How to Get a Job at BP
Internationally recognized gas station and convenience store chain, BP hires candidates knowledgeable in retail sales and customer service. Applicants often gain interview consideration by filling out hiring forms in-person at a local store or online. Job seekers may face pre-screening via telephone before meeting with hiring personnel in person. One-on-one interviews prove the most common arrangements for screening candidates. The convenience store company implement a series of interviews for some positions; however, many managers issue on-the-spot job offers for entry-level positions. For more advanced roles, such as manager or shift leader, applicants participate in more than one interview and typically spend between two and four weeks under review in the official hiring process.
Considerations for Managers
Applicants management positions typically encounter phone screening before moving on to several rounds of face-to-face interview sessions. Popular interview questions include, "Do you have previous supervisory experience?" and "What would you do to calm an unruly customer at your store?" The gas station chain generally looks for strong, goal-oriented candidates who posses excellent interpersonal and customer service skills to work as managers. At the end of the hiring process, the fuel company may perform drug screening and background checks.
Entry-Level Hiring Procedures
Customer service representatives generally undergo phone screening, followed by one-to-one interviews with hiring personnel. Customary interview questions comprise of: "Do you interact well with the public?" and "How would you do working in a team environment?" Utilize examples from previous experience and industry knowledge when responding to questions, if possible. Candidates sometimes meet with other hiring personnel for additional interviews; however, most entry-level applicants receive job offers during or after initial interviews.
Dress Well, Behave Appropriate, and Demonstrate Industry Knowledge
BP job interviews require candidates to dress appropriately and employ enthusiastic demeanors while engaging hiring managers. Applicants should show a capacity performing basic gas station and convenience store tasks, like stocking product shelves, issues receipts, and operating cash registers. Insight into retail and sales marketing, as well as customer care practices may position applicants above other job seekers vying for the same position. Sit up straight, maintain eye contact, and ask questions if appropriate. Candidates may need to check back regularly with the company to check on employment status.
BP Student Intern Interview Video
Video Transcript
Interviewer: Please describe your job title and primary duties.
BP Student Intern: Student internship I think would be the proper term. My daily tasks were filing projects. I started off like that. I did a lot of work on Excel, Word. Set up for a lot of conferences so organization was like most of what I did.
Interviewer: What was the work environment like?
BP Student Intern: It was a little intimidating at first. Being so young, I think. Well, during the school year, I would be the youngest person there and everybody would be like … They wouldn’t have mean face but they were so into their work, they would just like … They were so into it. Intimidating at first. I think as I got to know people and got more … I got networked with a bunch of other people, they became … They always had stories to tell me about their grandchildren. I can relate to a lot of them, I’d be like, “Oh yeah, you know … ” Like when college applications came up, they were like, “Oh my God, this is what we went through.” It was just a friendly environment for the most part.
Interviewer: How would you describe the application and interview process?
BP Student Intern: During the school year, I wouldn’t have to worry about applications because my high school would take care of that but during the summer when I would get drafted to work, I would have to do … I think there’s an application to fill out, like the W-2s, or the W-12s or whatever. Then that’s it, I think. It wasn’t really hard.
Interviewer: What questions did the interviewer ask during the job interview?
BP Student Intern: Mostly what were my strengths, or what was I open to, or what days was I available.
Interviewer: How were you notified that you received the job?
BP Student Intern: By call, I got a call. It took about two weeks.
Interviewer: What other advice would you give to a job seeker looking to gain employment?
BP Student Intern: Since it’s a big company, they have a bunch of teams and I knew people that were accounting, or engineering, or… It was really diverse so I think I would say don’t get discouraged, it’s competitive. Yeah, it really was to get a position there.
ExBP says:
If you can find a fully staffed location, BP is a good company to work for. As a former manager, our understaffed district was a complete wreck. Our district manager was more concerned with himself and how he looked in his expensive sunglasses to see or listen to his employees. 10 stores, all understaffed, untrained managers, overworked. Bad combination. Not a decent environment. Very taxing, stressful.
Also, gas stations are not the same as most retail environments. Most are single coverage which means if you have to go to the restroom, you’ve got to find the opportunity when no customers are in the store so you can lock the door and go. You’ve got to be 100% dependable and hope that your coworkers are as well. Someone calls out, you’re probably gonna be working a double as there are fewer employees to call for assistance. It’s not like Walmart where it simply means one less register open on a shift. I have worked 19 hours straight when our 3rd shift called out. It takes a different kind of person to work at these locations and it’s not easy. Starting pay, $8.00 per hour, with 15 years experience in retail, $8.50 and raises don’t come easy. Frequent performance reviews which seems encouraging but even getting 100% on your review only gets 5-10 cent raises. After nearly 2 years, my pay topped out (highest you can go) and I made $10.00 per hour
mamun says:
Should I bring anything to the BP interview?
What education level (high school or college) is required for the job?
What other questions do they ask? How should you answer certain questions?
What should I wear, or how should I dress for an interview at BP?
How much do they pay? Will they ask about salary expectations, if so what should I say?
Does BP drug test?
What about second interviews? When should you expect a call after the interview?