About Santander
Santander is an international global bank offering a wide range of career choices for both graduates and experienced professionals. From graduate programs to senior roles and leadership there are many opportunities if you are looking to build a career within a great widely known corporate bank.
Santander's key mission is to keep the focus on improving the customer outcome created by their business. "Simple, Personal and Fair is how we work and that is the behaviour expected of our corporate culture." is how they describe their vision.
Santander Application Process
Santander rejects approximately 60-80% of applicants applying to a role at the international bank. Understanding the application and recruitment process is crucial if you want to land your dream job. Building up confidence on practice questions and doing your research is a step in the right direction for improving your chances. Competition is fierce and you'll want to do the preparation so you can score high on each test.
Santander emphasises that their assessment process is designed to "bring out the best in you" and it involves the following four steps below:
1. Online application
2. Online tests
3. Video interview
4. Assessment centre
The hiring process involves SOVA assessments who are the publishers of tests that evaluate personality, competency, motivation, and ability within candidates applying for jobs.
Online Application
Once you've decided on the role you would like to apply for at Santander you'll start by completing an online application. It should take approximately 10 minutes and you can use the information on your CV to complete it (make sure your information is up to date).
Example questions might include:
- What is your motivation for applying to work at Santander?
- Why do you want to work in this particular role?
Santander will usually be in touch within a week of your application date.
Santander Online Tests
Santander uses online pre-employment tests to reduce favouritism and bias in their hiring process. "Even if it's unconscious, the name of your school or university will remain unknown until you start on the programme."
After they've reviewed your application, you'll be asked to complete some online tests. This includes a video-based situational judgement test, a personality test, and a gamified numerical challenge. All designed to test the types of skills you'll bring to the team.
The three core tests are:
- Situational judgement
- Numerical reasoning
- Personality test
The difficulty of these tests are determined by the role and position you apply for, but the key take-away from this should be that you need to be prepared and familiar with the test questions and get lots of practice in. A typical outcome for how well you performed in your tests will usually be provided within 48 hours.
Situational Judgement Test
Santander's situational judgement test offers several scenarios that you are likely to face during a typical work-week at Santander - the question is, how will you handle each situation? Which is the best and worst course of action? You will need to use your common sense and judgement on what the best most professional course of action would be to excel in this test and score high marks.
Keep in mind each answer will have some degree of correctness - Santander is looking for what is most practical and answers that demonstrates key characteristics of their ideal future employee.
Personality Test
Santander's personality tests examine what motivates you, and how you're likely to react in certain scenarios. The personality tests can typically examine 20-30 different possible traits to identify valued skills for the workplace. There are no real right or wrong answers, but Santander will be assessing how well your traits might fit in with their culture and values. Try to be consistent with your answers as questions are often worded similarly.
Gamified Numerical Challenge
Santander's gamified numerical challenge is a combination of numerical reasoning and gamification which makes this test unique and interesting to participate in.
A standard numerical reasoning test tests your ability to analyse numerical data such as graphs and charts - a typical interaction you might have if you were to work with Santander and receive information such as a business report. Numerical reasoning tests are all about your ability to comprehend key information with the added complexity of a timer to answer them as quickly as possible.
However, unlike most of Santander's online tests, there is a game-like format to make the test more user-friendly and fun. Gamification is becoming increasingly popular within employers' hiring process to improve candidate experience.
Video Interview
Assuming you pass your online tests, the next stage is a video interview (usually within a week of completing your tests).
You'll get the opportunity to answer pre-recorded questions in a virtual video interview. The key focus here is on why you chose your particular programme/role, the motivations you have, and any specific skills. It's a great opportunity to share more about yourself.
Virtual Assessment Centre
The last hurdle is a virtual assessment centre. The assessment usually lasts for half a day and includes three different activities. These are:
1. A group exercise to get to know your other attendees
2. A Q&A on a presentation you've prepared
3. A one-to-one interview
Keep in mind that assessment centres give your employer an opportunity to see you in person and assess your abilities as well as allowing you to get a feel for your employer and if it's the right company and cultural fit for you.
To do well in virtual assessments, it's; all about preparation, confidence, and an ability to reflect the values Santander is looking for. This stage can take up to four to six weeks.
