The Student Room Group

Aldi Graduate Area Manager Interviews...

Hi there, I've done a little bit of research, and besides shouting at me for the long hours I am about to endure if I get through the no expenses-paid-faraway-to-travel interview session, what's it all about?

So far I'm under the impression that I have to give a presentation on a topic of choice for 3 minutes - so I'm guessing I should do it on a hobby?

What's the rest like? I'm bad at verbal/numerical reasoning...
Why don't you do your presentation on your degree subject? You can try and make it a bit lively, but at least that shows you have commitment to your course. Or may that's not a great idea, I have no idea; just throwing things into the abyss here. :p:

Also, you can get better Economist subscriptions from here: http://www.student-subscription-service.co.uk/. Sorry, if you earn commission on your signature link. :p: (Though Guardian Weekly is a better magazine! At least from my political perspective.)
Reply 2
they dont pay travel expences...
Reply 3
Quady
they dont pay travel expences...

How did you get your rep for being so USELESS?
Didn't you see me write that in my message. Very constructive.
apparently at this job you have to work 9am-9pm 6 days a week. bit off topic but i thought i would add it
Reply 5
G.A.K
How did you get your rep for being so USELESS?
Didn't you see me write that in my message. Very constructive.


well tbf I don't think I would have attended had I known.

3 min presentation on any subject you choose, if they think you knew this and prepared you may get asked to present for 3 mins on 'leadership'

paper based verbal/numberical tests.

A talk from the regional manager and Q&A

You will be asked if you have visited an ALDI recently

A couple of group exercises - you land in the middle of the the sahara...

but they don't pay expenses...
Reply 6
fashionandgunsx
apparently at this job you have to work 9am-9pm 6 days a week. bit off topic but i thought i would add it


Make that a random number of hours a day that add upto around 70/week, 85 at peak times.
Reply 7
Quady
well tbf I don't think I would have attended had I known.

3 min presentation on any subject you choose, if they think you knew this and prepared you may get asked to present for 3 mins on 'leadership'

paper based verbal/numberical tests.

A talk from the regional manager and Q&A

You will be asked if you have visited an ALDI recently

A couple of group exercises - you land in the middle of the the sahara...

but they don't pay expenses...


Hey sorry for biting you! I must have got out of bed dodgily! Hahahaha Thanks for your input.
Reply 8
I have an interview with them in a couple of weeks and they said they do provide travel expenses? Just 30p per mile, but just thought I would add because everyone has said they don't.
Reply 9
As a former Area Manager with ALDI, I would strongly discourage anyone with a university degree from going for the Area Manager role with ALDI. The typical people you will be working with in these roles are obnoxious, aggressive and over confident. This is the ALDI type they are after. They only want people with uni degrees because it shows you can achieve something. You won’t be using anything you’ve learnt at uni, so it seems such a waste of all that study. The role is basically running their supermarkets, a job which people without a uni degree could also manage easily.

They will work you to the bone for 2-3 years and then replace you with new grads. There are very limited opportunities to progress above Area Manager, as the number of Director roles is limited and everyone is competing for them, and the existing Directors won’t leave their current roles so they don’t come up often.

The progression from Area Manager is to Store Operations Director, Buying Director, Property Director or Warehouse Director. Given the existing directors have nowhere else to go, besides Managing Director, there are limited opportunities for progression. Each region can only have 1 or 2 Store Operations Directors etc., there is only 1 Managing Director. So the number of people in the Director roles is small.

Most people working for ALDI develop very specific skills in overseeing supermarkets, and there are limited opportunities to move into other retail companies with the ALDI experience. Other retailers would rather promote their existing staff into management, and so if you leave the company you will find it difficult to gain employment elsewhere with the ALDI background as your experience.

I would strongly discourage anyone from pursuing an opportunity with them, as they are a ruthless company and will use you until they can replace you. ALDI only operates for the profit of the German owners. ALDI don’t hesitate to replace people they don’t like, and their staff turnover is very high.

Uni graduates would be better advised to work in roles where they can utilize the degree they’ve studied, which in the long term will give them a lot more opportunities than ALDI can offer. Whilst other companies offer a lower starting salary for graduates, you will quickly catch up, and in the long term be in a much better position with a career that actually makes you attractive to many firms.

Whilst the ALDI starting salary is high, it doesn’t go up much further once you are in the company. It is a bait to attract lots of applicants to apply, and then you get stuck. I really regret working for ALDI and would have been better off starting off in a career oriented firm where I was using my uni degree.
Reply 10
Original post by tombrady
As a former Area Manager with ALDI, I would strongly discourage anyone with a university degree from going for the Area Manager role with ALDI. The typical people you will be working with in these roles are obnoxious, aggressive and over confident. This is the ALDI type they are after. They only want people with uni degrees because it shows you can achieve something. You won’t be using anything you’ve learnt at uni, so it seems such a waste of all that study. The role is basically running their supermarkets, a job which people without a uni degree could also manage easily.

They will work you to the bone for 2-3 years and then replace you with new grads. There are very limited opportunities to progress above Area Manager, as the number of Director roles is limited and everyone is competing for them, and the existing Directors won’t leave their current roles so they don’t come up often.

The progression from Area Manager is to Store Operations Director, Buying Director, Property Director or Warehouse Director. Given the existing directors have nowhere else to go, besides Managing Director, there are limited opportunities for progression. Each region can only have 1 or 2 Store Operations Directors etc., there is only 1 Managing Director. So the number of people in the Director roles is small.

Most people working for ALDI develop very specific skills in overseeing supermarkets, and there are limited opportunities to move into other retail companies with the ALDI experience. Other retailers would rather promote their existing staff into management, and so if you leave the company you will find it difficult to gain employment elsewhere with the ALDI background as your experience.

I would strongly discourage anyone from pursuing an opportunity with them, as they are a ruthless company and will use you until they can replace you. ALDI only operates for the profit of the German owners. ALDI don’t hesitate to replace people they don’t like, and their staff turnover is very high.

Uni graduates would be better advised to work in roles where they can utilize the degree they’ve studied, which in the long term will give them a lot more opportunities than ALDI can offer. Whilst other companies offer a lower starting salary for graduates, you will quickly catch up, and in the long term be in a much better position with a career that actually makes you attractive to many firms.

Whilst the ALDI starting salary is high, it doesn’t go up much further once you are in the company. It is a bait to attract lots of applicants to apply, and then you get stuck. I really regret working for ALDI and would have been better off starting off in a career oriented firm where I was using my uni degree.


Very few 'graduate jobs' make use of your degree, law/medicine and architecture are the obvious ones but when you then go to the sciences its not all that likely and then a remote possibility with arts degrees.

Interesting insight, you give there, nothing all that surprising for me really, but just question the degree relevance aspect of what you said.
Reply 11
Original post by tombrady
As a former Area Manager with ALDI, I would strongly discourage anyone with a university degree from going for the Area Manager role with ALDI. The typical people you will be working with in these roles are obnoxious, aggressive and over confident. This is the ALDI type they are after. They only want people with uni degrees because it shows you can achieve something. You won’t be using anything you’ve learnt at uni, so it seems such a waste of all that study. The role is basically running their supermarkets, a job which people without a uni degree could also manage easily.

They will work you to the bone for 2-3 years and then replace you with new grads. There are very limited opportunities to progress above Area Manager, as the number of Director roles is limited and everyone is competing for them, and the existing Directors won’t leave their current roles so they don’t come up often.

The progression from Area Manager is to Store Operations Director, Buying Director, Property Director or Warehouse Director. Given the existing directors have nowhere else to go, besides Managing Director, there are limited opportunities for progression. Each region can only have 1 or 2 Store Operations Directors etc., there is only 1 Managing Director. So the number of people in the Director roles is small.

Most people working for ALDI develop very specific skills in overseeing supermarkets, and there are limited opportunities to move into other retail companies with the ALDI experience. Other retailers would rather promote their existing staff into management, and so if you leave the company you will find it difficult to gain employment elsewhere with the ALDI background as your experience.

I would strongly discourage anyone from pursuing an opportunity with them, as they are a ruthless company and will use you until they can replace you. ALDI only operates for the profit of the German owners. ALDI don’t hesitate to replace people they don’t like, and their staff turnover is very high.

Uni graduates would be better advised to work in roles where they can utilize the degree they’ve studied, which in the long term will give them a lot more opportunities than ALDI can offer. Whilst other companies offer a lower starting salary for graduates, you will quickly catch up, and in the long term be in a much better position with a career that actually makes you attractive to many firms.

Whilst the ALDI starting salary is high, it doesn’t go up much further once you are in the company. It is a bait to attract lots of applicants to apply, and then you get stuck. I really regret working for ALDI and would have been better off starting off in a career oriented firm where I was using my uni degree.


This advice is something I've heard a lot from former employees of the Aldi grad programme. If you want a job which will crush your soul and squeeze every hour out of you, then go for it. When you take that into account, the salary doesn't even seem that high anymore.
What time does a typical day start/end please?
Reply 13
Original post by Cherrypieness
What time does a typical day start/end please?


You won't have normal working hours with this sort of role. Expect 60-80 hour weeks.
Reply 14
Original post by Cherrypieness
What time does a typical day start/end please?


Why would it start or end?