Visa is an American multinational company that provides financial and technological services across the globe, making it possible for more than 65,000 transactions to be dealt with every single second.
Originally founded in 1958 by the Bank of America as BankAmericard, the business was renamed Visa in 1976 and has become the second-largest card payment organisation in the world - just behind China Union Pay - but it is considered the dominant card processing company in the world.
The European business is headquartered in Paddington, London and roles are available in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Getting A Job At Visa
There are roles at Visa available for experienced professionals and graduates, interns and apprentices (which is known as 'Next Gen Careers').
Visa Values
The values at Visa are encompassed in leadership principles that are important through all levels of the business:
- Lead by example
- Communicate openly
- Enable and inspire
- Excel with partners
- Act decisively
- Collaborate
These principles are important for candidates to remember through the application process for any role at Visa, and you will be expected to provide examples that demonstrate you follow them in your working life.
Types Of Roles At Visa
As a global corporation, Visa has a wide range of types of roles, from sales to corporate, technology and client services.
The technology side of the business includes roles in:
- Cyber security
- Digital and Developer
- Network processing
- Data science
- Operations and infrastructure
- Corporate IT
Hiring Process At Visa
The hiring process at Visa is designed to ensure that the best candidates are put forward for available jobs - which means that it is a multi-stage program that asks the right questions and highlights the applicants who have the required skills, knowledge and competencies to be successful in the future.
The specific stages of the process might change depending on the role you have applied for, but the basic principles remain the same.
Visa Online Application
All roles available at Visa are catalogued online and can be found on the Visa Careers page. This searchable collection of roles includes opportunities across the global network and is the first place to start when you are looking for the perfect job with Visa.
The jobs listed online have detailed information in the description, including requirements like qualifications and experience and desired competencies, skills, and personalities.
Visa Application Form
Applying for a role with Visa is simple and straightforward; a one-page application form collects all your contact and demographic details, and you can upload a copy of your CV or provide your LinkedIn profile to accompany it.
It is always best to create a bespoke CV for the role you have applied for, so that you can tailor your experiences and skills to suit the job requirements, and you should always ensure that your LinkedIn profile is up to date.
Visa Aptitude Tests
If your application form passes the initial paper sift and you meet the basic requirements, you
are likely to be asked to complete some online psychometric assessments.
Visa are known to use Hudson assessmentsin their recruitment process, and the tests that you could face include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and abstract reasoning as well as a personality test.
Visa Numerical Reasoning Test
The numerical reasoning assessment asks questions that are based on ratios, percentages and currency, needing knowledge of basic math operators and calculation skills - although you can use a calculator.
Visa Verbal Reasoning Test
The verbal reasoning test gives information in the form of a passage of text, usually written in professional, business language, that is relevant for the position you have applied for. You will need to find key information in the text that will allow you to answer the questions.
Visa Abstract Reasoning Test
The abstract reasoning test needs you to be able to identify patterns in an unfamiliar series of images and shapes, to find the missing item in the sequence. This is a measure of problem-solving ability.
Visa Gamified Assessment
Some recruitment processes for roles at Visa, especially those relating to NextGen Careers (graduates and interns), will use what is known as a gamified assessment.
These tests are not obvious assessments in the same way that you might expect - there is no list of exam-style questions. Instead, applicants are faced with a game that they can play on a smartphone or a tablet.
While playing the game, data about the competencies and skills of the applicant is being collected. You will be faced with conundrums and activities that are similar to the 'brain training' games available on your phone.
The aptitude tests are an important part of the recruitment process, and your results will be compared against other test takers to decide who should be taken further in the recruitment process.
Visa Phone Interview
During the telephone interview, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the role that you have applied for and you can expect to be asked some questions about your CV and application form.
This is often the first time you will have spoken to a member of the Visa recruitment team so it is a great chance for you to demonstrate that you have researched the role, Visa as a company, and the wider financial market.
There are likely to be some motivational questions here, so the recruitment team will want to know what you want from your future, why you chose to apply for that particular role, and why Visa is your preferred employer.
Visa Technical Challenge
There are some things that the recruitment team cannot be sure of from your CV, and having the right skills for a technical role is one of them.
For most tech roles, there will be qualification requirements, and the skills that are needed can be assessed through a technical challenge. This is often a real-world scenario that needs solving through use of a particular set of skills, such as coding and programming proficiency.
The technical challenge is about what you already know, so it is meant to be quite generic rather than focused on any Visa-specific technology or software.
Visa Assessment Centre
Candidates that pass the previous stages of the recruitment process are then invited to a day at the Visa offices with other applicants. The other people you will have at your assessment centre might be applying for the same role or for something completely different.
During the assessment centre, you might be asked to complete some group activities. These are exercises that are designed to allow the recruitment team to see your soft skills in action - things like leadership and communication as well as teamwork and adaptability. You might be asked to solve a business problem or create a presentation.
Visa Face to Face Interview
The face-to-face interview can take place as part of the assessment centre, or it might be scheduled at another time.
At this interview, you will be asked some more questions about your experience, education and qualifications, and you might be asked more motivational questions to find out why you have applied for the role.
There are also likely to be behavioural questions in this interview. These are designed to see if your personal values and behaviour at work lines up with the values of Visa as a whole. To be more effective in this part of the interview, you will be expected to provide examples and describe your experience in terms of the principles mentioned above - like leading by example and collaborating.
What Is It Like To Work At Visa?
Working at Visa means being involved with a business that puts groundbreaking technology on a global scale - a payment technology business that values simplicity, security and speed.
At Visa, individuality and creativity are welcomed, with a competitive salary and personalised benefits. With Visa University, training opportunities can help propel your career and help you develop in a company that is known and recognised globally.
Top Tips To Getting Hired At Visa
Research The Company
This is an essential requirement for prospective candidates - the recruiters are interested in finding out what you know about the business of payment handling as well as the role you have applied for.
They also want to know that you understand how Visa fits in the international financial industry.
You can find out all the information you need to know about Visa on their website, and by following the company on social media and learning all you can from news reports online, you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge during your interviews.
Practice Tests
Psychometric testing can be a scary proposition for applicants, so practicing with relevant tests will make you feel more comfortable.
You can find a range of practice tests online, and by completing these under exam conditions you will put yourself in the best position to score highly.
Through the practice, you will also be able to see if there are any particular areas that you might need some more revision - like with reading comprehension for example.
Have your own questions prepared
There will be opportunities in both the telephone and face-to-face interview stages for you to ask your own questions, and you should take advantage of this to ask the right questions.
While you might want to ask some specifics about the role, if you have some pre-prepared questions based on what you have found out from your research, the recruitment team will find that more interesting.
