacted by. We'll do most communication with you by email, so don't use that joke address you set up two years ago and haven't checked since (and it's a bit difficult to sell yourself as a budding professional if you want to be addressed as Dogsbreath@flibble.com). Use plain English. Txt English is fine for sending quick messages to your friends and family, but your application is a business proposition, so make it read like one. The online application doesn't have a spell-checker, so we recommend you prepare each section in a word-processing package with spell-check beforehand. Don't feel you have to complete your application in one marathon session. You can save it part-completed, then come back later to finish it, we won't see it until you're ready. We're looking for well-rounded people, so don't neglect the non-academic
aspects of your life. Think widely and laterally about all aspects
of your experiences so far – in life, in work, academically
and socially. Draw on any examples that you feel best demonstrates
your talents and what your best assets are as an individual –
Make sure you've filled in all the sections of the application form, particularly the 'Personal Abilities' section towards the end. Missing information does not create a good first impression. The personality questionnaire This isn't a test where there are right and wrong answers – and we're not looking for a particular personality type. Just be yourself and you'll be fine. We use the results as background information for the assessment centre – and doing it in advance means the assessment day is a bit shorter. The assessment centre Before your day at the assessment centre, dust off your application again, read and re-read the information about the programme you've applied for, and do some more research. Double-check the time, date and venue of the assessment centre and allow plenty of time to get there. We're sympathetic when your train's three hours late, but less so if you ring us on the day to say your Mum hadn't reminded you of when the assessment centre was (did we mention that we're looking for organised, proactive people?). We know the assessment centre experience can be quite tiring, but we genuinely want you to do your best – and everyone else is in the same boat. If you live any distance away, take up our offer to put you in a hotel the night before – that way you'll start the day fresh and focused. There are no trick questions or actors masquerading as candidates, and we're not assessing you except when we tell you we are. Please don't see the other candidates as ‘the competition' – we'll be assessing you on your own merits. One of the interviews will focus on certain behaviours we think are important, so come mentally prepared with some real-life examples of things that you've done – at university, in work, and in your social and family life. You'll already have a couple of examples from the ‘Personal Abilities' section of the application form, but we already know about those, so try to think of some more. On the day, you'll also get the opportunity to talk with some of our current trainees, which gives you a great chance to find out whether working for Rolls-Royce is for you. © Rolls-Royce plc 2006 |