Auto Trader UK Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England) in May 2018.

Interview

Fantastically well organised, really friendly people that instantly make you feel comfortable and like you would want to work there, informal atmosphere but that doesn't mean it's a walk in the park, the focus is rightly on the companies values and what it will take to be part of a successful future at auto trader.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through a staffing agency. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK.

Interview

Straight forward process which lasted about an hour, initially they explained the role in more detail and gave some context to the team structure, then I was asked to talk through my CV picking out relevant experience, then moved on to competency based questions. Speedy feedback via recruitment agent and the people seemed friendly.

Application

I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (London, England) in March 2011.

Interview

Had an initial telephone interview with the recruitment consultant on a Friday, and on Monday I was invited to the assessment day which was on the next Friday. Very pleased with the communication!

The assessment day was held at Millennium & Copthorne Hotel (at Chelsea Football Club), which was an indeed nice place. They had booked a few large meeting rooms and it was a very relaxed environment. The interviewers and Trader Media staff were very friendly.

Before the interview they gave us (6 of us) a scenario on which we had to discuss our opinions and come to agreement. It was about 6 people in danger of death, and we had to decide in which order to rescue them based on their profiles, considering that we may not be able to rescue them all. It was a great experience and it certainly relaxed us into the environment.

We then separated, each of us going for either the interview, a pair programming test, or filling an application form. The first stage for me was the 2:1 interview. I was asked questions on Java and OO basics, and test-driven development. (Remember, if you're applying to Trader Media as a developer, be prepared to answer questions about test-driven development and JUnit).

After my interview we went for lunch, where we again had the chance to chat with other candidates and also the TMG staff.

I then moved on to the pair programming exercise where I and a member of TMG development team worked on solving a problem. This was again test-driven and we had to extract football match scores from a data file, and output the name of the team with the smallest goal difference.

The last stage for me was the application form which was a fairly easy one. Just the standard stuff like education and employment history, why you're suitable for the job, and if you like to add anything that you think will help in your application.

We then came back to where we met first, to wrap things up and say goodbye, hoping to see them again.... Shame I didn't!.... I liked them, would definitely accept an offer!

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England) in September 2016.

Interview

The telephone interview is pretty straight forward in gauging your skill-set and why you actually want the role in the first place. If you’re successful, you are then invited to an Assessment Day.
This part of the interview process takes 5 ½ hours in total. You face a panel of 4 people from and are given some exercises to complete: face-to-face interview, a timed paper/IT test and then the group exercise. The interview part of the process is the most straight forward, however, the paper/IT exercises were fraught with spelling mistakes and repeated information – some of which was sent out to each candidate prior to the Assessment Day as part of the information pack. Considering that one of the key aspects of the role is accuracy – this isn’t a good start! The final part of the Assessment is the group exercise – which was tantamount to being thrown into a bear pit along with the other candidates vying to be the best heard! Everyone wants the job – sure, but the looks of desperation around the table along with candidate’s anxiety and the need to blurt out anything, as long as it looks as though they’re making a valid contribution – makes it uncomfortable viewing let alone being a part of. By this stage I’d lost all interest in the role. Not a great way to get the best candidates – unless you want someone who can say all the right things, but not necessarily be able to put them into action.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England).

Interview

Arrange a phone interview by email but they didn't ring on the agreed date. A week later they rang an rearranged. Interviw took place and I was advised I would hear within the week. 2 months later and I still haven't had a response (I'll assume I have got any further 😀). Extremely poor experience that doesn't bode well for what it may be like to actually work here.

Application

I applied online. The process took a week. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK in August 2016.

Interview

This was an internal Account Manager position, the company are fantastic with excellent structure and values in place. However, I found the interview process very off-putting. The telephone interview went exceptionally well and the recruiter was really lovely. On getting through to the next stage this would have been a group task, role plays, presentation and 121 interview. This was not for me but if you have that drive then this would be an amazing job and company to work for.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England) in September 2015.

Interview

Very intense and there was several elements to the interview process - Face to face interview, Presentation and role play

All interview stages were completed by different sales manager which meant they would score me out of a number and at the end they would add everyones numbers up and they highest scoring people would be sucessful

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England) in December 2017.

Interview

Online application form, telephone interview, assessment day, 1-1 interview. The process lasted 4-5 weeks in total. It was challenging and a thorough process, but gives a real opportunity to delve into what you can bring to the role. The interviewers and HR were genuinely friendly and extremely professional.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England) in November 2014.

Interview

1st Interview was competency based with 2 lines managers lasting around 1 hour. 2nd interview was to present a 9 month plan to the line managers plus another employee for around 20 minutes plus a questions and answers session. And 3rd interview was a telephone interview with an OLT member

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England) in March 2015.

Interview

The whole process started with submitting a CV along with answers to two questions about values etc, like a very small essay. There might have been a short non-technical phone interview at this stage, but to be honest it was so long ago I can't remember. After this stage, I did some online aptitude tests (standard trio of numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning). Then later I was invited to attend an assessment day at their Manchester office, and given a small homework task to prepare for the day. This was a full day with about 8-9 other candidates, involving various tasks and activities. Starting with a small fun task for everyone to get to know each other, there were then things like a pair programming activity with a member of their staff, a 45min-ish interview by two of the Auto Trader staff, a tour of the offices, a presentation of the homework tasks we'd done and a larger team activity involving decision making and negotiation etc. In all of the tasks someone was scoring you, and then after the day scores were compared and numbers crunched. If you passed this stage, you were invited to the final stage: a shorter interview with another member of staff (a non-technical interview, more of a chat about where you fit in with the company values etc). I was invited to this final interview however had already accepted a job somewhere else so declined.
 The assessment day was tiring, but very good. Everyone was incredibly friendly and all the staff seemed very happy to work there. And there was a steady stream of tasty food!

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at Auto Trader UK (Manchester, England).

Interview

The whole interview process began by submitting a quick online application - you have to submit your CV and answer two short essay-type questions about your personal values and why you want to work for Auto Trader.

The next day, I was sent an invitation to complete 3 online tests - Numerical Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Inductive Reasoning. The tests weren't too difficult but it certainly requires some practice, especially if you are not familiar with this type of assessments. I think the purpose of these tests were to weed out incompetent applicants.

After that, I was contacted to schedule a phone interview with one of the recruiters. The recruiter was very friendly and made the whole process very enjoyable. The conversation was mostly about why I want to work with them, their values, how they do things as well as questions about my previous experience at university (incl. projects and how I handled some difficulties) and outside of it. As they emphasised right at the beginning, it's not really a Q&A type interview but more like a conversation.

Next step - assessment day in their Manchester office. They keep the assessment day small as there were only 4 of us that day. Everyone was super friendly (both staff and other candidates) and there was no "Hire me, I'm the best!" mentality. The whole day lasted about 6 hours and included things like introduction meeting, pair-programming test (I recommend researching what this is and what is the purpose of this type of tests), values-based interview with 2 members of staff, lunch break, office tour and spending time with 2 teams to ask any questions you have.

After the assessment day, regardless of the result, you will receive detailed feedback on how you did during the interviews. If you were successful, you will be invited to the final stage interview which is a phone interview with one of the senior leaders. This was a general chat about you, your past experiences and what your career aspirations are. Person I was speaking to was also very friendly and just wanted to get to know me better.

They made me an offer very quickly (I think it was the same day or so) and I didn't even think twice about accepting it. The offer was generous and I knew since the first phone interview that I wanted to work here.

Overall, I could not ask for a better recruitment experience. The company is absolutely amazing, especially for new grads who are very keen about starting their career in tech. Offices are stunning and people seem to love their job.

What I really liked is that all the interviews made sense. They didn't focus too much on what you know but how you do things and how you fit in. The cultural fit is extremely important and it was emphasised and reflected in every question/task. And they don't ask you silly questions like "What is your biggest weakness?" and such.

Perhaps the whole process was a little bit too long with too many stages (compared to other new grad schemes) but, then again, this is understandable as they want to recruit the right people and the process was quite enjoyable anyway. The HR team was brilliant - communications and decisions were made quickly.

Keep up the good work!

Interview Questions