What does it take to land a grad role at Rio Tinto?

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What does it take to land a grad role at Rio Tinto?

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

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Welmarie Engelbrecht from ECU Alumni sat down with Recruiting Manager at Rio Tinto, Glen Hardingham, to find out what the company looks for in potential graduates. Here’s what Glen had to say!

What are the top 3 attributes to a good student graduate program application?

GH: When it comes to a winning application, make sure to include the following:

Any major achievements or things that stand out
Examples or evidence of results you have acquired
Relevant Case Studies you have been involved in
Any work experience in line with top tier companies (e.g. have you done work up in the Pilbara? Add that to your resume.)
Mention the company and show understanding for what the company does (e.g. Rio Tinto works with Aluminium; you could YouTube videos about their aluminium production and educate yourself on how the company operates and why they do what they do.)

What would you say are the strengths and weaknesses of Rio Tinto's application process compared to other top-tier firms?

GH: RioTinto’s recruitment process is thorough; in fact some might say it is almost overly thorough. However, RioTinto does not apologize for the hoops it requires students to jump through, as this is how they recruit top quality, resilient students that have shown strong character.

What would you say are the shortfalls/gaps in what universities offer to students, in regard to employability?

GH: Interestingly, especially in non-mathematical roles such as HR, there has been seen to be quite a lack in statistical and basic mathematical skills. These skills are crucial for any role at RioTinto, as you will frequently find yourself writing reports that require you to interpret data and provide valuable output. In HR departments, businesses rely heavily on metrics, KPI’s and dashboards and it is important that students know how to work with these. If you are able to educate yourself and broaden your understanding in these areas you have a greater chance of succeeding in a top-tier firm.

In addition, networking, building relationships and understanding the strength of those relationships is an invaluable skills and trait for students to possess, although it is not necessarily taught at university. When you know how to do this, you are already a step ahead of other students.

Which parts of Rio Tinto's application process' instruments investigate hard skills vs soft skills in students?

GH: Hard skills are investigated through the application form or resume, as well through other steps of the recruitment process such as a comprehension test that comes later in the process and the bulk interview where 16 graduates come in and have to solve problems together as an exercise.

Soft skills are mainly investigated in the interview process and when phoning the referees that you have put on your resume. The psychometric test also measures your risk taking willingness, your altruism, and other traits that could benefit Rio Tinto, as well as your career progression.

If your interest has been sparked to join a graduate program, we encourage you to start the process straight away. Many graduate programs, as mentioned before, only have a short window of time in which you can apply for the following year’s program. All the best! Go land that graduate job.

School of Business and Law