I, along with five other people, were invited for an assessment day. The day started with an informal introduction to Hilti with current account managers, there were individual interviews with sales managers and then ended with a group task.
There was a lot of information thrown at you but, it really explained exactly what Hilti's proposition was and, it was very obvious that they look after their staff. Everyone was happy, enthusiastic and wanted to get the best from you during the interview. It was intense but, it kept you on your toes and it really helped if you had researched the company and knew about their positioning.
You could tell that everyone had come from different areas of life/experience and it was all about the values of the company and the way you presented yourself.
The task was a presentation and the Hilti management team were watching us during the preparation of this. It was slightly nerve-wracking but, meant they could see how you prepare for presentations and how your mind works when faced with a problem.
After the group task some of us were taken into one room, and the rest in another. We were then told if we had been successful or not (XFactor style!) and I was one of the successful ones. There was a final interview with the Sales Director who, really wanted to understand your drive as a person. It was a great final interview and I felt really fired up when I left!
The next stage I was told would be a "day in the life of an account manager" but, I didn't do this as accepted another role. If I could give any feedback to Hilti about this final stage is that it may be something they could incorporate into the assessment day? As in, you attend the interview in the morning and in the afternoon you are out with the account manager? The reason why I think this would work is that, it was proving difficult for me to get any more time off work without raising too much suspicion and, this may put candidates off if they are unable to get time off at short notice. I do understand why Hilti do this though, shows the commitment and understanding of what is required within the role.