Maria Harries, 26, Area Manager in Aldi’s midlands region believes Aldi is a great opportunity for

those who have the right attitude towards working hard and achieving what they set out to do.

With recruitment opportunities becoming widely available across the retail sector, supermarkets are
leading the way with management positions. Discount supermarket Aldi has announced it will be
taking on 150 new Area Managers across the country over the next few months as a result of its
store expansion programme. The role promises fantastic career progression and responsibility.

Maria Harries always knew she wanted to work in the retail sector after she graduated with a
languages degree in 2011. But when her job as a senior sales assistant with a leading department
store failed to offer the career progression she craved, she decided to apply for Aldi’s Area
Management Programme.

“There just weren’t enough opportunities for me to progress in the role I was in so I started to
research different organisations. I knew I wanted to work in the retail sector and so I looked at
companies that had graduate schemes.

“Aldi was offering a great package and was in The Times Top 100 companies to work for which I was
very impressed by. Weighing all the different schemes up, I decided that Aldi was the best
opportunity for me.”

Maria found the online application very straight forward and was impressed by the personal
approach in the interview process. “Some organisations with graduate schemes ask you to jump
through lots of hoops with things like online psychometric tests. You can end up feeling like a robot,
and it’s too impersonal and complicated.

“I liked the interview and application process at Aldi because it felt like they were interested in
finding out about me as an individual and what I could bring to the organisation.

Maria simply filled in an application form then was invited to a group interview followed by a one to
one interview. “And then I found out I had been accepted – it was as simple as that.”

Maria started the Programme in February 2012 and feels the most valuable thing she has learnt is
the importance of leadership.

“It’s very intense and you learn very quickly. My typical day will involve some paperwork, usually the
weekly or monthly store paperwork. I’ll have a weekly update with the Store Managers. I am the
personnel leader for all Store Assistants within the Area, so they’ll chat to me about any people
matters they want to discuss.

Being a languages graduate has helped Maria to understand the importance of communication right
across the team as well as with customers.

“I studied languages and although I rarely speak anything but English at work, it has helped me to
appreciate people with different perspectives and different experience. You have to be able to put
yourself in their shoes to understand how you can get the best from them.”
“You have to understand how to motivate and lead your team – even when some members of that
team are older than you. It’s important to appreciate their valuable experience and be careful not to
disrespect their views even though you may be suggesting a different way of doing something.”

A keen hockey and tennis player, Maria was often team captain at school in Kings Heath and
University and she believes this has helped her in the application process and in her Area Manager
role. People thinking of applying the Aldi’s Area Management Programme should consider this too,
says Maria.

“I have always enjoyed working with people, being part of a team and playing sport – I find I often
fall into that leadership role. Anyone applying for the programme should make sure they look don’t
overlook the extra curricula activities on their CV. The experiences, hobbies and interests you have
been involved in along the way, all add to your experience as much as your qualifications.”

“You also have to make sure you have got the drive and determination to give the job 100 per cent.
Make sure you’ve done your research and that retail is the right environment for you. This is a great
opportunity for those who have the right attitude towards working hard and achieving what they set
out to do.”

Maria has been pleasantly surprised by the amount of support she has received from colleagues.
“You think when you join a large corporate organisation like this, that you will be on your own but I
don’t feel like that at all. I have made some really good friends. Many of the Area Managers are in
the same age bracket and have the same ambitions so there is a lot of support.

“My university classmates have gone into a range of diverse careers and they have all been very
successful so far. I guess the biggest difference is that their career progression can be based on time
served or milestones reached. At Aldi, you progress by merit. If you can prove yourself and work
hard then you progress very quickly.”