I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at FPCR Environment and Design (Lockington, England) in Mar 2026
Interview
The "interview" held at 5pm consisted of:
1. An introduction to FPCR ~ 30mins
2. A group interview where applicants were asked if they fit the essential requirements for the role ~ 30mins
3. A mingling session between staff and applicants. Applicants could leave whenever, but this part of the interview was concluded after ~ 2 hours
The process felt drawn out and poorly organised. I declined the offer to work here because:
1. The introduction was totally unnecessary - it covered basic information that any serious candidate would have found out before applying. A waste of applicant time.
2. The group interview essentially asked "do you meet the minimum requirements for this role?" and "tell us about your CV" but in an awkward group setting. I felt like my CV wasn't read at all. A waste of applicant time.
3. The mingling phase was useless. Many timid applicants huddled in groups or awkwardly listened as the more dominant applicants talked the staff members to boredom. The timid applicants had no chance to sell themselves to the staff. The dominant applicants came across as insecure and greedy. There were 50 applicants to 10 staff members. Again, a waste of time.
There was no way for FPCR to know if they recruited the correct staff from this event or not.
Also, applicants were told they would be informed on the interview's outcome within a week. From what I understand, most were informed over a month later and many of these were offered zero hours positions.
Positive experience
Easy interview
Application
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at FPCR Environment and Design (York, England) in Feb 2023
Interview
Very easy, was more of a discussion about my availability rather than a structured interview. I received an offer and accepted it. The interviewers were very polite and friendly which meant that the interview wasn't stressful either.
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at FPCR Environment and Design (Derby, England) in Mar 2021
Interview
Group interview session with no on to one interview, opportunity to meet the team. We completed a team task and a species identification test. It did take the afternoon to complete it and it did give the opportunity to speak to members of the team and ask about what the job involved.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
General species identification test for common species