Online Application
In December 2021, I applied for The Undergraduate of the Year: Excellence through Adversity Award 2022, an award sponsored by Rolls Royce. Upon applying, I needed to submit my CV, and fill in an application form that consisted of 3 essay-style questions, 3 psychometric tests, and the final assessment centre.
The essay style question was to do with your journey through difficulty and how you managed to overcome educational, personal or social barriers during your education. The next aspect is what motivates you as an individual, with a focus on the 'Excellence through Adversity award, the 2 questions were focused on that. The 3rd question was to do with Rolls Royce as a global company. This question involved thinking about the future of engineering and how it will impact. This question tested me a lot, since I am a Law student after all, despite that I looked into 24 articles about Rolls Royce as a company, their values, core future goals and experiences.
How to respond for success
I think the key aspect of making my application stand out is to use your experiences as your strengths. I believe the reason why RR or any employer generally ask this question is to see what kind of person you are during a difficult situation and how you conquer that.
During my application, I took my personal experiences and implemented those experiences as a way to show my personality and skills. I made sure that RR knew I was a law student, but they were definitely welcoming to the fact I don't do a STEM degree. With the application, I used the fact that seeing my parents face injustice ultimately became a motivating factor for me to become a future lawyer and how seeing that shaped me into a resilient and driven individual.
Expect a 2-3 month wait before progressing to the next stage.
Online Tests
For this stage, we were sent 3 psychometric tests. I think practising the Situational Judgement test questions on any platform will help and so having a little experience in coming across SJT questions will be beneficial. I found having practised before did put me in a good position so learning from your mistakes and continuing to practise is definitely a key tip for preparation!
Example task
There were generic behavioural questions you would come across in most online applications. Such as 'What would you do in this situation?' and 'How will you manage to overcome barriers?'
How to respond for success
The first tip on how to make your answers stand out is to use a solid structure. I used something called the STAR technique, something that has been embedded throughout law school and applied that to my answers. I used this method through the assessment centre too and it definitely made it easier for me to demonstrate my experiences and how they shaped me as an individual.
Another tip for success in interviews is to show your curiosity. Even though I am studying law, that didn't stop me from applying for this award and gaining an internship. I demonstrated curiosity through wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the culture, the people and the values Rolls Royce holds ultimately leading me to gain a valuable opportunity.
The 3rd tip is to be confident. Imposter syndrome will hit, but try and train your mindset into believing you are capable of this opportunity. You acquire all the capabilities that are needed to succeed in any role - being confident about yourself on the day of the assessment centre is key to success.
Some general points to add, definitely wear something professional, remember first impressions last! The next is putting on a smile! Feel like you own the room and enter the room, either virtual or in person, with confidence!
Expect a 28th Feb deadline before hearing about the next stage.
Assessment Centre
After the online tests, wait to be contacted by Rolls Royce! With the Award sponsorship, the outcome of the application comes out after February 28th. Once I was shortlisted as Top 20, all students were invited to a networking event and assessment centre. The networking was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then we had to prepare a presentation and were given 24 hours to write up a script and create a presentation.
The day started at 9 am, with an introduction to what will happen during the day. There were 3 interviews, in relation to the award - the first interview consisted of a motivational interview, a behavioural test and a business presentation. We were given 24 hours to prepare for the business presentation with a personalised question provided by Rolls Royce. The second interview consisted of a problem-solving exercise and the 3rd final interview involved a case study.
The business presentation was something we needed to prepare for. For the question, it was a light bulb moment for me since it was a question I could relate to a lot. I did some external research and mainly thought about how Rolls Royce can elevate in a number of different ways.
The key element of the business presentation or any question you are given is to relate it back to your background and experiences. I put myself in the shoes of the recruiter or employer, how would I tackle this question.
The whole interview process was from 9 am to 3 pm.The whole process of the assessment centre was probably the best one I have seen and experienced.
Example task
For the motivation assessment, again personalised to the award was to find out what motivates us as a candidate. The general question, every firm and business wants to know is why them? What made you apply to that position or in this particular industry? What motivates you as an individual, what are your main goals.
The case study was designed by Rolls Royce, and I was provided with the business case study, some candidates had a personalised engineering case study. I was given time to look through the scenario and was asked 3 questions and generic questions by the interviewer.
How to respond for success
For success at the assessment centre, the key is being confident. Respond to questions confidently and decisively. With regards to the case study, I remember being asked "are you sure you will stick to the decision you have made", a question I answered about 2 minutes later. I stuck to the decision I made, I think being able to confidently make decisions and sticking by them is important, different sectors want to see you are capable of making decisions, even under pressure.
I think that a key aspect I learned when answering is being confident in the choice you are making.
Expect a 1-2 day wait before being offered a position.
Online Tests
For this stage, we were sent 3 psychometric tests. I think practising the Situational Judgement test questions on any platform will help and so having a little experience in coming across SJT questions will be beneficial. I found having practised before did put me in a good position so learning from your mistakes and continuing to practise is definitely a key tip for preparation!
Example task
There were generic behavioural questions you would come across in most online applications. Such as 'What would you do in this situation?' and 'How will you manage to overcome barriers?'
How to respond for success
The first tip on how to make your answers stand out is to use a solid structure. I used something called the STAR technique, something that has been embedded throughout law school and applied that to my answers. I used this method through the assessment centre too and it definitely made it easier for me to demonstrate my experiences and how they shaped me as an individual.
Another tip for success in interviews is to show your curiosity. Even though I am studying law, that didn't stop me from applying for this award and gaining an internship. I demonstrated curiosity through wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the culture, the people and the values Rolls Royce holds ultimately leading me to gain a valuable opportunity.
The 3rd tip is to be confident. Imposter syndrome will hit, but try and train your mindset into believing you are capable of this opportunity. You acquire all the capabilities that are needed to succeed in any role - being confident about yourself on the day of the assessment centre is key to success.
Some general points to add, definitely wear something professional, remember first impressions last! The next is putting on a smile! Feel like you own the room and enter the room, either virtual or in person, with confidence!
Expect a 28th Feb deadline before hearing about the next stage.
Assessment Centre
After the online tests, wait to be contacted by Rolls Royce! With the Award sponsorship, the outcome of the application comes out after February 28th. Once I was shortlisted as Top 20, all students were invited to a networking event and assessment centre. The networking was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then we had to prepare a presentation and were given 24 hours to write up a script and create a presentation.
The day started at 9 am, with an introduction to what will happen during the day. There were 3 interviews, in relation to the award - the first interview consisted of a motivational interview, a behavioural test and a business presentation. We were given 24 hours to prepare for the business presentation with a personalised question provided by Rolls Royce. The second interview consisted of a problem-solving exercise and the 3rd final interview involved a case study.
The business presentation was something we needed to prepare for. For the question, it was a light bulb moment for me since it was a question I could relate to a lot. I did some external research and mainly thought about how Rolls Royce can elevate in a number of different ways.
The key element of the business presentation or any question you are given is to relate it back to your background and experiences. I put myself in the shoes of the recruiter or employer, how would I tackle this question.
The whole interview process was from 9 am to 3 pm.The whole process of the assessment centre was probably the best one I have seen and experienced.
Example task
For the motivation assessment, again personalised to the award was to find out what motivates us as a candidate. The general question, every firm and business wants to know is why them? What made you apply to that position or in this particular industry? What motivates you as an individual, what are your main goals.
The case study was designed by Rolls Royce, and I was provided with the business case study, some candidates had a personalised engineering case study. I was given time to look through the scenario and was asked 3 questions and generic questions by the interviewer.
How to respond for success
For success at the assessment centre, the key is being confident. Respond to questions confidently and decisively. With regards to the case study, I remember being asked "are you sure you will stick to the decision you have made", a question I answered about 2 minutes later. I stuck to the decision I made, I think being able to confidently make decisions and sticking by them is important, different sectors want to see you are capable of making decisions, even under pressure.
I think that a key aspect I learned when answering is being confident in the choice you are making.
