May 8, 2014, by Ben Read
My first (unexpected) business trip
Last Wednesday I received an email from AB InBev, who is a global beer company responsible for brands such as Corona, Stella Artois and Budweiser, about my application to their graduate scheme. I had completed a telephone interview a few weeks prior to this email and had all but given up hope on getting through to the next stage of the process and so assumed the email would be a rejection notice. However, amazingly it wasn’t. It was an invite to attend the assessment centre on the 7th of May in…Leuven, Belgium!
- Leuven is the home of Stella
This put me in a tricky position, with finals rapidly approaching and a coursework due in next week I was undecided whether going was a wise move. But then I realised working for a beer company would be super cool and I’d be a fool not to go (especially as they were paying expenses!).
So Tuesday afternoon I headed off to Gatwick to catch an Easyjet flight to Brussels International Airport. I felt like a proper businessman jetting off to seal a major deal with a foreign client, or something along those lines.
My very orange plane!
I stayed in a very nice, conveniently located hotel opposite the train station in Leuven and treated myself to a Stella Artois at dinner, claiming it was ‘market research’!
We had to be at the AB InBev offices at 7.45am, which was 6.45am UK time, which required a horrendously early rise. The day flew by with various group exercises, as well as a one-on-one interview. The assessment finished around 3 and having discovered 3 other candidates were on the same flight back to Gatwick, we all went off to sample some more of Belgium’s delicacies (beer and chocolate) before catching our flight back to London.
I am now back in Nottingham, trying to get on with revision, whilst eagerly awaiting the outcome of the assessment. Whatever the outcome, my first business trip was a good one and hopefully there’ll be many more to come!
Good luck Ben! I did my internship here and I had the final panel interview in January and got through for the commercial scheme. How did you find it and when do you find out?
Good luck mate!
I had an assessment centre with them last year and unfortunately it wasn’t a great experience. We had someone deliver an opening presentation where they said ‘non-alcoholic beer is for gay people’ which left most of us very shocked. I questioned them about it in my interview and they just cited that it was company culture which was disappointing to hear. I certainly wouldn’t expect that type of language to be used in the business world.
All the best though. The second interview sounded like a great experience!
Anil weren’t we at the same assessment centre? I don’t remember hearing someone say that. Also they’re pushing becks blue so seems a bit strange to say that no?
Unfortunately I didn’t make it through to the next stage. Congratulations, it looks like a great scheme, hopefully some free beer too!