AIB Graduate Interview

stepbar

Hi all,

Need a bit of advice. I have successfully passed the AIB Grad aptitude tests (yippee!!) and have been invited to the next stage of the process. Just wondering has anybody got else got this far? I havent a clue what to expect. I have about 3 weeks to prepare for it which is lots of time but can any one tell me the sort of q's they ask or from experience even go through what might they ask.

Cheers
Stepbar

comad

I would spend as much time as possible trying to find a contact in the company, the higher the position that person holds the better. Sorry to burst your bubble but chances are you won't get in unless know know someone. Every auld lad there has a son/daughter, niece or nephew who wants your job

stepbar

I dont necessarily agree with that view, I do know sumone who spent his work placement in AIB and was told a full time job was his if he passed the aptitude test. Now his father knew people high up and indeed was (and still is ) and important customer of the bank. He didnt pass the test failed it 3 time actually. So I dont know how true your argument is, if any thing they are there on merit and not because of anything "daddy or mummy" done. Fair enough it happens in sum occasions but I think they are fair enough. Another example of lad I know, his da is very high up in a competing bank and he spend a lot of summers working where his da was but when it came to offering him a full time job they didnt give one to him.

Anyhow I do no sum1 in the bank I may quiz him a bit. ANybody else with experience of AIB??

irishguy

stepbar wrote:

Hi all,

Need a bit of advice. I have successfully passed the AIB Grad aptitude tests (yippee!!) and have been invited to the next stage of the process. Just wondering has anybody got else got this far? I havent a clue what to expect. I have about 3 weeks to prepare for it which is lots of time but can any one tell me the sort of q's they ask or from experience even go through what might they ask.

Cheers
Stepbar

When did you get your results? i did the mine in cork and a friend of mine did it in Galway and we have heard notting. Not going to go for the interview anyway but i would like to know how i got on

stepbar

Got mine this morning. Thats weird two people I know, one got a PFO (Please f**k off) and another got no letter yet so id say ur not the only one in that boat. To be honest I was a bit shocked when I got mine have you seen the aptitude test it's f**kin mad!!!!!!:eek:

irishguy

it took a while to figure things out at the start but after that i taught it was ok, finished with about 5mins to go, so i might have ****ed up some. Very different from any i have done before.

stepbar

well my interview is on the 16th so id say if u dont hear nething in the next week or 2 it wouldnt look good:(

stepbar

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irishguy

stepbar wrote:

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Which grad program are you going for?

stepbar

put down 4 Commercial Banking also put down IT and Corporate Banking too How about u?

marie_85

I work in AIB myself, have done two interviews with them, one for a temporary job and then for permanency. Don't have experience of the graduate program but know that in general what they are looking for are people who are enthusiastic. They don't want people who are using this as a stop gap while they save up money to go to Australia etc. Have a little bit of knowledge about the background of the company, have it clear in your mind why you want to work there, and show you've thought about your future in the company. Have some kind of career path in mind. Be friendly and cheerful in the interview, and above all be enthusiastic.

irishguy

stepbar wrote:

put down 4 Commercial Banking also put down IT and Corporate Banking too How about u?

Just got a letter inviting me for an interview. I was going for IT but i don’t think it would be very techy so i wont be going

stepbar

Cheers Marie_85 that is good advice thanks. Any body else have stories to tell of their experiences?

Id go for the interview if I were you its good experience to have under your belt and if you get it you can always refuse the job

stepbar

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stepbar

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foggy

Stepbar,

As Marie said you need to research the company before you go to the interview. You need to appear enthusiastic and interested in persuing a career in banking.

A friend of mine got in about 6 years ago now, he's still in the bank headquarters and still enjoys it kindof...... and he or his family don't have any connection with the bank!

trout

it's no mean feat to do well on the AIB aptitude test - well done:)

if you are called for interview, my experience has been that it is largely a HR type interview, where they are looking to see what kind of worker you will be ...

ideally, you should be able to present yourself as self motivated, ambitious, willing and eager to muck in wherever you might be placed. it sounds trite, but really you have to convince the HR people you are 'good people' and capable of growing into a valuable asset, in a variety of roles .. be flexible & keen

depending on your course, you should be able to identify 'best fits' in the various divisions/departments within the bank ... but make it clear you will be glad of the opportunity to work anywhere, and compete for any position

i would tend to disagree with previous posters about nepotism in AIB ... my experience has been that the aptitude process and interview process are tough .. and the bank picks the best people available ... there is a number of sons/daughters/nephews/nieces working in various IT units ... and I believe they are as competent as their peers, and have come through the same selection process ... don't forget the IBOA are very involved here.

good luck with the interview!

stepbar

Good advice lads, thanks for that. I can tell you one think Ill be busting a gut to get this job. I had a good chat with my career's advisor yesterday and he put a lot of good idea's into my head which was helpful. I think now the rest is now up to me, hopefully Ill nail it Then again all I hope is that they dont absolutely grill me like they did to my friend yesterday who was going for a similer job in BOI - an hour and a half interview, like WTF?

Jigsaw

Is there anyone else who has not received the result letter from their aptitude tests? I did mine on 10th February but have not heard anything as yet and I'm dying to find out how I've done. I have spoke to someone in HR at AIB who said that I ought to receive the letter before the end of the week, and that is more or less today!! Best of luck to the rest of you all!!

irishguy

stepbar wrote:

Good advice lads, thanks for that. I can tell you one think Ill be busting a gut to get this job. I had a good chat with my career's advisor yesterday and he put a lot of good idea's into my head which was helpful. I think now the rest is now up to me, hopefully Ill nail it Then again all I hope is that they dont absolutely grill me like they did to my friend yesterday who was going for a similer job in BOI - an hour and a half interview, like WTF?

An hour and a half is fine most of my other interviews lasted 2 1/2 to 3 hours. They were all for technical positions though

Running Bing

Just a few questions. What is the aptitude test like? and what is the applicant to position ratio( or even an idea of how many places there is wrt corporate banking graduate programme). How tough is it to get into AIB or BOI? More or less difficult than big four accounting?. Thanks.

P.s. What the hell does "bump" mean. Something thats puzzled me for a while lol

[Jackass]

Bump means that the thread hasn't been posted in for a few days, so it slips down the pages of threads where not many people will see it, so a person posts in it, i.e. "bump" to put it back to the top of the thread list to keep the thread alive...so they can get more info etc.

AIB and BOI are two of the biggest employers in the country (think AIB is second to the civil service) so they aren't perticularly difficult to get into...just leaving cert required...degree and/or experience on top of that will get you in, but not essential.

The graduate programme on the other hand is a totaly different kettle of fish altogether and is very difficult to get into, but if you do you're laughing...well paid, and a guarenteed good career if you choose to hang around/work hard.

Just on a question of my own, does all areas of AIB hold permenancy interviews at the same time? And if so, when will they be held? Any advice for the interview etc?

Also, if you don't get it, and are on a 1 year contract, is there any chance they'll renew it, give you another year? Or is it just a "Thanks and good luck" thing?

Running Bing

DubGuy wrote:

The graduate programme on the other hand is a totaly different kettle of fish altogether and is very difficult to get into, but if you do you're laughing...well paid, and a guarenteed good career if you choose to hang around/work hard.

Thanks for the info DubGuy. Any idea of the number of places or applicants each year for the grad programme? Thanks.

irishguy

The grad program isn’t that will paid its only €25,500+benifits which is quite poor for IT staff compared to the technology firms. I was at the cork aptitude test and there were about 100-150 people there also there were about 30-40 in Galway. Don’t know about Dublin but i could imagine there were lots of people there too. This was for all the there programs i would say they will be hiring quite a few people.

Anyone here work for them in an IT position?

spectre

AIB IT grads are paid more than the business grads. Business grads start on about 25-26K, IT should get 28-30K. Aptitude test is the same every year and it's very frustrating. There are 2 parts, the first is a business comprehension type section, where you're asked to analyse graphs and statistics and answer questions. Most people hated this section. The second question is basic sequences and series, most are easy but still difficult to finish in the time allowed.

Running Bing

Thanks for that spectre. I assume the app. test is the same for IT and capital markets. Also im sure the pay would be pretty decent after completion of the programme.

irishguy

spectre wrote:

AIB IT grads are paid more than the business grads. Business grads start on about 25-26K, IT should get 28-30K. Aptitude test is the same every year and it's very frustrating. There are 2 parts, the first is a business comprehension type section, where you're asked to analyse graphs and statistics and answer questions. Most people hated this section. The second question is basic sequences and series, most are easy but still difficult to finish in the time allowed.

Do you know what the IT program is like? I want to do development type work and i got the impression that i could be assigned to any part of the IT department, what do there IT department actually do?. Also the AIB don’t seem to be the most technologically advanced bank, as their application process shows.

LookingFor

On nepotism, I've seen mixed things happen there. My Dad happens to know Michael Buckley from way back when, and pulled some strings to get my brother a work placement there when he was in college. He tried the same for me, but somehow this time it didn't quite work (and hey, my grades and application were impeccable! ). It didn't bother me at all as I got a great placement at another company, but just goes to show it's not a cert..even if you do know people inside (or the big boss even!).

I do know others, though, who work there every summer because Daddy is a manager...it is fairly prevalent.

Selket

I did the apptitude and interview for AIB a couple of years ago. I was applying for the IT dept. I got the job but didn't take it.

I don't agree with the statement that you have to know someone to get in. I've worked for AIB before and didn't know anybody. Perhaps the fact that I've worked for them got me as far as the apptitude who knows? But you really need to know your stuff for the interview. You need to prove that you know what you are talking about.

WRT IT interviews, they'll want to talk about you FYP, as this will be your biggest IT work experience. You'll need to justify why you choose what technology and why you did what you did. They'll ask you for example, why didn't you try X, Y or Z

AIB are big on team players and people who can work with others. They will have gone over your CV with a fine comb, so if you did exagerate, you better learn your stuff now because they will pick up on it.

Finally they'll talk about the company, what are its biggest threats, where it is going etc. It would also be helpful if you knew about their products.

Does this help?

irishguy

Selket wrote:

I did the apptitude and interview for AIB a couple of years ago. I was applying for the IT dept. I got the job but didn't take it.

I don't agree with the statement that you have to know someone to get in. I've worked for AIB before and didn't know anybody. Perhaps the fact that I've worked for them got me as far as the apptitude who knows? But you really need to know your stuff for the interview. You need to prove that you know what you are talking about.

WRT IT interviews, they'll want to talk about you FYP, as this will be your biggest IT work experience. You'll need to justify why you choose what technology and why you did what you did. They'll ask you for example, why didn't you try X, Y or Z

AIB are big on team players and people who can work with others. They will have gone over your CV with a fine comb, so if you did exagerate, you better learn your stuff now because they will pick up on it.

Finally they'll talk about the company, what are its biggest threats, where it is going etc. It would also be helpful if you knew about their products.

Does this help?

will the IT interviews be technical?

Selket

irishguy wrote:

will the IT interviews be technical?

Yes, they will. Sorry, thought I said that. They're not going to turn around and ask you to debug something but they will note all the languages that you said that you can programme in. They might ask
"I see that you programme in both C++ and java, which do you prefer?"
You'd want to back up your answers with I prefer X because it allows you to do blah whereas Y doesn't. It is possible to do it in Y but it is far more complicated because of....
With me, they wanted to discuss my Final Year Project because I had created an application on a handheld device and had coded it in an unusual language. They wanted to know why I chosen to do it in that language as opposed to J2me for example. What benefits did this language offer etc?
Then from there, they talked about handheld devices and how technology is evolving. They asked me if I could think of anything, with regards to current technology that AIB could use to improve their service. Not overly technical but as I said, you do need to know your stuff. But remember, by giving you the interview, they have already demonstrated that they are interested in you. It’s up to you to prove that you can do the work

spectre

I assume the app. test is the same for IT and capital markets. Also im sure the pay would be pretty decent after completion of the programme.

Not sure about the test being the same for Capital markets. You should contact HR directly for an answer to this.

As for the pay, can't say for sure but afaik it doesn't take a sudden huge jump after the two years. tbh, the whole grad program is a bit of a farse, you go to work everyday, same as everyone else, only difference being that you will be on a higher wage scale and will have better progression prospects if you come in on the 'Graduate Programme'. I think there are 4 days in the entire 2 years that you will do anything 'grad program' related - seminars, team-building etc.

spectre

Do you know what the IT program is like? I want to do development type work and i got the impression that i could be assigned to any part of the IT department, what do there IT department actually do?. Also the AIB don’t seem to be the most technologically advanced bank, as their application process shows.

There is about 450 or so IT people in AIB. There is a huge range of development type work undertaken - anything from java, php, databases, unix development to some of the more archaic mainframe programming. If you start out on on the grad program, you will most probably find yourself in a development role. The majority of the IT department are located in head office in Ballsbridge.

I agree with your point on the application process, shockingly outdated, however it is not fair to say that it isn't very technoloically advanced. There is no shortage of IT projects to be undertaken, I'm sure the HR application process is on the list, it just hasn't happened yet.

stepbar

bump

stepbar

Has ne1 been to an interview with AIB yet?

ggLad

I know this thread quite old , but does anyone know what it like to start as an IT graduate in A.I.B ? I got offered a position. But the position was graduate bank official. I am wondering if I will be involved in much development ? (which is what I am really interested in)