The process was run very professionally and consisted of a presentation, which I had to prepare in advance and a question and answer session. The presentation topic was about group vision and strategy, very open ended, but appropriate for a senior role. I received compliments on the quality of the presentation.
During the process, it was mentioned by the HR representative that NI were good at recruiting at graduate level, but wanted to bring in more experienced talent from outside the organisation. They felt they hadn't done enough of this in the past. If you look at glassdoor, you will notice a lot of ELP interview reviews from their grad program, which backs this up. There are not so many from experienced hires, especially in the UK (there are only ELP interview reviews at the time of writing this).
The interview went into some depth on competencies and my background, with lots of examples requested and given. I answered all the questions fully and again received compliments on the responses.
At the end of the interview I asked if there were any concerns about my ability to execute the role. The only point raised was that of learning company specific processes and culture.
After the interview, I stayed an extra hour for coffee and a lively discussion with the regional manager. It was extremely friendly and positive.
I waited three weeks for feedback and eventually discovered there was only one other (internal) candidate, who had been offered the job. This was disappointing given the stated objective to bring in new hires with proven experience from elsewhere.
If you are a graduate, NI looks like an interesting opportunity. They are a professional company, with an interesting range of products and a diverse customer base. Judging by the reviews on glassdoor, their careers website, linkedin and my experience, for proven professionals caution is advised. They show some signs of being a closed shop for the not so fresh out of University. The problem with this introspection is that there can be cultural and process problems that they may not be aware of. Also, reluctance to bring in talent except at grad level can cause problems with innovation and interacting with other companies.
This shows a little in the product lineup and in certainly in dealings with them as a supplier, in my opinion and experience. For growth and improved appreciation of how other organisations function, leading to better service, a less conservative policy may be worth considering and implementing.