Finbar McCarthy is enthusiastic about Aldi's career and training path, which promises quick promotion to senior posts, writes Leah McDonald

When Finbar McCarthy graduated from college, he never thought he would start on an annual salary of €56,000 with supermarket chain Aldi, a situation he describes as a "win-win, all the way".

McCarthy, from Co Cork, was chosen for the Aldi's graduate programme during the "milk round" last year. It was the first year that Aldi launched its major recruitment drive for an area management programme for Irish business graduates.

It aims to recruit persuasive, energetic and confident individuals of the highest calibre, with strong leadership skills, who can manage and motivate large teams. If all goes to plan, the candidate can expect to go on to oversee operations in up to six of its stores.

As McCarthy explains, selection was a somewhat challenging, but ultimately rewarding, process. "The first phase, which involves 13 candidates, is a very structured interview, lasting three hours with different role-play situations. The second phase is a two-hour-long one-on-one interview and the last one is for final candidates to meet the board of directors.

"In that way management can determine who is suitable by gaining insight into the qualities the person has and how they would deal with a particular situation," he says.

Once in, progression to the top is relatively fast, with candidates starting as a store assistant for six months and then shadowing existing managers. Within one year of the programme, the trainee takes responsibility for day-to- day operations in the store.

"Training is intensive but it's good to start from the bottom and there is a general belief among Aldi managers that you wouldn't expect someone to do something that you would be unwilling to do," says McCarthy. "Learning from the bottom gives you good grounding in your ability to perform."

Since the opening of its first store in Ireland in 1999, Aldi has been an organisation that prides itself on being an enigma. According to McCarthy, though, the perception of Aldi as being a corporation shrouded in secrecy is incorrect and is not reflected within the company, where communication has ultimately been a driving force behind the company's success.

"Staying out of the limelight [ in terms of the inner workings of the business] is nothing cloak and dagger. Its understated approach is a characteristic of Aldi which has effectively led to its financial success."

Aldi is not exclusively a retail discount system, but a management and organisational system that can be applied to any business across the sectors. It has largely been a success story due to its simplicity.

Its chain of command is based on a flat management structure; McCarthy says Aldi is a very open business - contrary to widely held perceptions of the retail giant. "Its corporate culture is a co-operative one. Its focus is on personal development.

"Nothing is more rewarding then seeing someone starting in the company developing into a managerial position. For that reason it's a positive role and is hugely rewarding" he says.

McCarthy, who is now an area manager for a number of stores in Cork, is usually surprised by reactions to his role, as some people tend to see it as excessively demanding. He says Aldi is an extremely flexible employer, which provides many opportunities for further development.

"Some people think that because the work package is demanding that you have no life outside of the work, but if you don't have some sort of work-life balance and are incapable of taking a step back, you're not going to be productive."