Although BP's selection process consists of many stages and is not an easy one, it is a pleasant journey to take. When I submitted my application, I had to fill in some initial screening questions, which aim to check the applicant's education, grades and availability to work in the UK. In the second stage I had to answer some more graduate schemish questions regarding my past experience and my future goals. After I passed this stage, I was invited to sit for verbal and numerical online tests. In my opinion, BP's tests are more reasonable and may be easier in comparison to others. After the online tests, I went through a telephone, competency-based interview. I would say that this interview was thorough as well as challenging, because of its fast pace and its wide variety of questions. The candidate has to be well-prepared to make it through. Afterwards, I was invited to an in-site, technical interview, where I faced two business scenarios. At this stage, the candidate should review her/is university books (this is if the position you apply for is relevant to your degree) and conduct some research around the oil and gas industry and around BP. Also, having some frameworks in your mind (STEEPLE, SWOT etc.) is always helpful. Lastly, I went to an in-site assessment centre. The other applicants and I had to do three tasks (two group and one individual). All tasks were relevant to the industry and the job and not generic. Researching assessment centre tasks, such as group discussions, by reading articles and watching youtube videos is pretty helpful in the sense that you can get a feeling of the real thing and create your strategy beforehand. Also, while performing the tasks, one should pay close attention to the competences that BP asks from its grads, as well as to BP's values! Overall, as a candidate and an HR practitioner, I strongly believe that BP's selection process is sophisticated and successful for the following reasons. Firstly, the candidate feels more and more interested in the industry, the company and the job during the selection process. Secondly, the candidate feels a respected and valued individual during the process, as it is well-organised (e.g. the online 'candidate zone' that includes a lot of useful info and a personal contact from BP) and quick (in comparison to other grad schemes). Also, I have to mention that everyone from BP is very nice and polite to the candidate at all stages. Lastly, I think that all the tasks are revenant to the job, as they are not generic, but they assess specific and job-related skills and competences.

Ultimately challenging in the sense of technical and timed processes. However, enabled me to further prepare for future assessments by offering an inclusive insight into how graduate schemes are organized and managed by big coporate firms.