Discovery Day Applicant Review

BP's Discovery Day provided the opportunity to gain insight not just on the company's current mission towards a low carbon movement, but also on various roles within the company. Meeting a range of employees from different levels of BP, allowed me to receive valuable advise at fundamental stages of the recruitment process within BP. Being able to hear from seniors first hand helped me see where their personal skills and goals connected with the company's mission itself.

Many of the conversations had with their employees made me feel very comfortable and inspired by their enthusiasm about their job and the company. Our one-to-one discussions made us feel very level with them and it was a good way to interact with various seniority at BP. All the staff at the insight day were open to answering any questions at any point.

There was continuous guidance, particularly by one of their current interns at BP. The presentations given was a very clear and helpful way to shed a bit more light on how the recruitment process occurs. I found the pointers given in preparation for the different stages of the placement quite helpful, giving a better understanding of what to expect and how to counter any weaker points we had.

One of the more weighting advice that was given was by one of the longer employees at BP. Her very honest overview of her development, from student to where she is now, really helped me see the very individual paths we all experience. More importantly how the skills we attain from the obscure to everyday are all interconnected and useful in building your business character and discovering your passion in the working environment. This message I think will help me at my stage as well as taking into account the kinds of questions I should ask myself to prepare for interviews.

The first half of the day was all well-organised to ensure the time was not overrun. However, towards the end with the demonstration being given in a different meeting room on one of the apps used by BP teams there was a bit of a delay. It lacked clearer explanation on what was being shown and its relevance to the day. But it did quickly show us one of the ways they organise a simple PR event like the discovery day. Overall, the day ran quite smoothly.

From introduction and end the HR team at BP were very welcoming, positive and pleasant people. They invited any queries we had over the course of the day and made an encouraging effort to involve and get to know the group and us as individuals. Being on site really gave the strong team atmosphere throughout the company and the common goal of helping us as students to find our footing.

As the insight was only a day, it was of course limited in the personal training and development you would like in a week/ month, example. But there was a clear sense that the development process for employees at BP is accommodating in terms of job mobility. Speaking to employees at BP, they mentioned opportunities for you to progress in the firm. We did a small exercise practising points we would communicate with some example interview questions.

There was a lot of talk with staff and thus better understanding from an employee's perspective on a full time job. This understanding was limited for me as someone interested in the upstream commercial business sector of the firm as they mainly concentrated on on the technology/ engineering side. Most employees present on the day had roles in technological development and engineering and one in HR.

The insight emphasised the company's values and the type of behaviour/ attitude they cultivate. It was evident they all carry a strong team work ethic, aiming towards a greater, global movement. Their 5 core values were the foundation of my understanding on what culture they have built over the years. These were continuously integrating in all the presentations given.

Despite during applications there was a distinction between what type of job role you would be interested in, they only held one collective day/ grouping. A lot of the day was largely focused on the engineering opportunities with the company. I hope they would have an employee from the upstream commercial side. So it was quite difficult to use the information I gained towards deciding my own career path. Though the less role-specific advise given was valuable.

As it was a discovery day, there was no payment however all travel expenses were to be reimbursed. My train ticket is to be reimbursed. I know they also supported those who live further away from the site with an overnight accommodation which some of the applicants I met had.

Yes, the day was a great chance to network with various roles in the company but also the other applicants. I would consider this day more of a network-weighted insight than for the actual job roles themselves. Every moment consisted of presentations by employees or chances to talk to them more personally during lunch break.

We met employees throughout the day by presentations they gave. It was a very impersonal but quick way to communicate briefly what kind of jobs they have and the roles they have.

There was not much mentioned about outside-work activities.

I think its rewarding as a very initial feel for a student who has not had any interaction with a company environment. It is different being onsite and experiencing their culture this way than reading about them. I think it is more aimed towards giving people a chance to see the site in person and gaining one-to-one connection with the company's employees. It did lack a bit more detail in the upstream commercial sector roles but nevertheless, an enjoyable day and a good way to break into socialising with employees and developing that confidence/ skill.