Difficulty Rating

40%

Interview experience

Positive

80%

Neutral

20%

Negative

0%

  • HP Graduate Programme - IT

    Difficulty Rating

    40%

    Interview process

    First of all was the phone interview. It lasted roughly half an hour including my questions on the end. They were the typical competency based questions along the lines of 'Why do you want to work for HP' etc...

    I was told that i would find out the results of my interview within 5-10 days but i was actually called the morning after which was fantastic.

    The face-to-face interview was scheduled for the following week in the London offices. It was a 2 hour interview which consisted of 1 hour with an HR representative and one hour with a Technical representative.

    The HR interview was a development of the phone interview with more questions on my knowledge of Accenture such as: What HP does, What does the role entail and who are their main competitors.

    The Technical interview comprised of questions that asked me to describe situations that demonstrate i have the technical skills to fit in with HP.

    Both interviewers were very calm and made me feel so comfortable. Overall from the point of me applying online to hearing my final result was less 3 weeks!

    Most difficult question

    They asked me some questions like:
    -Identify the 3 main problems of this company.
    -Suggest solutions to the problems.
    -How could the company fix the problem quickly (ie. quicker that the suggestions you already made)
    -What will the result be after the problem is fixed.

    Interview tips

    Google typical competency questions as through the process you will be asked them all! Ensure you know what the role you are applying for does and read up on HP clients (they may ask). I also know someone who got asked about a recent news story they were interested in, so be prepared to answer that (if it is about one of their clients they are even more impressed). Be confident and don't be afraid to say that you don't know. At the end of the day, every graduate they take on is there to be trained. You don't need an accounting background, in fact the more diverse the better, gives you more to talk about.

    Experiences at the assessment centre

    The assessment centre was very friendly. I was given a tour of the office and introduced to staff in the department where I was applying to.
    I then had a panel interview with three members of staff that lasted about an hour; and was then given 30 minutes to prepare a presentation .
    I then had a 1-on-1 interview with the recruiting manager which was very informal and lasted about 45 minutes before spending 30 minutes delivering the presentation I prepared early.

    Interview steps

    Interviews:

    • Phone
    • 1:1
    • Group / Panel
    • Senior Management
    • Video

    Tests:

    • Numerical
    • Personality
    • Verbal reasoning
    • Psychometric

    Other:

    • Assessment centre
    • Group exercise
    • Background check
    • Presentation
    • Competency based questions

    Rating the interview

    How would you rate the pre-attendance information?

    pre-attendance information:

    How well was the interview organised?

    interview organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the organisation?

    overall impression of the organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the selection process?

    selection process:

    Did the interview reflect the overall values / culture of the organisation?

    overall values / culture:

    Would you recommend this company to a friend?

    would recommend company to a friend:

    Did you want the role following your interview?

    wanted role after interview:

  • HP Graduate Programmes

    Difficulty Rating

    40%

    Interview process

    My initial telephone interview was conducted by a graduate recruiter and last no more than 30 minutes. The recruiter was really friendly and down to Earth who made me feel relaxed prior to the start of the interview.
    The questions consisted of "What is it that attracts you to the scheme?", "Why do you want to work for this company?" and the typical "Describe a time when you worked in a team during a difficult period".

    Upon completion of the telephone interview I was invited to an assessment day which required me to prepare a presentation out of a few chosen topics which was emailed over and had to be submitted prior to the day. The assessment day consisted of several aspects these being: One-to-One interview, presentation, analytical tests and a group task.

    Most difficult question

    The most difficult question faced during the day were the questions asked following the presentation. The graduate members listening in were trying to make sure you knew what you were talking about incase you simply copied and pasted some information into your slides. The interviewer was very friendly so you should not worry about any difficult questions during that likewise with the group work. Just be yourself and take a moment to think of your response before giving your final answer, there is no pressure so stay calm.

    Interview tips

    Based on my assessment day, just be yourself! everyone was level headed and would be able to spot if you're trying too hard.
    I'd recommend preparing yourself for the telephone interview by writing your potential answers to the questions I've listed above, but don't worry about the telephone interview or assessment day as everyone was friendly and made you feel at ease.
    Best of luck.

    Experiences at the assessment centre

    Before the day started, we were told that we wouldn't be competing against each other which made everyone feel at ease. Every single member of staff who was around that day made us feel very welcome.
    We first began the day by having analytical tests, mostly multiple choice questions which lasted approximately 30 minutes after this we were then taken one by one (at various times) to conduct our presentation to a group of 5 recent graduate scheme members. For those who were not doing their presentations were given the opportunity to talk to recent graduate members who were able to tell us about the potential work if we got the job. The actual presentation last about 15 minutes followed by a few questions aimed to make sure you know what you're talking about.
    The actual interview lasted 45 minutes and felt more like a friendly conversation talking about your past and interests; The interviewer and I spent approximately 15 minutes talking about music so it's nothing to dread.
    Finally, for the group work, we were split into several groups of 4 and were given 1 hour to analyse a task a decide upon one final solution out of a list of 3 and then present the final solution along with our reasoning; This was conducted in front of a group of senior members who are looking mainly for your team working skills in addition to your problem solving skills.
    When the day was over we were told that we'd be informed within 3 weeks of the outcome and were thanked for participating.

    Interview steps

    Interviews:

    • Phone
    • 1:1
    • Group / Panel
    • Senior Management
    • Video

    Tests:

    • Numerical
    • Personality
    • Verbal reasoning
    • Psychometric

    Other:

    • Assessment centre
    • Group exercise
    • Background check
    • Presentation
    • Competency based questions

    Rating the interview

    How would you rate the pre-attendance information?

    pre-attendance information:

    How well was the interview organised?

    interview organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the organisation?

    overall impression of the organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the selection process?

    selection process:

    Did the interview reflect the overall values / culture of the organisation?

    overall values / culture:

    Would you recommend this company to a friend?

    would recommend company to a friend:

    Did you want the role following your interview?

    wanted role after interview:

  • HP Graduate Programmes

    Difficulty Rating

    40%

    Interview process

    Initially I had a phone interview which was competence based. Basically you get questions like: Tell me about a situation when.. someone was treated unfairly? What did you do? etc Very few questions about your previous work experience.

    Then I have been invited to assessment day where I had lots of different questions like, there are 4 groups of questions they ask, technical, competence, and two more which I can't quite remember.

    Most difficult question

    Tell me about a situation when someone was treated unfairly, what did you do?
    Tell me about your presentation skills, what feedback did you get after your recent presentation?
    Why do you want to work for HP?
    Describe a situation when you had to make a difficult decision, what was the outcome?

    Interview tips

    You have to look at their corporate values + volunteering they do, you will probably get questions about it.

    Experiences at the assessment centre

    We had interviews first, then 20min long presentations, then about 10 people in a group for a group task which was quite simple.

    Interview steps

    Interviews:

    • Phone
    • 1:1
    • Group / Panel
    • Senior Management
    • Video

    Tests:

    • Numerical
    • Personality
    • Verbal reasoning
    • Psychometric

    Other:

    • Assessment centre
    • Group exercise
    • Background check
    • Presentation
    • Competency based questions

    Rating the interview

    How would you rate the pre-attendance information?

    pre-attendance information:

    How well was the interview organised?

    interview organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the organisation?

    overall impression of the organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the selection process?

    selection process:

    Did the interview reflect the overall values / culture of the organisation?

    overall values / culture:

    Would you recommend this company to a friend?

    would recommend company to a friend:

    Did you want the role following your interview?

    wanted role after interview:

  • HP Graduate Programmes

    Difficulty Rating

    20%

    Interview process

    The first stage was a telephone interview which consisted of: why this company? your skills? have you done your research on this company?

    prepare your answers beforehand using STAR approach.

    at the end of the interview I was told a bit about the next stages which is the assessment centre. also, they send you information on how the next stage is structured just so you have some idea.

    Most difficult question

    questions like what do you know about our competitors? how can we improve our products and services that will attract more competitors than our competitors? what do you know about this role? how do you fit in?

    Interview tips

    Research the company thoroughly. Also, be prepared to be asked about your presentation. be confident and you should do fine. also, when you are being interviewed on the assessment day be ready to talk about your present and past experiences, things you liked and disliked about previous jobs, and also some standard questions like strengths and weaknesses.

    Experiences at the assessment centre

    group task: you have to choose a topic and then present to the group: one-to-one which lasted for around an hour. analytical tests. (which should be completed prior to the group task

    Interview steps

    Interviews:

    • Phone
    • 1:1
    • Group / Panel
    • Senior Management
    • Video

    Tests:

    • Numerical
    • Personality
    • Verbal reasoning
    • Psychometric

    Other:

    • Assessment centre
    • Group exercise
    • Background check
    • Presentation
    • Competency based questions

    Rating the interview

    How would you rate the pre-attendance information?

    pre-attendance information:

    How well was the interview organised?

    interview organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the organisation?

    overall impression of the organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the selection process?

    selection process:

    Did the interview reflect the overall values / culture of the organisation?

    overall values / culture:

    Would you recommend this company to a friend?

    would recommend company to a friend:

    Did you want the role following your interview?

    wanted role after interview:

  • HP Graduate Programmes

    Difficulty Rating

    40%

    Interview process

    The overall interview's first stage was a competency test, 1hr long detailing technical and intricate attributes. Challenging but very thorough, elaboration of your Microsoft package skills, why you were applying for the role and scenario type situations. The second stage of the interview, was a half an hour Skype interview with a company representative, I didn't get this far so I am unable to offer feedback unfortunately.

    Most difficult question

    Numerical questions were very much competitive and the time was very limited. So I could not get much time to finish all the questions.

    Interview tips

    Well, everyone knows this already and if they don't they should, if you are going for an interview with a prospective company, take some time out to really research the company, learn some important facts and figures, it shows dedication and enthusiasm which always impresses the interviewer.

    Another would be to be completely thorough in your application, screen the responsibilities and duties before applying. Make sure you tick at east 95% of their overall request before clicking the apply now tab.

    Experiences at the assessment centre

    No assessment centre for this interview, they only had 3 stages of the application process available, which was the initial application, the timed competency questions and the Skype video interview.

    Interview steps

    Interviews:

    • Phone
    • 1:1
    • Group / Panel
    • Senior Management
    • Video

    Tests:

    • Numerical
    • Personality
    • Verbal reasoning
    • Psychometric

    Other:

    • Assessment centre
    • Group exercise
    • Background check
    • Presentation
    • Competency based questions

    Rating the interview

    How would you rate the pre-attendance information?

    pre-attendance information:

    How well was the interview organised?

    interview organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the organisation?

    overall impression of the organisation:

    What was your overall impression of the selection process?

    selection process:

    Did the interview reflect the overall values / culture of the organisation?

    overall values / culture:

    Would you recommend this company to a friend?

    would recommend company to a friend:

    Did you want the role following your interview?

    wanted role after interview: