Interviewing at bp
The information in this guide will explain what you can expect during an
interview with bp and provide you with tips on how to best prepare.
About bp
For further information on working for bp please visit our careers website or our
Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
bp ‘who we are’ and how we work
Our ‘who we are’ beliefs are live our purpose,
play to win and care for others. These three
simple beliefs inspire each of us at bp to be our
best every day. We believe that bringing to life
Our ‘who we are beliefs’ are:
all three of these beliefs will give us the energy
and drive to deliver our purpose and ambition.
Live our purpose
We look for evidence of these behaviors in all
Play to win
our new hires and use this as an important part
Care for others
of the selection process.
Further information
For further information, please visit our page on the application process and
interview tips. This will help you prepare for the interview. If our website does not
provide you with the answer to your question, please contact your recruiter or
resourcing coordinator.
Guidance on competency-based interviewing
What is competency-based interviewing?
bp uses competency-based interviewing to identify capable
individuals who can contribute to bp’s success. These interviews
focus on how you have applied your skills and experiences to
particular work situations.
Why does bp use a competency-based approach?
A competency-based interview process provides interviewers with a
way to obtain information about skills that are best explored during
an in-person discussion. Gathering detailed information about these
skills generally helps interviewers identify candidates who are more
likely to be high performers.
What can I expect during the interview process?
Trained interviewers will conduct the bp interviews and guide you
through the process. Typically, the interview will last approximately
ninety minutes and is conducted by individuals from the relevant
project or program. The interviewers will ask you a set of questions
designed to measure the competencies important to the role for
which you are applying.
What should I do during the interview?
You likely will be more successful in the interview if you:
Relax and answer the questions honestly.
Take time to think about a question before you answer it.
Ask the interviewer for clarification if you don’t understand a
question.
Answer the questions by using examples of your own past
experiences within a workplace environment.
How should I prepare for the competency-based interview?
You should try to use the STAR technique when considering your
answers to the competency questions. The acronym STAR stands
for:
Situation
Task
Action
Result
It is a universally recognized communication technique designed to enable you to
provide a meaningful and complete answer to questions asking for examples. At
the same time, it has the advantage of being simple enough to be applied easily.
Situation or Task
Describe the situation that you were confronted with or the task you needed to
accomplish. With the STAR approach you need to set the context. Make it concise
and informative, concentrating solely on what is useful to the story.
Action
This is the most important section of the STAR approach as it is where you need to
demonstrate and highlight the skills and personal attributes that the question is
testing. Now that you have set the context of your story, you need to explain what
you did. In doing so, you need to remember the following:
Be personal, i.e. talk about you, not the rest of the team.
Go into some detail. Do not assume that they will guess what you mean.
Steer clear of technical information, unless it is crucial to your story.
Explain what you did, how you did it, and why you did it.
What you did and how you did it
The interviewers will want to know how you reacted to the situation. This is where
you can start selling some important skills. For example, you may want to describe
how you used your communication skills to keep everyone updated on progress.
Why you did it
For instance, when discussing a situation where you had to deal with conflict, some
candidates might simply say: “I told my colleague to calm down and explained to him
what the problem was.” However, this would not provide a good idea of what drove
you to act in this way. By highlighting the reasons behind your action, you would
make a greater impact.
For example: “I could sense that my colleague was irritated and I asked him gently to
tell me what he felt was the problem. By allowing him to vent his feelings and anger, I
gave him the opportunity to calm down. I then explained to him my own point of view
on the matter, emphasizing how important it was that we found a solution that
suited us both.”
This revised answer helps the interviewers understand the thought process behind
your actions. It also reinforces the feeling that you are calculating the consequences
of your actions, and retaining full control of the situation.
Result
Explain what happened eventually. Also, use the opportunity to describe what you
accomplished and what you learned in that situation. This helps you make the
answer personal and enables you to highlight further skills. This is an important part
of your answer. Interviewers want to know that you are using a variety of generic
skills to achieve your objectives. Therefore you must be able to demonstrate in your
answer that you are taking actions because you are trying to achieve a specific
objective – the result is not simply by chance.
