SSE is a multinational energy company. The company’s headquarters are located in Perth, UK. The company was founded in 1998 and has nearly 12,000 employees. SSE is the leading developer and operator of low-carbon electricity in the UK and Ireland and is striving to help build a cleaner, greener, and fairer world for all.
The company has career opportunities for job seekers at every level, including apprenticeship and trainee engineering programs, graduate programs, and summer placements. They believe everyone can help change the world and want enthusiastic people to join them on their mission to net zero.
Working at SSE
SSE believes their employees should live a balanced life. Their many benefits help their employees live their best lives both in and out of the office. These benefits include:
Flexible working schemes
34 days of annual leave
Option to buy up to 10 additional days of leave
Generous pension
Employee assistance program
Maternity and paternity pay
Work transition program after maternity leave
Interest-free salary advance to cover public transport
Cycle to work scheme
SSE Apprenticeship and Graduate Scheme
SSE is interested in recruiting young professionals and helping them grow their careers with the company. SSE offers apprenticeships in three major areas: contracting, generation, and power distribution. The apprenticeship programs last three to four years.
They also offer graduate schemes that allow new employees to gain hands-on experience and develop unique skills throughout the three-year program. Training programs in the graduate scheme are in the following areas:
Finance
Business and Commercial
IT and Technology
Engineering
Project Sales
Online Application
Both the graduate and apprenticeship programs begin with an online application. You will upload a recent CV and a cover letter during this process. You will also answer basic pre-employment questions and give your contact information.
Psychometric Tests
If the hiring team thinks you may be a good fit, you will move on to the assessment portion of the recruitment process. SSE uses SHL and BMCT for their assessment tests but may also use Talent Q. It may be good to research each of these tests from a trusted source to prepare for any test that SSE gives you.
Verbal Reasoning Test – The verbal reasoning aptitude test will examine your language, comprehension, and communication skills. The test will present you with short paragraphs to read, after which you will need to answer questions. This test comprises 15 questions and you will have a 15-minute time limit.
Logical Reasoning Test – The logical test is a 12-question, 15-minute, deductive test that requires you to follow the logic to arrive at the correct answer. You do not need any prior knowledge to do well on this test, but it would be beneficial to practice beforehand to understand the different types of questions ahead of time.
Numerical Reasoning Test– The numerical reasoning aptitude test will assess your ability to evaluate numerical information. The test will present you with 12 questions that you will have 15 minutes to answer. These questions will be related to schedules, graphs, financial reports, and statistics, though the exact question types will depend on the role to which you are applying.
To do well on this test, all candidates should have a basic understanding of arithmetic, percentages, graphs, and data interpretation.
Situational Judgement Test (SJT) – This pre-hire personality test will assess your behaviours and values. The test will present you with various workplace scenarios, and you will need to rank your responses in order of what is most suitable. This test allows the hiring team to understand how you would perform and see if you would be a good culture fit with the company.
Digital Interview
If you do well on the psychometric tests, you will complete a digital interview. This interview is pre-recorded and will take 30 to 40 minutes to complete. You will answer five to six questions about your motivations and interest in the role. After each question, you will have three minutes to prepare and four to five minutes to give your response.
Because you will be recording your responses, it is essential to do well and give a great first impression. Be sure to have your CV on hand and speak confidently and concisely.
Assessment Centre
The final stage of the hiring process is the assessment centre. This event will bring multiple candidates together to complete various group tasks. You will complete some individual activities during this event as well.
Group Exercise – One activity the candidates will complete is the group exercise. This activity is an excellent way for the hiring team to see how well you work in a group, communicate with others, and what kind of leadership style you have. The group will receive a topic to discuss or an issue to solve and work together to find a solution. You will want to balance your time speaking up and listening to others to show that you can collaborate with others well.
Presentation – An individual activity you will likely complete is the presentation. For this exercise, the hiring team will give you a topic relevant to your role and will ask you to provide a 10-minute presentation on the subject. This activity will assess your ability to research a topic and your ability to communicate your ideas to others.
Final Interview
The last component of the assessment centre is the interview. This interview will likely be with two managers and will focus on behaviour-based and competency-based questions. You will need to draw on previous experience to demonstrate your character and work ethic and show that you are the best candidate for the role.
Be sure that you also do your research on the company before this event so you are prepared to explain why you want to work for SSE.
How to Prepare for SSE’s Assessment?
SSE is looking for enthusiastic candidates to join their team and help them achieve their mission of providing a cleaner and greener world. The best way to show the hiring manager that you are the best candidate for the role is to stand out from the others by doing well on the assessments.
The hiring team relies on different assessments to find applicants who share their values and can do well in the role. There are resources online, such as practice tests and sample interview questions, that can help you practice your timing and understand the types of questions you will answer.
Taking advantage of these resources will increase your chances of doing well on these tests and standing out from the other candidates.