John Deere Reviews

Historically grads have above average promotion opportunities within the company. The exposure to a range of departments on the program sets a grad up for roles within most of the functional areas.

Annual giving day- only once a year, could be more. I did my annual giving day with rural aid last year which was good. More could be done around donating to charity, definitely

John Deere has a fantastic culture. They have completely embraced the new work from home hybrid workplace since Covid-19. There is a fantastic Executive Leadership Team who, despite being leaders of the business, are extremely approachable and have a great presence. The teamwork is fantastic - there is always someone both inside and outside of your team who are willing to help with a query. As a new graduate/employee of the business, I was never made to feel as if there was nobody to bounce my questions/ideas off. Even as a new employee, my opinion and skills are highly valued by all members of my team which is an incredible day-to-day feeling and motivator. John Deere are fantastic when it comes to understanding a work-life balance, and there has been a great emphasis on participating in external career development initiatives, such as conferences, trade shows and charity events.

From my experiences so far, the business has a fantastic level of commitment to diversity. The company promotes LGBTQI+ allies and supports any initiatives surrounding this (morning teas etc.). I have also had the opportunity to go to Women in Business events as part of my career development.

My role involves working closely with dealers, supporting them with sales help and knowledge for all ag products, with a focus on precision ag. My role involves quite a bit of travel, as I look after the QLD, NT and Northern NSW region. A key focus for my role is mainstreaming the technology suite that John Deere offers across all our machines, for our customers.

I am very satisfied with my managers. They are incredibly accessible and make excellent mentors. I feel free to meet with my manager as much or as little as I would like, and have always received both positive and constructive feedback during these meetings. I also do not find them overbearing - they are there as mentors, for support and guidance, however do not closely dictate our work or schedules - there's a great element of trust and autonomy that creates a fantastic manager-employee culture.

The offices are great - lots of space and high level work equipment (reliable internet, computers, monitor screens, printers etc.), with free stationary and private meeting rooms. The dress code is casual-corporate, most people dress to their day. The location of the office is the only downside. Due to needing equipment on site, the office is in an industrial area south of Brisbane. This is the only draw-back, and is why having work from home flexibility is great.

Interview Process The interview process was entirely online (due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time). Once I applied, I received an email saying I had been selected to participate in the first round interview, which was an online aptitude test. After this, I was then selected to complete a recorded interview - where a question appears on screen and you have two minutes of recording time to answer. From here, I was selected to participate in an online 'in-person' interview with three executive leaders. The questions that were asked were completely fair and felt like they wanted to get to know the genuine me. I was also given the chance to ask my own questions which is very important, and made me feel as if my opinion was valued. Interview Question I was asked a lot of situational style questions. E.g. "Tell us about a time where you made a mistake with your work and how did you rectify" etc. I was asked a fair bit about what my time at uni was like, and what my favorite subjects were. Upon reflection they would have been using these answers to formulate if my interests were aligned with what the Grad Program could offer. Interview Tips In both the recorded and in person interview - the interviewers want to get to know YOU! Yes, a knowledge of the company and it's products/aims/mission statement is important, however not essential. I genuinely felt like my interview was a nice conversation with the ELT trying to get to know me. It was not a test of knowledge of the Agriculture industry at all. My top tip would be to research the company and it's mission statement/goals for the year, and try and align your interests with those. Also look into what the global culture is associated with the company. The interviewers wanted to understand how I could contribute to a positive workplace culture, so if you understand what their values may be, it will be easier to convey how you also align with the company.

My pay is significantly above that of what my uni cohort currently are paid. We have an annual pay review based off of the previous years individual performance and an annual bonus paid pre Christmas based on company performance

John Deere has a dedicated site with a host of training courses for internal employees. I have also participated in external training where needed that the company has funded and supported me in completing.

The company offers flexi work policies and is very flexible on work from home preferences. My current role requires a lot of out of hours calls with colleagues in different timezones, however finishing earlier is encouraged to claim some of this time back. Lots of exposure as a graduate - conferences, field days, charity lunches. Graduates also run a crop growing competition for the whole business to join in on which is good fun. They are also very generous with moving expenses.

The company has a large emphasis on sustainability. Our offices have extensive recycling processes. One of my current projects is to discontinue mass-printing of advertising which is very much sustainability driven