BP (British Petroleum) Interview Questions

BP is a global business that employs over 16,000 people within the UK.

Graduate Schemes

The company offer many different graduate programmes for people interested in:

• Science
• Engineering
• Business

Working Culture

BP has a reputation for being a diverse employer and a firm that looks after its employees. The firm has a positive attitude towards flexible working hours, although the amount of hours worked each week is quite high. Managers tend to work on average 11-12 hours a day although this depends on which area you work in. In Sunbury and Aberdeen the offices can be empty at 5pm. The company is high powered and successful but also relaxed, for example the dress code at BP is generally casual (i.e. no suits).

Application and Interview Process

The application and interview process is as follows:

• Online application
• Online aptitude tests
• Initial interviews
• Assessment centre

Online Application

Candidates must choose and apply for graduate schemes at BP on the company's website. On submitting an application, the applicant will be sent online aptitude tests covering both verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning.

Initial Interview

Candidates will be invited for an initial competency-based interview. The interview will focus on the candidate and try to find out your achievements, goals and ambitions. There will also be some technical questions if you have applied for an engineering or science-based role.

Assessment Centre

The BP assessment centre lasts for one evening and then the following whole day and consists of several interviews, a presentation and both competitive and collaborative group exercises.

Day 1

Attendees are advised to arrive at the assessment facility (usually a hotel) by 4 p.m. and gather to meet with those administering the event to check-in, have their photo taken and receive their schedule for the event.

The day then proceeds with:

• Meetings and introductions
• Company presentation on graduate schemes
• Candidates split into groups
• Technical interview with two assessors for up to one hour
• First group exercise
• Second group exercise
• Third group exercise
• Individual in-tray exercise
• Competency-based interview with two interviewers
• Lunch
• End

Technical Interview

Science and engineering graduates face a technical question during the technical interview. For non-science candidates, this interview consists of one or two scenarios involving the day-to-day decisions facing a BP manager.

The scenarios are likely to be based on a real life example. Two assessors lead the candidate through the decisions to be made and develop the answers with further questions.

Group Exercise

Each group exercise will be a group game with a number of other candidates. There will be lots of information to assimilate on an individual basis, followed by a group discussion to reach a consensus.

A number of assessors will be present to look at each candidate's behaviour, assessing them against the skills and key competencies the firm is looking for.

Competency Interview

This is based on the four key competencies identified by BP as important for its recruits. Many companies make detailed information about the competencies they look for available on their website and in their recruitment marketing.

See competency-based interview for more information.