Application Process & Interviews at Rio Tinto

The interview process and assessments went smoothly as the interview catchup date can be confirmed as per the availability for the candidate and right after interview further recruitment process and documentation are followed up by the talent acquisition team.

Application, Aptitude test, Interview and then Oboarding. The process took a while but was smooth enough

When I was recruited, there was quite a lengthy process to go through, which involved 4 stages (application, psychometric testing, video recorded interview, face to face interview). There is quite long weight times between the 4 stages due to the number of applicants that Rio Tinto receives for its graduate program. The only assessment was during the psychometric testing and this was just logic and personality based (not discipline specific).

The process of joining the grad program was smooth as I transitioned over from vacation student to graduate, which meant I got to skip the interviews for my current role. However, getting the position as a vacation student was quite extensive. I did an online application, and then a few weeks later I received an email which linked me to a logic test and a psychological test. A month later I progressed to a telephone interview and then 3 weeks after that I moved forward to an in-person interview. Once the interviews were complete, I didn't hear anything for about 6 months.

There is online aptitude testing, followed by a call from the recruitment team to get a gauge of the employee. If these two processes go through, then there is an online interview with the team that is looking to hire.

Resume handin Cognitive test Recorded video interview Person to person interview

Online application, 2 rounds of testing, virtual interview and in person interview

initial application submitted online. Followed by several online cognitive/skill assessments. After progression, a few online interview (covid) and serval phone calls in-between to hiring managers. Finally a full medical screen including drug screen.

The process was quite long. It involved some gamified assessments, followed by an online interview and then an in person interview

My pathway into Rio Tinto was nonlinear. I applied for multiple jobs, but the HR manager saw my potential and recommended me to go into my current role.

The whole process was very well organized. The interview was well planned out and the assessments help me understand myself a little bit more which I was impressed by.

It's a long process with several stages but is it is fair.

1 online test 1 one-way interview 1 finally interview with team

Hired as a vacation student

questionnaire, video interview

Assessments are the standard cognitive and behavioural tests. First were the assessments, followed by a recorded interview then the face-to-face.

They were all fair. a few video interviews, assessments and then a meeting with your actual site boss was all fairly standard. the usual long boring recruitment process.

Online assessment and online interview using teams meeting. Online assessment was fun and interesting and online interview is good (as per what you would expect from a job interview)

I had to complete one online assessment, one short phone interview and one zoom interview.

For the vacation programme, it involved psychometric testing, one-way video interview and two-way video interview.

I couldn't remember all questions asked but have few here which I could remember. 1. What sort of work/role/experience I had from my previous company? 2. Qualification as I am having oversea qualification. 3. My work rights and visa condition.

Cannot specifically remember. They were question such as "Tell us a time when you displayed leadership .... " and they were layered but the interviewer prompted you so as not to miss any key parts of the question.

Tell me about a time where you safety issue and what did you do about it? Explain a time where you had a different approach to a problem or issue compared to your peers. Explain a time where you faced adversity while working in a group environment and what did you do about it to fix it?

I was asked some of the following questions in my interview: "Can you give us an example of a time that you displayed a 'safety first' mentality?" "Can you tell us about a time that you disagreed with your coworkers and how you overcame the conflict?" "Can you tell us about a project you were involved in? Can you talk us through the planning, delivery and outcomes?" "Why did you choose Rio Tinto as a place to work?" "What do you think about the Juukan Gorge incident?"

Questions we based around the individual and what they are interested in. Hobbies, weekly activities, what their uni lifestyle is like. Previous work experience, how they displayed certain values in their past.

How did you overcome technical roadblocks in uni? What's your normal role in group assignments? What's a future aspiration of your career? What are your strengths and weaknesses in person-to-person relations?

Normal STAR questions, and more specific questions about why I was interested in the mining and iron ore industries in particular.

backgrounds, skills, a lot of scenario based questions relating to teamwork and communication etc.

Why I want to work for Rio Tinto, situational problem solving scenarios, future aspirations

Previous soft & technical skills.

Why I want to work for Rio Tinto? What my goals are for the next few years. Tell them about myself?

why Rio?

Behavioural questions dominate. Unfortunately, it also seems like my indigineity was of interest during the interview - which has always been a bane on my technical merit (i.e. Why ask me how dream time stories help my perception on life? Why not ask John Smith how his English background enluightens him?).

typical interview questions

behavioral questions, leadership and team work, SAFETY!

Combination of behavioural and technical based on your job.

As a grad, they asked where my interests lie in uni, what career path i would like to head down if i had to choose today. they were reassuring this did not mean anything and just to see where my head lies. They asked what i think makes a great leader in the business

Experience and how can you contribute. Past experiences with working with hard people (people who are unwilling to change their ways) How will you continue to improve yourself in future.

How do you define safety? When is a time that you have received feedback, what was the feedback and how did you react? When have you improved the safety or your workplace?

I would say just be confident and be open to share your thoughts related to job experience, interest and your life goal.

Read up on the company's values

Show your willingness to learn - technical skills can be taught later but enthusiasm and drive are harder to teach.

Make your answers to the interview questions personal. Some of my answers were unrelated to the field that I studied, but they helped the team to learn more about me as a person and helped them to see that my values aligned with the core values of the business.

I would recommend to no be stuck into university and study, Rio Tinto is looking for people that are interesting, have passions and are able to work with others.

Be yourself.

The company very highly values safety, and ability to adapt to new situations

pay attention to scenario/quality based questions relating to communication, teamwork and conflict resolution.

Understand why you want to work for Rio Tinto in good amount of detail. It'll be extra beneficial to understand why you want to work for a specific team or unit within Rio Tinto but this can be quite hard to do without knowing the structure of Rio Tinto.

To understand and define their purpose for working in a mining company. In today's environment (especially if they are Indigenous) it can be hard to justify why they are working for a mining company. Having their own reasons and why? will help justify that.

Its important to know about the company before hand so that you can better answer the interview questions for the specific job. Preparation is very important.

Be yourself, be confident and chatty. Don't worry about saying the wrong thing, it's better to say something a bit silly and get yourself noticed than to sit back and be quiet.

Be yourself and show your passion.

For Geology graduate candidates, get some life experience through extracurriculars, or outdoor activities. These are great to draw on during the interview.

experience and willingness to learn

Always read up about the company and their values. Prepare answers by focusing on the values of the company and the STAR process. Remain calm, I'm hoping that the last couple of months with COVID-19 means that you've had experience with video chats because they were super awkward pre-COVID and still are.

really plan out your leadership questions and try and relate to any good or bad leaders you have had in the past. The graduate program feel is to build you as a leader in your profession but can be tailored to the way you make it through the development plan you make with your leaders once you get the job.

Talk to people who work there before, Understand the process that the site is doing.

All of the questions in my interview were behavioral based e.g. tell us about a time when... so you should prepare a few scenarios in your head. Also research Rio Tinto values and try to align your answers with them.

For graduates: Never stop asking questions. If you don't get enough work, relentlessly ask your leader and if that doesn't work, go to their leader and so on.