Experian Tests

Careers at Experian

Experian provides opportunities for both graduates and experienced hires across many different departments and roles. Its operating areas include Analytics, Customer Services, Information Technology, Marketing, Product Development, Sales and Business Development and Corporate Functions (Finance and HR).

It has global careers centres in North America, Latin America, UK & Ireland and EMEA and the Asia Pacific region, so career opportunities are worldwide.

Due to the focus upon data, analytics and technology, candidates are required to have strong numerical skills and a knack for data gathering and interpretation. Experian prides itself in having a consistent way of working across their global network, called ‘The Experian Way’. This encapsulates Experian’s working culture of innovation, collaboration and support. It is important that new hires fit well into this company culture.

The information below relates specifically to the Experian recruitment process and has been compiled to increase your chances of success.

Experian uses a sequence of recruitment stages – including psychometric testing and interview rounds – following initial application. These help to determine candidate suitability for the role and compatibility with the organisation.

The process and requirements will likely differ slightly according to the programme or vacancy applied for, but the Experian recruitment process generally consists of the stages indicated below.

Being organised and fully prepared for each of the stages will help to impress. Experian encourages candidates to be proactive in their research and preparation, so the recruiting team receives the best possible snapshot of your skills.

Pre-screening

Once you have uploaded your CV details to the Experian career site in response to a job vacancy, the recruitment team will process and screen your application. This involves reviewing your employment history and your cover letter or initial application questions (if applicable) and deeming if they indicate you are suitable to be shortlisted for the open role.

Telephone or video interview

The first stage of the recruitment process after application submission will be a phone or video interview.

Before this first-stage interview, do your research about Experian. Read through the company vision and principles, thinking about how and why they resonate with you. Explore why you want to join Experian and ensure you can succinctly outline the reasons that make you a good fit for the company.

As this first round of interviews will be conducted remotely, you can take the call from the comfortable and familiar environment of your own home. This can be helpful for keeping interview nerves in check.

It is important to prepare for the format of interview you are given. In a phone interview, there are no body language cues. This means it is even more important to ensure your tone of voice is personable and warm, while remaining professional.

A video interview allows you to convey more of your personality. It also gives Experian an idea of your level of comfort on video calls – which is important when you are applying to be part of a global company that relies upon video conferences to conduct business across continents. For a video interview you will also need to consider your surroundings. A clean, tidy neutral background is preferable, as is good lighting.

For both scenarios, you will benefit from a quiet location with few distractions, so you can be present and ready to impress. Try to ensure your phone signal or broadband connection is as stable as possible, so technical issues do not become an obstacle.

Experian Aptitude Tests

If you are successful at the video or phone interview stage of the Experian recruitment process, you will be required to sit several psychometric tests. These tests are viewed as a fair way to further shortlist candidates, by revealing if they are strong in particular skill areas.

Commonly these are numerical, diagrammatic and verbal reasoning, alongside a situational judgement assessment. All tests are provided by SHL.

Experian numerical reasoning tests

Experian places particular weight upon the results of numerical reasoning tests, as strong numerical ability frequently correlates with high performance. This is no surprise given Experian’s focus on data management.

The Experian numerical reasoning test assesses your ability to deal with numbers quickly and accurately. It is not looking to measure complex technical ability, but your mental agility for numerical concepts such as number sequences, ratios, percentages as well as data interpretation and financial analysis.

Experian verbal reasoning tests

The verbal reasoning test will assess your written comprehension and interpretation skills. Although work at Experian is data-driven, written and verbal communication skills are also central to most roles.

The test will involve analysis of short passages of text. Most often you will be asked to use the text’s content and inferences to deem whether certain statements are true or false, or if you cannot say given the information provided.

As with preparation for any psychometric test, practice answering sample questions to familiarise yourself with the question format and logic. The tests have time limits, so you will be required to answer both quickly and accurately. Practising your pace will help to ensure you are able to complete the test, giving yourself the best possible chance of achieving a high score.

Experian diagrammatic reasoning tests

Diagrammatic reasoning is a test of a candidate’s pure logical reasoning skills. This assessment will involve analysing sequences of shapes or patterns to identify the rule that governs them. You will then be required to apply this rule to a new scenario to select the correct input, output, or next element in the sequence.

Candidates often find diagrammatic reasoning tricky, as it is not a skill used regularly in daily life. Ensure you are not caught out by the logic of the questions through adequate preparation and practice. Once you become accustomed to the format and style of diagrammatic reasoning questions, they become much easier to approach.

Experian situational judgement tests

The situational judgement test gives Experian an insight into how you would behave in certain practical work-related situations. By testing your reactions in these fictional scenarios, they can see whether you conduct yourself in ‘The Experian Way’ and if you are likely to fit into the company culture.

To prepare for this test, carefully research the ethos of the company and their ways of working. If you do not have a good idea of Experian’s preferred approach, you won’t know how to best handle the situations presented in the situational judgement assessment.