My story: from application to GMT to direct hire in procurement at AB InBev Prague

While I was still a master student, during one of the job fairs at my university my eye was caught by AB InBev stand. I was particularly interested in graduate programs and since AB InBev proposes several ones (GMT, SMT, FTA etc), I had several options to choose from. My decision was done and I applied for Global Management Trainee (further GMT) program as soon as the application was opened.

Application process which I had in 2016 looked the following way:

Online application – Online tests – 2 phone interviews (strengths-based interview, case study) – ABI Assessment Day in Moscow, Russia – Final panel interview in Leuven, Belgium

Application process changed a bit (you can check the updated process at https://bestbeerjob.com/selection.php ), but overall structure is still similar.

I wanna share my personal experience and a few hints which helped me to get an offer at AB InBev.

Be proactive

One of the first advices I would give is definitely to apply as soon as the application process starts. Early application in the first wave of applicants will guarantee that your application is considered further if you passed successfully previous stage. One of my classmates wasn’t selected further in the application process (despite the fact that he successfully passed the current stage), because he applied during one of the last waves of applicants. In my case I applied in the beginning of December via official website for graduate programs and the application was already opened, hence I would recommend to scan regularly whether the application is opened and apply to get an advantage of being in the first wave of applicants.

Come prepared, but don’t overdo it

For preparation I would say two key things helped me the most: internet and networking.

Regarding the first point, try to collect as much data as possible via internet. In my case I did quite an extensive research and spent plenty of time to learn about the company, but it really paid off, especially during the last stages of the application process. I would start with company website, i.e. learning about our 10 principles, latest news, company structure, financials, annual reports. Reading the latest annual report really gave me a competitive advantage during assessment day, because during this stage one of the parts was a game during which you have to respond to as many company related questions as possible during limited period of time. So reading an annual report helped me ace this game. Another incredibly helpful data source was Glassdoor.com, where you can find reviews about companies. While searching through this website, I found out what to expect during each stage of the application process and got plenty of hints which helped to increase my chances. Apart from that I also screened latest industry news, trends, which helped a lot during the final panel.

My second tool which I used was networking. Here social media becomes quite handy, especially LinkedIn. Since I didn’t know anyone who was working at AB InBev, I started my search on LinkedIn. Useful hint here – try to narrow your search on LinkedIn, for instance I searched for AB InBev employees who graduated from my university. It helped me already to have a common background with this person and increased my chances to have the reply. Thus, I was able to find several people who gave me recommendations and helped to understand what to expect during application process.

Don’t pull a blanket

This recommendation becomes particularly important during the assessment day, when you have group exercises and assessors evaluate how you interact with different people. For instance, during one the simulation games I understood in the beginning that team work was much more important than pulling a blanket on yourself and not being able to listen to others. After assessment day I noticed that candidates which attentively listened to others and didn’t try to have all the attention to themselves, got to the last stage. Useful hint here – during this assessment day when you have group exercises try to involve other people, which are not actively participating, that would be positively evaluated by assessors.

Keep calm and be yourself

Another recommendation – be yourself! Important point here is that company doesn’t only choose you, you also choose the company. Easy to say, but hard to do, but try to enjoy application stages, especially assessment day and final panel, when you have to meet your potential future colleagues face to face. They would like to know real you, so I wouldn’t recommend to try to ‘fit’ and behave in an unnatural way, which you might think can increase your chance to be chosen.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but stay positive

Maybe one of the most important advice is not being afraid to make mistakes and if you do them, don’t get out of tune and stay positive. This advice did help me a lot during simulation game at the assessment day. Throughout the whole game my team kept having one of the last places among all teams, but during the last round I got the chance to decide (my role on the game was switched to president of the company) on the last move of our team and this decision got us to the first place.

So moving on to my experience, what happened in my case?

I didn’t have the most typical case – in the end I wasn’t selected for GMT programme, I got rejected after the last stage (Final Panel in Belgium) of the selection process, but I was proposed either an SMT programme or a direct hire opportunity in Europe. The choice for me was clear, I chose direct hire opportunity in Europe, although saying yes to SMT program was quite tempting, since I wouldn’t have to pass any additional stages.

For the direct hire I also had to pass around 5 interviews, but since I was already prepared during the GMT application process, getting through them wasn’t that stressful.

To cut a long story short, I was offered an offer at AB InBev Prague office, which I happily accepted. So currently I work in Procurement as a Junior Category Buyer and in 1 week it would be my 2 years anniversary since I work at AB InBev!

Wishing you the best of luck!

More questions? Don’t hesitate to contact me: [email protected]