DS Smith Interview Questions
& Process

The interviewer introduces themselves and briefly explains the interview's goal, aiming to build rapport. Then, the candidate shares their background, education, and any relevant experience. Next, technical and general questions are asked to assess knowledge, skills, competencies, and problem-solving approaches pertinent to the role. Following this, personal competencies like communication, teamwork, adaptability, and attitude are evaluated. The interviewer then details the job functions, responsibilities, work hours, and conditions of the position. Finally, there's an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions about the company or the role, after which the next steps are explained, and the candidate is thanked for their participation.

The interview process started with a phone call with HR for an initial screening. After that, there was an Excel task, and then a video interview with the hiring manager. The manager asked me behaviour-based questions. She ended the interview by saying she felt I lacked sufficient PMO experience, which I thought was unwarranted based on maybe just one question. Since it's been over 3 weeks with no communication, I'm assuming I didn't get the job. I find this quite unprofessional. Candidates spend a lot of time preparing, customizing their answers for each company, finishing the Excel task, and then getting ghosted? I didn't even get a rejection email, let alone feedback! It makes me question how employees are treated there. The company and its representatives should be presenting themselves well, not just me, and this approach suggests they don't value their people. Improve your process.

Got approached by a recruiter even though I wasn't looking. Started off seeming professional and went through four remote interviews. Then, there was a final in-person interview with two senior leaders. After that, they asked me to do a site visit. The plan got messed up twice - location and date changed, so it wasn't on the same day as the in-person interview anymore. They still insisted on the site visit, asking me to go somewhere else on a different day that same week, even though I was on annual leave from my current job. I did attend the final in-person interview (a long drive, early start). It seemed to go well, and then... radio silence. I waited, emailed the recruiter, and heard nothing back. It's a terrible way to treat someone, especially when they weren't even applying for the job and had gone through 5 interview stages. Really disappointing. If you're thinking about working at DS Smith, seriously consider your options. Based on my experience and the recruiter mentioning her own leave request was denied, it doesn't seem like a great place to work.

First, I had to do a test screening before being accepted for an interview. The screening included two tests: an academic/IQ test and a personality test. The academic test had three parts: reading comprehension, numerical reasoning, and an IQ-style test with shapes and patterns. Each section had a limited time, often less than the number of questions, like 8 minutes for 12 questions. Not finishing in time meant moving to the next section. I felt the time wasn't enough, as I hadn't done this type of testing before. The personality test was standard, asking which option best described me. The total testing took an hour. After that, I was invited for a phone interview, but after confirming and waiting for it to be scheduled, I never heard back. I was ghosted before the interview, which was worse than just being rejected.