How to Prepare for a BP Interview: Process, Questions & Tips

Understanding the BP Hiring Process

BP is a global energy company recruiting across engineering, commercial, technology, and corporate functions. While the exact format can vary by role, location, and business area, BP's recruitment process typically follows a structured sequence: an online application, psychometric or video screening, and one or more competency-based interviews.

For early careers (graduate schemes and internships), the process often includes an online assessment stage — numerical reasoning, situational judgement, or both — followed by a recorded video interview and, if successful, an assessment centre. Experienced hires tend to move more quickly to panel or competency interviews, sometimes accompanied by a technical or case-based discussion relevant to the role.

• Online application and CV screening
• Psychometric tests (numerical, verbal, or situational judgement)
• Recorded one-way video interview
• Competency-based or panel interview (sometimes virtual)
• Assessment centre (primarily for graduate and intern roles)

BP's Core Competencies and What They're Really Assessing

BP publicly frames its culture around four values: safety, respect, excellence, and courage. Interviewers use structured competency questions to assess how well your past behaviour aligns with these values and the specific requirements of the role.

Across most BP interviews, you can expect questions probing the following competency clusters: collaboration and teamwork, leadership and influence, problem-solving and analytical thinking, adaptability and resilience, and commitment to safety. For roles with a commercial or strategic dimension, expect additional scrutiny on commercial awareness and stakeholder management.

• Collaboration: Can you work across diverse teams and functions?
• Leadership: Have you influenced others or driven change without formal authority?
• Analytical thinking: How do you break down complex problems and reach sound decisions?
• Resilience: How have you responded to setbacks or ambiguity?
• Safety mindset: Do you take personal accountability for safe outcomes?

Common BP Interview Questions (With STAR Guidance)

BP interviewers typically use behavioural questions framed as 'Tell me about a time when…' or 'Give me an example of…'. Below are representative questions you are likely to encounter, along with guidance on how to approach each.

Use the STAR method for every answer: describe the Situation briefly, clarify your specific Task, walk through the Actions you personally took, and close with a clear, measurable Result. Aim for answers of two to three minutes — long enough to be substantive, short enough to stay focused.

• 'Tell me about a time you prioritised safety over another objective.' — Highlight personal accountability, not just compliance with rules.
• 'Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders with competing priorities.' — Show listening skills as much as persuasion.
• 'Give an example of a complex problem you solved with limited information.' — Demonstrate structured thinking and comfort with ambiguity.
• 'Tell me about a time you had to adapt quickly to a significant change.' — Focus on your mindset shift, not just the logistics.
• 'When have you challenged a decision or process you believed was wrong?' — BP values courage; be direct but professional in your example.

A STAR Answer in Practice

Here is a worked example for the question: 'Tell me about a time you influenced stakeholders with competing priorities.'

Situation: 'During a capital project at my previous employer, our engineering team and the commercial team disagreed on whether to delay a key contractor milestone to reduce safety risk. The commercial team was under pressure to meet a quarterly cost target.' Task: 'As the lead engineer, I needed to get both teams aligned on a path forward without escalating to senior leadership.' Action: 'I arranged a joint session where I presented a risk matrix that translated the safety concern into financial terms — specifically the potential cost of a recordable incident and associated regulatory review. I also proposed a revised schedule that recovered two of the three lost weeks through parallel workstreams.' Result: 'Both teams agreed to my revised plan. We delivered the milestone within budget, with no safety incidents, and the approach was adopted as a template for future project reviews.'

Notice how the answer is specific, uses 'I' rather than 'we' to show personal ownership, and closes with a concrete outcome. Vague answers — 'our team worked together and it went well' — rarely score well in structured competency interviews.

Preparing for a Recorded Video Interview

BP's early-careers process, and increasingly some experienced-hire pipelines, includes a one-way recorded video interview. You will be given a question, a short preparation window, and a fixed time to record your answer — typically between one and three minutes per question. There is no interviewer on the other end; your recording is reviewed later.

The format rewards candidates who can structure a clear, confident answer under time pressure — exactly the skill you need to practise deliberately. Use ScreenReady to rehearse your STAR answers against a timer in realistic recording conditions; watching your own playback is one of the fastest ways to eliminate filler words, poor pacing, and weak eye contact before the real thing.

Practical tips for recorded video interviews: look directly into the camera lens (not your own image on screen), ensure your background is plain and well-lit, close unnecessary applications to avoid notifications, and speak slightly more slowly than feels natural.

• Test your audio and camera 24 hours before — do not rely on a last-minute check
• Have your key STAR examples noted on paper, just off-camera, as a memory prompt
• Start your answer with a one-sentence headline before diving into the story
• Use the preparation window to write three key words, not a full script
• End with the result, not a trailing '…and that is pretty much it'

Commercial Awareness: Why BP Expects It and How to Show It

BP operates in a rapidly evolving energy landscape — transitioning from legacy hydrocarbons toward low-carbon and renewable portfolios. Interviewers, particularly for commercial, strategy, or graduate roles, often weave commercial awareness into competency questions or ask directly: 'What do you know about the challenges facing BP right now?' or 'How do you see the energy transition affecting our business?'

You do not need to be an industry analyst, but you do need to show you have done your homework. Read BP's most recent annual report and integrated sustainability report, follow energy industry news in the week before your interview, and be prepared to link macro trends (energy security, decarbonisation policy, commodity price volatility) to BP's strategy. Form a view — even a tentative one — rather than reciting facts neutrally. Interviewers respond better to 'I think the biggest commercial tension for BP is X, because…' than to a flat summary of what you read.

Final Preparation Checklist

In the days before your interview, work through the checklist below. Thorough preparation is the single biggest differentiator between candidates who progress and those who do not — particularly at a company like BP where structured scoring means every answer counts.

Use ScreenReady or another rehearsal method to record at least three full STAR answers on camera before the day. Review them critically: are your results specific? Is your personal contribution clear? Do you sound confident and engaged, or are you reading from notes?

• Prepare five to seven distinct STAR examples covering: leadership, collaboration, problem-solving, resilience, and safety
• Research BP's strategy, recent news, and energy transition commitments
• Prepare two or three genuinely curious questions to ask your interviewer
• Confirm logistics: platform link, login details, or office address and travel time
• Dress and set up your environment as if it were an in-person interview — professionalism on camera still matters
• Sleep. Fatigue is the enemy of structured, confident answers under time pressure