I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Associated British Foods (London, England) in Feb 2026
Interview
Quite simple - went down to last 3, I believe after CV review. Despite the small number of potential candidates, the CIO, his senior direct report responsible for programme management , nor HR could be bothered showing any basic professionalism nor courtesy to me post interview.
Three professional emails were ignored.
- no outcome provided
- no feedback provided
- no acknowledgement at all (and the emails didn't bounce back as I had the email addresses as part of the process)
Think the CIO has only been there about 18 months, so clearly shows the type of culture he wants to create and obviously this culture is endemic within ABF, as HR couldn't be bothered letting me know either.
Good luck applying, perhaps consider the amount of time you waste customising your CV, preparing for the interview and then chasing feedback.
Is this the type of company you want to work for?
Is a culture of un-professionalism and discourtesy from the senior IT leaders down, an environment that you want to operate and develop in?
Given that their questions were focused on dealing with people, perhaps it indicates the challenges that they have as the organisation isn't good at doing it?
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Nothing major or memorable. Mostly around dealing with people, which makes a mockery over how they dealt with me!
Great communication throughout and clearly defined steps. 3-step interview process: first with HR, then with manager, and finally practical presentation on a real-world scenario. Interesting conversations and process handled well by all parties.
I interviewed at Associated British Foods (London, England)
Interview
It was a one-stage interview process, primarily focused on generic networking concepts. The questions covered topics such as Site-to-Site IPSec VPN, including components of the security suite, configuration steps, and troubleshooting scenarios. They also touched on routing protocols, basic firewall rules, and general network diagnostics to assess foundational knowledge and practical experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What is the difference between iBGP and eBGP? Why do iBGP peers need full mesh or route reflectors?