Graduate programme
Our Graduate Programme - which is in its eighth year - gives ambitious, competitive and open-minded graduates the chance to work in two different areas of our business over an 18 month period. It's a great opportunity for graduates to develop their existing skills and gain new ones.
Vodafone Ireland connects 2.3 million customers every day and is the single biggest investor in technology in the telecoms industry in Ireland. Along with ESB, we have promised to bring fibre broadband to every home and business in Ireland by 2018.
Not only this, Vodafone has been voted one of the best places to work in Ireland, is an official sponsor of the Irish rugby team, and has a charity partnership with the ISPCC.
Vodafone is so much more than just a total communications company. It aims to connect everybody so we can live better today and build a better tomorrow.
There’s a role that suits everyone on the Vodafone Graduate Programme. Here are a few of the diverse projects and areas that our current graduates are working on:
- Web Development
- Sponsorship
- Brand and Communications
- Digital Design
- Engineering
- Charity Partnerships
- Data analytics
- Cloud and Hosting Services
- Learning and Development
- Corporate Security
- Cost Transformation Analysis
- Supply Chain Management
Our technical stream offers three six month rotations across our technical business units. This allows you to get an insight into working cross functionally while broadening your skills.
Our commercial stream is designed so you get two nine month rotations where you will experience what it is like to work in two commercial areas across the business.
Bring Your Teen to Work
A unique one-day experience for secondary students building skills like coding and presenting while having fun.
They’ll find out about our links with ISPCC, the Irish rugby team, and what we’re doing with the Internet of Things including
virtual reality. All in Dublin’s coolest workplace with its Wellness Centre, restaurants and a stunning vista of Dublin Bay. Further events planned in 2018.
Code Like a Girl
#CodeLikeAGirl seeks to inspire teenage girls to a technology career by teaching the basics of computer programming and building their own website, all in a fun environment.
The week-long course is taught by Vodafone employees in partnership with CodeFirst: Girls and helps build employability skills.
The first workshops were held in November 2017 with 20 girls from Cabinteely Community School, Dublin. More workshops across the country are planned in 2018. #CodeLikeAGirl is a part of a Vodafone Global partnership with CodeFirst: Girls in 26 teaching coding in 26 countries. It’s the biggest international coding programme and aims to encourage girls into STEM careers.
Watch our videos below to find out more about the life of our graduates who are working in commercial and technical roles.
What does the application process involve?
When you apply for the Vodafone Graduate Programme you will be asked to fill out an application form. This allows us to get to know you and your background of experience. Here you will be asked to attach your CV.
Next step is psychometric testing. This allows us to see if you are the right match for the Vodafone culture.
Successful candidates will then be asked to take a video interview.Last round is the assessment centre where you will be invited to our head office for an experience day that includes an interview and team work exercises.
Do I need a work permit to apply for the Vodafone Graduate Programme?
Do you take extenuating circumstances into account on applications?
I was educated outside Ireland - can I still apply?
Any tips for when I am making an application?
Applications are made via a standard electronic application form. This needs to be completed as thoroughly as possible.
You will be asked to provide initial information such as your personal details and education, and there will also be some further questions which are necessary to complete in as much detail as possible. These are designed to capture information about your motivation to join our Graduate Programme and to understand your competence in some of the areas we feel are important for all our employees to possess.
There is no time limit for you to complete these questions but it should take approximately 10 - 15 minutes per question. The answers should be no more than 500 words long. Please be as concise as possible and make sure all key points are captured.
How do I answer the motivation questions?
How do I answer the competency-based questions?
You can draw on your work experience, extra-curricular activities and student life when you are answering the competency-based questions. Please try to use examples from your most recent roles or situations. This will make it easier for you to recall some of the details.
Please be very specific about your contribution as an individual when you are giving an example.
Your responses should be structured in a particular way. We would like you to outline each situation by breaking it down into the following parts:
- Situation (what was the context)
- Task (what tasks or components were involved in the situation)
- Actions (what did you actually do, how did you do it, what was your thought process)
- Result (what was the outcome in that situation)
How does the application process work?
Can I withdraw my application if I change my mind?
How soon after each stage will I hear if I've been successful?
What is the online challenge?
If you're successful in step 1, you'll be invited to complete an online test to show us how good you are at making sense of data. The aptitude tests will look at your numerical, verbal and logical skills.
You might find it helpful to do some practice tests at www.shl.com so that you feel really confident at this stage.
After that, we’ll ask you to complete some short simulations to see how you would respond to the type of situations you may encounter working at Vodafone. This is an inductive reasoning test that is designed to test how candidates think - both short term, long term and strategically.
What will the online interview involve?
You will have a 15 - 20 minute video interview. It would be really beneficial to think about why Vodafone is the right place for you - we think it's great here but we want to know why you want to join us.
It’s useful to structure your answers using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result). So we are looking for you to explain a little bit about the situation you were in, the task you were trying to complete, the action you personally took to get to a resolution, and the result of your efforts. This helps us to really understand the example you're referring to.
If you are successful at the video interview, we will let you know within a week.
If you have any difficulty contact: graduate.recruitment@vodafone.com