3M Aptitude Tests, Assessment Centre, Screening Tests, Recruitment Process & Interviews Online Preparation – 2024

If you’re looking at this page, then it’s likely that you’re interested in applying at 3M and the preparation the application process requires. This article will review the process to give you some insight and tips to help you prepare for 3M’s hiring process whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced job seeker.

What Is 3M?

3M is a large technology company based in Maplewood, Minnesota. A multinational corporation, the company operates in four markets:

• Industry
• Worker safety
• Health care
• Consumer goods

3M employs more than 95,000 people worldwide and provides more than 55,000 products. The company offers job seekers positions in fields such as engineering, IT, sourcing, and operations.

What Is 3M’s Hiring Process?

Applicants at 3M undergo several rounds of interviews and assessments. Screening the applications begins through the online application forms and aptitude tests and will continue on to in-person exams and interviews later on. The process is outlined below:

Initial Screening

The candidate’s application, which should be submitted online through 3M’s career page, will be reviewed by hiring managers along with their answers to the questions on their psychometric aptitude exams. These managers are responsible for determining whether or not the qualifications and experience you listed on your application fit the job position.

Interview Process

Once candidates pass through the initial screening process, they will be contacted for an interview. If you do well on your pre-employment tests, you will likely go through all of the interviews. This process contains several levels of interviews:

• The first interview is conducted over the phone or in person and is intended to give the recruiter and the applicant the chance to ask questions.
• The second, which comes later in the process, is the technical interview, and what this contains will depend on the role applied for.
• The final interview is a competency interview, which focuses on behaviours and the motivations for those behaviours.

How to Prepare for 3M Assessments?

3M’s recruitment process involves several types of mandatory aptitude tests and psychometric assessments. The pre-employment aptitude tests will be SHL tests and are completed online once you have successfully completed the online application stage. 3M has all candidates repeat the exams taken during the application process to ensure consistency in the candidates’ scores. This process allows 3M hiring managers to complete further screening of the graduates and job seekers going through the hiring process. To help you in your preparation for the assessments, the activities 3M often asks candidates to complete at the assessment centre are below:

• Numerical reasoning test
  3M uses the numerical reasoning test to assess an applicant’s ability to analyse and interpret numerical data correctly in a time-efficient way. These tests are time-limited and completed online. Candidates will be asked a series of questions and are to find the answers using facts and figures given in statistical tables. The company uses Saville’s version of the numerical and verbal reasoning tests.
• Verbal reasoning test
  The verbal reasoning test is designed to test the job seeker’s expected work level. It helps round out the hiring manager’s view of the applicant beyond the usual CV and job interview. This test, with or without others, is used to help determine which candidate is the best fit for the position.
• Group discussion exercise
  For this exercise, 3M assessors will place graduates and job seekers into teams of four and will brief them with information on a problem. Then the group is given time to come up with a solution as a team.
• Case study
  For this part of the pre-employment process, candidates are given a brief about a case and are asked to prepare a plan of action or a solution for the problem. The case will be related to the position you have applied for. After you have finished, you will be required to present your findings and recommendations to the assessors at 3M’s assessment centre. Expect to be asked questions about the study.
• MESP Test
  This test is part of the hiring process for job seekers wishing to work in a technical or engineering test. The test is a mechanical aptitude test and can be practised in the same way as the other aptitude and psychometric tests.
• A meeting with current trainees and graduates from the speciality applied for

The assessment centre generally lasts for twenty-four hours and may range over two days of activities depending on the requirements of the position the job seeker applied for.

Pre-Employment Screening

Once the candidate has completed the appropriate aptitude tests and psychometric exams online and at the testing centre, 3M checks the candidate’s factual information, which was submitted at the start of the recruitment process, and does criminal, work, and educational background checks. If these run through without an issue, the company will extend an offer.

What Qualities Do 3M Recruiters Look For?

3M as a company has high standards and a highly involved recruitment process. The company has five key competency areas that it looks for in its employees both current and future. These are:

• Motivation
• Planning and Organization
• Results-oriented mindset
• Innovation
• Good communication skills

How to Prepare for 3M’s Recruitment Process?

As you begin to prepare for 3M’s hiring process, you will want to practice the aptitude tests and psychometric assessments and learn useful tips for taking them at online testing practice sites. These sites provide sample materials, examples, explanations, and free materials you can use as you prepare. Some may also provide practice simulations for the problem-solving tests candidates are required to take part in.

Case study exercises and group exercise assessments are harder to practice for than aptitude tests and other psychometric tests that are formatted as a regular test. What can you do to prepare for these since they are more involved? The best thing you can do is to spend time analysing technical documents and company reports. This will help you to become familiar with the various sorts of information the documents usually contain, and this preparation will show when you perform the same analysis on documents for the case study and group exercise.

In addition to preparation and practice for the online psychometric and aptitude exams, you should take time to review sample interview questions and prepare your answers to the questions. As you look over the questions and tips below, answer the questions based on the qualities 3M’s recruiters are looking for in job seekers going through the recruitment process. Strive to prove to those screening applicants that you have the qualities they are seeking. Come to the interview prepared for their questions and with questions of your own that show you’ve done your research.

Here are several common topics a 3M interviewer may ask you about:

• Tell me about your previous work history.
• Why do you want work for 3M?
• Tell us about a conflict at work and how you dealt with it.

With all of these questions, you have the opportunity to show case your best qualities and what you can bring to the company. This requires you to think about the role you’ve applied for and what you bring to it to benefit the company. Always bring your answers back to the ways you fit the company’s needs and culture because this is what recruiters want to assess throughout the hiring process.

Conclusion

Although 3M’s hiring process is difficult, gaining the position you’re looking for with the company is not out of reach if you do your research and prepare properly. Following the advice above on how to get a job at 3M will give you the preparation and practice you need for your interviews and exams. If you take the time to prepare, then when your moment to shine comes, you’ll stand out from the rest of the crowd.