QA It Consultant Interview Questions
& Process

I had a phone aptitude test which was easy. Then there was an interview with 2 other applicants and I got through that okay. The main issue started when they agreed to pay for my travel for the first three months of training, but after that, I'd be placed in a company with a capped salary of £18,000. I was about to buy my season ticket when I called to double-check, and they said they could only pay half the travel costs. This was sloppily handled and clearly not checked or budgeted for, especially since I'd already told them my travel details before payment was agreed. It was very unprofessional. A recruitment agent called me many times the following week saying they'd increased the travel payments, but I was put off by this and the repeated delays to the course start date because students were 'on holiday'. It felt like dodgy dealings, so I'd avoid this company.

I applied to QA Consulting after meeting them at my University's graduate fair. About a week later, a recruiter called to schedule a telephone interview for later that day. The interview included standard questions and an open-ended discussion about my experiences and side-projects. It felt like a casual conversation and lasted about 45 minutes. At the end, I was asked about my availability for an assessment centre, and we agreed on the following month. On the assessment day, I had some personal issues (cracked phone screen, stolen purse) and arrived about 30 minutes late. QA was understanding. The assessment day involved several exercises which were good icebreakers but the time frame was stressful. Mid-day, I had an interview that was similar to the phone interview but more technically focused. We also discussed my scores from a prior logical/critical thinking aptitude test and a Java test. Afterwards, our group had to give a presentation on our work and received feedback. The next afternoon, I received a call with an offer, which I accepted. I was offered a start date in May, even though I hadn't graduated yet (the assessment was in February). In the months leading up to my start date, my recruiter regularly checked in on my university progress and answered any questions I had about the company. They also provided briefings on moving, the role, and what to bring on the first day.

A friend from my course who got the job referred me to his recruiter. I had a call with a recruiter two days later to discuss the role and my background. The next day, I had a phone interview where we talked about my Java and general computer science experience, plus some personal info. It was a pretty chill chat. Two weeks after that, I went to an assessment day in London. This involved a Java exam, an aptitude test, and an interview. We also did some team activities, which was really fun.