Application Process & Interviews at Dulux Group

There is first a phone interview with HR, then an in person interview with the hiring manager. After that there are a series of online assessments and finally a second in-person interview.

After being contacted and having a short phone call with someone from recruitment, I proceeded to an interview with two managers. After passing this interview (I heard from them the same day), I had another interview with two technical directors. After being hired I was also required to take a psychometric test.

Long, thorough and in depth.

I only had 1 interview and got offered the job, very quick

Very long process. Multiple interviews and tests

My process was different to the now graduate process - it was an interview with psychometric testing, I was then invited to the graduate program once I commenced.

Easy, understandable and efficient.

2 interviews and a case study assessment

I was given a series of folders containing information on a business scenario from various perspectives (e.g. financial, HR, marketing) and was told to try and improve upon it.

There were 4 interviews with a simple phone interview included. The 2nd and 3rd were focused on technical knowledge while the 4th one focused on the cultural fit

There were 3 interviews (Phone, 1st Interview, 2nd Interview) then 3/4 tests and a medical (drug test).

Interview process went quickly, required to film videos answering questions, prepare presentation for case study followed by interview. Follow up interview then job offer.

There is a video component where I recorded answers to present questions. About a month later, I was invited to a virtual assessment centre, which involved a case study and interview. For the case study, I had about a bit over an hour to review a variety of documents, including emails, brochures, and customer reviews, and create a 10-minute presentation which included a summary and my recommendations of how the business was going. After the presentation, there was 10 minutes of questions about my presentation, followed by a short break. The case study was realistic, which made it a fun experience, if anything. After coming back, we went on to do the actual interview which was 30-45 minutes. The questions were all quite generic, but the hiring manager showed enthusiasm and curiosity for the things I talked about, which made it a very comfortable interview. The day after, I was invited to complete psychometric and personality testing. A week or so after, I was given a verbal offer and invited to a pre-employment medical check. The process was quite long but overall enjoyable.

Majority of the questions are behavioural in the structure of, tell me about a time when.... There are also competency questions that structured around the STAR approach. For the Graduate Program there is a case interview.

Many STAR questions. Majority about problem solving etc.

Was given a case study based on a real-life business situation then asked questions regarding the case study.

Classic Star questions and scientific polymer questions

Questions about past experience, ambitions and skills I can translate to current role.

professional experience and how I would resolve issues that I could come across in the work place

A couple that I remember were how I handled customer complaints as well as whether or not I'd ever broken company policy.

Technology questions and innovative thinking ideas.

I went for a specific role (IT Project Coordinator) so was asked about my previous job roles, the types of project work I was exposed to, and examples of different scenarios.

Why DuluxGroup? Tell us about a time you needed to be innovative. Tell us about a time when you overcame a challenge.

I would recommend they do research on DuluxGroup and the role they are applying for. Then my advice would be to prepare a few STAR responses to behavioural questions and know which competencies they demonstrate so you can use multiple examples in your interview instead of repeating one over and over. Also come with questions! This shows you are interested in the position.

Prep your STAR questions.

Research the companies' values, behaviours, mission and vision prior to the interview.

Prepare classic Star questions and be yourself

Look at the brands, understand the culture and values

Best prepare by being honest, being open about what it is that you want and ask as many questions as you want - people here love to share their thoughts and knowledge.

Be honest about who you are. It's easy to read up on answers managers want and I think these managers are tired of hearing the same answers over and over again. Offering your own sense of uniqueness can help you stand out.

Candidates should do more research about what the company does before the interview and know more about the products as well.

Be sure to do your research on the company, there are many businesses under the DuluxGroup umbrella (As well as Nippon Paint/NIPSEA Group). Like any other interview, come prepared with as many examples as possible e.g. How you work in a team, how you handled conflicting tasks etc.

Follow STAR structure when answering questions. Don't over think it.

Take the time to learn about Dulux's organisational structure, culture and values and behaviours.

Learn about the company values, as they underpin everything in the business. Prepare the usual questions and bring enough breadth to cover a variety of questions.