How to answer BP's application form question on

'our values'
BPasksthefollowingquestioninthesecondpartofitsonlineapplicationformforgraduate
schemes.
AtBPwelivebythefollowingvalues:Safety,Respect,Excellence,OneTeam,andCourage.
PleasegiveaspecificexampleofatimewhenyouhavedemonstratedONEofthesevaluesin
oneormoreofyourextracurricularactivitiesi.e.nonacademicactivities(pleasedonot
repeatanyinformationusedinpreviousquestions).
Whatwasthesituation,whichvaluedidyoudemonstrate,howdidyoudemonstratethis
valueandwhyitwasimportantforyou/otherstodemonstrateit?
Thereisnomaximumcharactercount.
Whicheveroptionyouchoose,hereshowtotackleit.

One team
HowBPdescribesthisvalue:
Whateverthestrengthoftheindividual,wewillaccomplishmoretogether.Weputtheteam
aheadofourpersonalsuccessandcommittobuildingitscapability.Wetrusteachothertodeliver
onourrespectiveobligations.
Dont:

Confuse this with the more typical graduate recruitment question Give
an example of a time when you worked successfully as part of a team and
give your stock answer

Assume you had to be the team leader

Select a situation in which you were part of a team but simply delivered
what was required of you in your role and attended team meetings
Do:

Focus on the one in one team

Pick up on the wording about accomplish more together, put the team
ahead of our personal success and commit to building its capability
Youridealexamplecouldbeasituationinwhich:

You took one for the team and made a personal sacrifice or put
yourself in an unpleasant situation for the benefit of the team

You helped a team to become greater than the sum of its parts, eg
initiating teambuilding activities, encouraging closer collaboration or
developing ways of working collectively to maximise creativity

You helped a team to build its expertise, for example delivering or

organising relevant training

You helped inspire a team as to what it could achieve, eg initiating a

trip to a relevant professional project/venue or arranging an expert speaker
to talk to the team

Respect

HowBPdescribesthisvalue:
Werespecttheworldinwhichweoperate.Itbeginswithcompliancewithlawsandregulations.
Weholdourselvestothehighestethicalstandardsandbehaveinwaysthatearnthetrustofothers.
Wedependontherelationshipswehaveandrespecteachotherandthoseweworkwith.Wevalue
diversityofpeopleandthought.Wecareabouttheconsequencesofourdecisions,largeand
small,onthosearoundus.
Dont:

Choose a situation in which you showed your respect in a passive way,

eg not objecting to something

Write in general terms about how respectful you are without giving a
specific example
Do:

Choose a situation in which you took a specific action

Youridealexamplecouldbeasituationinwhich:

You helped tackled disrespectful behaviour for example friends, teammates or members of your society regularly breaking laws or university
rules during social occasions and having a negative impact on the local
community or fellow students

You helped to restore lost trust after something had gone wrong eg
one of your societys flagship events had been an expensive disaster

You helped make a society or place more inclusive or welcoming to

different groups for example launching a monthly alcohol-free social event
for club members who dont drink for religious reasons

Courage
HowBPdescribesthisvalue:
Whatwedoisrarelyeasy.Achievingthebestoutcomesoftenrequiresthecouragetoface
difficulty,tospeakupandstandbywhatwebelieve.
Dont:

Devote too much space to explaining why courage was needed

Do:

Focus the majority of your answer on what your actions were

Youridealexamplecouldbeasituationinwhich:

You spoke up or took action against something you felt was wrong,
despite concerns about the consequences or what other people would think

You made yourself face your fears, eg public speaking

Excellence
HowBPdescribesthisvalue:
Weareinahazardousbusinessandarecommittedtoexcellencethroughthesystematicand
disciplinedmanagementofouroperations.Wefollowandupholdtherulesandstandardsweset
forourcompany.Wecommittoqualityoutcomes,haveathirsttolearnandtoimprove.If
somethingisnotright,wecorrectit.
Dont:

Simply list awards/qualifications/achievements that you feel prove how

excellent you are

Do:

Pick up on wording such as follow and uphold rules and standards and
If something is not right, we correct it
Youridealexamplecouldbeasituationinwhich:

You improved or corrected a process, eg how your football team

conducts its trials for new members

You drew up a gold standard for how something should be done

You sought out training for yourself or others to improve your skills

Safety
HowBPdescribesthisvalue:
Safetyisgoodbusiness.Everythingwedoreliesuponthesafetyofourworkforceandthe
communitiesaroundus.Wecareaboutthesafemanagementoftheenvironment.Weare
committedtosafelydeliveringenergytotheworld.
Dont:

Resort to an example from your academic work or work experience

Do:

Think broadly about what types of things or people could be kept safe
to help you come up with an example
Youridealexamplecouldbeasituationinwhich:

You planned in advance how to make an event safe eg as a scout

leader planning an expedition

You actively sought out training for yourself and/or others to improve
safety eg arranging first aid training for your sports team or undertaking
advanced driver training so as to be a safer driver when ferrying
teammates to matches

My Journey into BP
Seeing as Wikijobs has been a real asset in my graduate scheme hunt and with me finally landing
a fantastic graduate role with BP, I only see it fair that I contribute back to the website which
helped me through this journey!
I applied to the BP Commercial Stream (Integrated Supply & Trading/Refining & Marketing) 2011
ONLINE APPLICATION
Pretty standard application with a selection of basic competencies, I strongly suggest that
questions are answered in a clear and structured manner. Use STAR (Situation, Task, Action,
Result) when answering and keep focused on YOUR personal contributions.
Lastly, of course keep your examples varied and impressive.
ONLINE TESTS
Having applied to BP in the past, I noticed that I was a lot more comfortable with the tests that I
undertook this year. They were not SHL, nor were they your standard structure.

There were 3 tests- Numerical, Verbal and Analytical. If I correctly recall, there were 6 questions
separated into two sets of 3 per topic.
So for example: You would complete 3 questions, take a break then complete another 3.
I may incorrect on the numbers but one thing for certain is that the second set becomes
progressively more difficult.
However I found the Numerical test a lot simpler and easier than SHL tests I completed in the
past. Some less complicated percentages and statistical related questions.
Verbal was reasonable, the passages of text become progressively larger but question style is the
same as SHL
Analytical was tricky in parts, there were questions relating to pattern sequences. For example,
you are given a scenario where conditions are applied to a set of shapes such as bigger or
change colour to black and using the information provided you must understand the following
sequence in the pattern.
FIRST INTERVIEW
This interview lasted a good few hours; I got to my interview for 12:30pm and didnt leave till
about 4:30p / 5:00pm
The interview consists of one personal interview with a HR representative (third party) lasting 45
minutes and one technical interview with two employees from BP directly including one manager
which lasted 90 minutes.
The afternoon in general was relaxed and nicely paced, you are given a great opportunity to
mingle and meet with other candidates which squashed any last minute nerves I had!
The interviews themselves were very relaxed and not incredibly structured like other interviews I
have attended.
The personal interview was more or less a competency interview with some discussion on what
youre up to, your degree and why the energy industry.
I only really talked about two or three specific competencies which were delved into by the
interviewer.
The interview was incredibly relaxed and as clich as it sounds, it was definitely more of a
genuine conversation. The interviewer was very friendly too. It wasnt aninterview where very
specific examples were needed or where the interviewer unloaded lots of competency questions
and asked for more and more examples.
The technical interview was interesting, we were given 2/3 case studyscenarios where we were
required to make decisions and highlight concerns or questions. One involved determining
whether or not BP should expand operations onto a fictional island and the concerns that should
be reviewed. The other case study involved deciding which location out of two, BP should build a
refinery in.
I suggest utilising the paper on the desk to review the scenarios and you are given heaps of time
to collate notes. Feel free to ask for things to be clarified or repeated if required!

I was asked to review advantages and disadvantages as well as concerns, dangers and issues to
consider. You are given progressive information throughout the case study which will change the
situation and you are tested on your ability to adapt your reasoning.
They are looking for your ability to review situations holistically and analyse the issues that need
to be considered when making a decision.
Be as open as you think, even if it isnt correct, its important to express your reasoning and
decision making.
I found out the following day I got through to the two-day assessment centrewhich took place the
following week
TWO-DAY ASSESSMENT CENTRE
Very quick turnaround time had the 1-2-1 interview on Thursday and the AC took place the
following Mon/Tues.
Candidates meet early in the first evening to get to know each other then are briefed about the
following day. Again BPs approach to assessment is refreshingly different and IMO more focused
on relaxing candidates, encouraging them to mingle and generally find out the genuine person
behind the candidate. This is reflected by an evening of dinner and drinks after, purely to meet
fellow candidates, current graduates as well as BP Managers.
The day itself revolved around group activity, no 1-2-1 competency interviews or
technical interviews, no e-trays.
The day was broken into around 5 tasks which revolved around the typical business process that
takes place in the oil industry, from exploration to refining and marketing the product:
Groups are allocated; we were in a group of four which we kept with throughout the day.
First was a simple group task where you needed to come to a decision about which field to
explore for oil reserves. The group is given options to invest in gaining additional information to
structure the decision better.
Second task was a split into two parts, in pairs you were required to firstly review options for
extraction of the oil and then question a manager who had experience in that particular method
of extraction.
The next part was to collaborate with the other pair in your group who conducted the same task
for the other options and within a group assessed environment we were required to make a
decision as to which method of extraction/refinement we would take.I strongly suggest the use of
the flipchart that is included to review the advantages and disadvantages of all options. I found it
useful to define elements or characteristics that could be compared against each other to help
come to a decision.
The Third Task involved a 1-2-1 presentation. You were required to review 3 business strategy
options and pick one to suggest and explain the reasons why.
The three decisions were, Diversify product portfolio (move into biofuels and diesel), Specialise in
gasoline products or sell a refinery.
We were all given a long 8(ish) page brief which detailed a number of topics covering the fictional
business you were working for. Topics included financial strength/balance sheet of the company,

current business operations, HR statistics, market information and competitor news.

We were given 1 hour 15 minutes (I think) to read through the brief and prepare a presentation
(we were given a template to utilise)
You are then required to present your decision and the reasons why over 10/15 minutes to a BP
manager and answer questions/rebuttals.
Fourth Task involved another group task which involved deciding on marketing options to sell
product. You were also given some brief information about the market environment of a location.
The group task was similar to the first and second except that breaking news and new
information was distributed across the time of the task which required us to review and adapt to
the new information. I suggest really clarifying what these changes mean to the group and the
decision to be made.
Fifth and final task involved a 1-2-1 reflective review on how you felt the day went and certain
things that went well or that you found challenging. This was conducted with a BP manager and
was a nice way to wind down the day.
The day is challenging and tiring but the pace was reasonable and the tasks were logical! The
assessors were all from BP and were incredibly pleasant and friendly which made a heap of
difference!
I was told the following day that I had been awarded a place on the BP Graduate Scheme
For anyone who is starting with BP September 2011, do get in touch or join the facebook group
BP Graduates 2011 UK !
For the rest of you applying- good luck! And I will be more than happy to clarify any points if they
arise.
This was done pretty quickly, but I hope it helps!

Comment
Telephone interview is quite straight forward, be prepared with examples of teamwork,
organisation and all the usual competency-based questions/answers. I was slightly rushed by the
interviewer through some stages but still progressed to the next round, so try to be clear and
confident and (if you have the examples to hand) you'll be absolutely fine. Good luck!

Tips on applying to BP
Likemanyothergraduaterecruiters,BPconductspartofitsgraduateselectionprocessonline.In
March2012itwasawardedthePotentialparkAPOLLOawardforbestonlinecandidate
experience.

ThoughtheapplicationdeadlinefortradingisdifferenttothatofBP'sothergraduateprogrammes,
therecruitmentprocessisbroadlythesameforall:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Online application
Situational judgement questionnaire
Numerical and verbal test
Telephone interview
Technical interview
Assessment centre
Offer

The BP graduate application form

TheBPgraduateapplicationformisintwoparts.Graduatesmustbesuccessfulinthefirstpartof
theapplicationinordertobeinvitedtocompletethesecond.
Thefirstpartisrelativelysimple.Itinvolvesfillingineducationaldetails,foreignlanguages
skills,andbasicdetailsaboutyourselfandyourapplication.
Thesecondpartinvolveswritinglongeranswerstoquestions.Theseinclude:
1.

Work experience, including details of the role and responsibilities (max.

750 characters), and the skills and knowledge involved (max. 1000
characters).
2.
Experiences that have influenced you to apply for the position. This can
include awards received, specific events, membership of relevant
societies or organisations, any competitions participated in, relevant
projects or papers completed, and any other examples you may have.
There is a 750 character limit on answers.
3.
Choosing one of the above experiences and providing details of what it
involved, and why it was significant both to you and your application to
BP. You should answer within a maximum of 1750 characters (around 300
words), including information about the skills you developed, how these
were demonstrated and how they are relevant to the role you are
applying for.

Tip from a BP graduate

BPgeologygraduateRobertGoodersays,Alongwithtechnicalknowledge,BPlooksforpeople
withapassionforworkingforthecompanyandwithotherpeople,soitisimportanttoensurethis
comesacrossintheapplication.

Online tests
Followingthesecondpartoftheapplication,candidatesareaskedcompletetheonlinetests.
ThesearereportedlysuppliedbySavilleConsulting;practicetestsareavailableonitswebsite,so
itsagoodideatohaveagobeforestartingthetestforreal.