Navigating the Virgin Recruitment Process: Tips & What to Expect
Do you fancy yourself as a well-known TV personality conveying news and information to a public who listens to your every word?
Or perhaps you would prefer to be the background person who makes it possible for the broadcaster to reach his audience?
Then a job at Virgin Media may be exactly what you are looking for.
But, many others have the same idea. Virgin Media, like many other employers, is driven to use pre-employment tests to narrow the list of applicants who are best suited to a role at the company.
To start working at Virgin Media, you can gain entry through the graduate scheme, which will give you two years of experience in working for the company. Or you can join as an experienced hire where you walk directly into a job-specific role.
Here’s all you need to know about getting a job at Virgin Media and how to pass the assessment tests.
Table of Contents
What is the Virgin Recruitment Process?
After submitting your initial job application, you can expect a phone call from a Virgin Media representative. This phone call is to get to know you and your motivation for applying for the job. Virgin Media states on their website that they want you to participate fully in the conversation.
You are encouraged to ask questions and they even state they would like you to tell them your salary expectations!
Remember, the telephone conversation will determine if you go on to the interview stage. Make sure you have done your research before the call and have questions to ask the recruiter.
The Interview
The first interview you do for the company is conducted via video, where you submit your answers to a series of pre-recorded questions. Ensure you do the interview in a quiet location, free from interruption.
Online Assessments
The interview is followed by a series of assessments which you will be asked to do online.
You can expect to do Personality and Situational Judgement Tests (SJT), as well as numerical, verbal, abstract reasoning and error checking tests. The media company uses Saville pre-employment tests, which are known to be challenging.
Personality test
Many applicants find the personality test daunting, while others decide not to prepare for it. However, there are some important pointers to bear in mind here.
- It is your workplace personality that is being judged, not your downtime one, and for most of us, the two can be quite different.
- Personality is judged by behaviour, so when asked how you would behave in a certain situation, you are giving clues to your personality.
Before doing the personality test, it is important to get a picture of what type of personality the ideal employee at Virgin Media has and attempt to create that personality in your answers.
Try working on the following sample personality test question.
“Sometimes, it is hard for me to make a decision.”
On a scale of 1-7, indicate to what extent you agree with that statement.
Try giving different answers to the question. After each answer, sit back and decide what type of person you are presenting as and ask how likely that person is to be employed by Virgin Media.
Having worked through a set of sample papers along these lines presenting the best personality for the job should come naturally to you.
To get a headstart on your preparation, and to do a test within the time allowed, try the following free sample personality test.
Situational Judgement Test
The SJT works very much along the lines of the personality test, except that now you are being judged on how you would react to situations in the workplace.
To answer questions to the employer’s satisfaction, do some research on the employer and the company’s values before taking the test.
You can expect questions like the following.
Sara was given a list of tasks to complete two days ago. After working fast and efficiently, she has now finished her tasks. Sara’s supervisor is working from a different location today.
What is the most effective response that Sara can take?
A
Sara could find a colleague that needs help with a task- this could be more interesting than just sitting around at the office.
B
Sara could call her supervisor and ask him what she could do next- so that her work is more efficient.
C
Sara could go study materials that are generally relevant for her work.
D
Sara could ask another member of the office if there is anything she can do to help – as it’s important to help a teammate.
Again review your answers and feel free to attempt this free sample situational judgement test.
Numerical, and verbal, reasoning tests.
These tests assess your ability to carry out tasks that apply to the job you are being assessed for.
You may have done a lot of work on numerical and verbal reasoning during your education. But having the information and applying it in a test system that is new to you are two very different things.
You need to become familiar with the style of questioning and with the time limits imposed on the tests.
Once again, the best approach is to practice on sample papers. By doing so, you are training yourself to work within the time limits and also learning if there are areas you need to brush up on.
Get a headstart on your practice with the following free sample tests.
Abstract reasoning tests
These tests inform the employer of how capable you are of learning new skills and analysing new information. The tests require you to work with shapes and images and usually to decide which shape should come next in a series or, as in the case of the example below, which shape is the odd one out.
This is your answer
Answer Explanation: The pattern in this sequence is that the entire circle rotates 90 degrees clockwise with each step. This means that the diagonal line and the small circle across from it both move simultaneously so as to remain directly across from each other.
Discovery Day
Discovery day at Virgin Media is the equivalent of Assessment day with other employers.
It is a day when you meet your prospective employers and their teams face to face, and they get to know you through a series of exercises. If this sounds daunting, your test prep pack will have resources to help you prepare for the day.
Throughout the day, you can expect group activities, role-plays, some further online tests and even an interview or two. You will be informed in advance of what you can expect from the day.
Bear in mind that throughout the day, assessors will be noticing how you interact with your fellow applicants, how well you perform with a team and getting a picture of your likely overall demeanour as part of the workforce.
Use the resources in the test prep pack for the best advice on how to deal with the different exercises. You will find a quick brush up on the company and its values especially useful if you are asked to do an interview.
To show your enthusiasm read up on their competitors and keep abreast of any new developments in the company and make sure you have some questions of your own to ask.
Can I Prepare for the Virgin Recruitment Process?
You can expect the recruitment process to be intense and very competitive, so preparation is essential. In fact, when applying for any job, it is essential to prepare, and the best way of doing this is to use the services of a job test preparation company.
For this, we recommend using Job Test Prep, a company with thirty years of experience in preparing applicants for pre-employment testing.
They will provide you with information on the testing process as well as a Test Prep Pack. The test prep pack contains sample papers modelled on the ones you will get in the real tests, as well as a method of checking your scores on each test you do. You also get study guides and comprehensive explanations of questions and answers.
And Finally…
Using reliable resources and your own work, you can navigate the recruitment process for Virgin Media. Good luck!
If you have applied for a job at Virgin Media, you will find all the resources you need to ace the recruitment process here.
Written by Elizabeth O Mahony
With 25+ years’ experience as a teacher and state examinations corrector, Elizabeth now writes for the education and careers industry. Her experience preparing students for examinations and running an academy for supplementary education give her invaluable insights into what it takes for job seekers and graduates to succeed in assessments.
Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.
