The day was a full assessment day at a hotel conference room near Hatfield. There was a really relaxed, open feeling even though the day was attended by many senior members of Tesco- some who had been part of the business for 20 years, one woman who had just joined the day before! It was therefore a great opportunity to get to ask some of these people questions (in the final one-to-one presentation task, or at lunch) and to really test the vibe of the working environment.
The day started with us all (8 girls, one boy, one non-attendee) in a meeting room slotted between these Tesco vets. We had a simple ice breaker (one item to a desert island) and watched a video about the Tesco offices and working ethos. We were then split into two groups for the task. My group's order was: 3D CV, forty minute break. Group 'Business strategy' task, 20 minute break. Lunch. 20 minute break. 20 minutes for planning for an individual presentation on one of three ideas. A really long accidental break whilst they hustled the Tesco staff into individual rooms, whilst we sat there with our finished presentations, unable to touch them. 30 minutes giving the presentation and answering questions. Then hanging around at the end for the Tesco staff to say goodbye.
The 3D CV is very trendy now, two girls brought baking and offered it to the interviewers, which I found odd. The 'Business Analyst' task was amazing, there was an interactive video feed where new information kept flashing up as tweets or news blasts to try and make you re-think the answer you gave to the proposal. The presentation task involved reading a booklet of information, and then deciding which one of three directions you should take 'Potter's' business strategy in, before presenting it to a Tesco team member.
The cons were: long waiting times, the 8 pages of feedback we received with some strongly negative comments, the embarassing-ness of writing and giving a 3D CV.
The pros were: Becky, the graduate from last year! So kind, so helpful, so wise. The lovely environment that all the Tesco staff managed to give off. The lunch! The other people there. Having such a small group really killed any kind of competitive vibe and I would really look forward to working with any of them again.