Employability Hub - JLR Careers

Before you apply

• We understand that thinking about the beginning or next steps in your career is an important decision. Find an organisation with a purpose and set of values that align to your own. This is just as important as the role you are looking to applying to.
• As you begin to start your job search explore the key attributes that matter to you and what will be important when you start a new role. This might be a great development training programme or the rewards and benefits package, but whatever it is, take the time to think it through.
• Research - Find out all you can about the industry you are looking for a career in. Having an understanding of upcoming industry trends and what the future may look like can help you demonstrate to the organisation how you intend to play your part. It also helps in your decision-making process and identifying what your future career could entail within the industry.
• Did we mention research? You’ll need to research the company too. Explore both their website and other sources such as news articles, social media and industry journals. Take the time to explore the organisations strategy and future ambitions. Most organisations will look for you to understand this and demonstrate your knowledge within an interview. This will help you to gain a well-rounded understanding of the organisation, the type of roles that exist. At JLR we’re reimaging the future, a strategy that will realise our vision to be proud creators of the most desirable brands. With ambitions such as becoming carbon net zero by 2039 and the renaissance of Jaguar as a pure-electric brand from 2025 it genuinely is an exciting time to join us.

Making your application

• As you’ll only be able to make one application per our recruitment cycle at JLR (September – March) take the time to discover which role and pathway is most suited to your skills, knowledge and importantly what you are most passionate about.
• Ensure you add all your qualifications including any predicted qualifications. Remember to check you have the right qualification/s or are on track to complete by the time the programme commences.
• Be honest – we will check the details of your application. It’s important to be transparent and build trust with the organisation you hope to join.
• We want you to demonstrate your passion to work for us and the role you are applying to. Within the application you will have a free text question to show us your motivations. This is crucial, don’t just add one word or one sentence, really take the time to tell us why we would want to hire you.
• Check over your application – ensure you’ve completed all the essential fields and that you’ve filled in your details correctly.

Completing your online assessments

• Our process includes a Situational Judgement Test, Aptitude Tests and a Personality Assessment. You can find out more about our tests above.
• Find yourself a quiet space to undertake your assessment. It’s important you focus and an environment with minimal distractions so you can focus and give us your best answers possible.
• Practice. Practice. Practice. Click here to enter the practice test area. Each assessment at each organisation will vary and we recognise this can be a nerve-wracking process. Take the time to explore a range of online practice tests to help you experience the process and what you might expect.
• Ensure you read through the question/s and scenarios carefully during your assessment. Don’t rush yourself, it's easy to make mistakes.
• Be confident in yourself. Try not to overthink and take some time to calm your nerves.
• Answer honestly. Remember we want to understand more about you and the way you work.

Preparing for your Assessment Centre

• Ahead of your assessment day familiarise yourself with the behaviours the company will be assessing you against. At JLR we assess you against our Creators’ Code.
• Research the organisation. This is essential. Take the time to understand our Reimagine strategy and vision for the future, our products and services and what’s happening within the wider industry.
• Take the time to review the role you applied for and consider what examples you want to share within your interview. You might want to consider workplace experiences or examples from school, college or university, including experiences such as volunteering, for example. You might even want to consider writing these down and bringing these to your interview. An interview isn’t a memory test, it’s a chance to showcase your potential.
• When attending a virtual assessment be sure to test your technology to reduce any impact but don’t worry, we know technology isn't perfect. You might want to check your internet connection, audio and your microphone to ensure they are working. But remember if you do face any issues on the day remain calm. We understand. Just try turning it off and on again.
• Let us know if you need any adjustments to support you to perform at your best. We want you to succeed and letting us know your need for adjustments won’t reflect negatively on you. We’re here to make things as smooth as possible.

On the day of your Assessment Centre

• We know that assessments can be nerve-racking. Keep calm and carry on. The assessors on the day want you to perform your best and are on hand to make sure all goes well.
• Arrive early to your assessment – even if this is virtual, logging in a few minutes ahead can help to put you at ease and get you in a space ready to start.
• Grab a glass of water before you start your assessment. If you feel nervous or unsure of any questions, having a glass of water can enable you to take a moment to compose yourself.
• Ask the assessor to repeat the question if you’re unsure or to rephrase it for you.
• Come with your passion. Organisations want to see that you are genuinely excited about them and the role that you’ve applied for. The interview is your chance to demonstrate why you are the right fit for the role and that you’ve done your research.
• Prepare questions to ask the end of your interview. Remember it’s just as important that you know that the company is the right fit for you. At the start of this guide, we mentioned identifying your values or things that are important to you. If you’ve not been able to find out something about an organisation in advance or would like to delve a bit further the interview is a perfect chance to find out more.
• When answering any questions during the assessment centre using the STARRY technique can be a perfect way to share your example. See next tab.

STARRY technique

When answering any questions during the assessment centre, using the STARRY technique can be a perfect way to share your example. Starry stands for:

• S - Situation. This is where you give us some context
• T - the Task. What was the challenge or ask of you
• A - the Actions you took
• R - the Result
• R - for Reflection and what you might do differently next time
• Y - is about You and what you did as part of the example / scenario. Remember to use 'I' rather than 'we'.

Watch the short video below to hear about how you can use the STARRY methodology within your interview.

Receiving your offer

• Congratulations! You should be incredibly proud. Securing an apprenticeship, undergraduate placement or graduate programme is a competitive process and you did it. We know that you might receive multiple offers, but we care about early careers and supporting you, so we hope that you choose us.
• For those that don’t receive an offer don’t let this stop you. If you’re passionate keep trying. Ask for feedback from your interview to understand where you could improve, helping you to prepare for next time.

Next Steps

• Keep an eye on your emails. We’ll want to keep in contact with you and keep you updated with information ahead of joining. Check your junk folders and add our email addresses to your safe senders list.
• Remember once you’ve signed your contract this is a contractual agreement between yourself and the business.
• We’ll connect you with other early careers hires, engage with them and build your network. It’ll make life easier for you to have a support system of people in the same position.