IKEA Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was tiring and took almost 2 months without proper communication or clarity from the recruitment team. I had to follow up multiple times via email or call for status updates. Even after the final round, I didn't receive feedback. They hired someone else, and I only found out when I followed up because I wasn't getting any feedback. Please don't waste candidates' time.

I applied for the HR Business Partner role and got a quick notification for a phone interview. A recruiter called, and after that, they wanted me to do a recorded interview on a platform instead of talking to a person. I had to sign on, get asked questions, record my answers, and then the hiring team would review them. It was my first time doing this, but I liked being able to prep my answers. After I finished, I waited 8 days with no word from IKEA. I followed up and was told they were still interviewing people and would let me know. It took another 14 days after my interview for me to get invited to a Microsoft Teams interview with the hiring team. That was a standard virtual interview, and they said there would be a fourth interview after this one. 16 days later, I still hadn't heard anything. I reached out again for an update, and they said I'd get one by the end of that week. I never did. So, I contacted them at the start of the next week, telling them I didn't get the update they promised. About 2 hours later, I got an automated rejection: 'Thanks for your interest, we received many great applications and have decided to continue with other candidates at this time.' It was crazy to get a generic rejection after three interviews over a month and a half, especially when they kept missing their own communication deadlines. I was not interviewing for a management position, it was an HR Business Partner role, mid-level. Their recruitment process was a joke.

The interview process involved 4 rounds. The first round was a 30-minute chat with HR focused on cultural fit and company values. Next, I had a discussion with the hiring manager about my background and the main responsibilities of the role. The third round was a technical discussion with team members. Finally, there was a fourth round with the hiring manager's manager. Sadly, after the third round, I was ghosted, even after following up twice with the HR partner. It was disappointing because I really enjoyed the conversations and was excited about the role, and I had chosen the company based on its culture. The ghosting didn't align with their stated company values.

So I had this interview for a Graphic Designer job at IKEA, and it was pretty good, very organized. HR kept me in the loop about everything. It started with an HR chat, then I had to show my portfolio, and finally, I talked with the hiring manager or the team. The portfolio part was the main event, where they really dug into how I come up with ideas, how I solve design problems, and if I can make stuff look good while still being practical. They cared a lot about keeping the brand look consistent and if I'd done work for print, online, and in-store stuff. We also chatted about working with others, taking criticism, and hitting deadlines. The whole thing felt professional and like a team effort, and they really wanted to see how I explained my design choices.