CENTRICA ASSESSMENT CENTRE

sorry cant help you there i failed at the SHL testing i found it SO HARD!!!! Ive done tests before for t he big 4 and they were nothin compared to the centrica one

Hey, I just did my SHL tests for Centrica's Finance programme.. and am absolutely shattered by their difficulty, nevertheless I have a tiny bit of hope for passing them. So if I do make it, you won't be the only one without assessment centre "experience". ;)

@ aadi / Monicahiman , did you guys do all of the numeracy questions or did you blind guess some? I think I guessed about 5 or 6, and in the verbal one like 2 or 3.

Can I just say thank you to the above 2 posters for also feeling the Centrica SHL tests were really hard

I've sat alot of online tests for different schemes and passed them all, but I failed the Centrica one, really very hard I thought, glad to see I'm not the only one

im glad it wasnt just me too!!! i was so gutted i failed them argh but they were so so difficult!!! glad im not the only one!

Hey, I truly agree with all of you. I was really suprised when I found out I passed the tests.

Well, that's a rejection then.. failed the tests, oh well.

Hi folks!
How long does it take to know the results of these tests (I've just taken them)...

To reassure those who are reading this thread, English is not my native language, but I did not find these tests THAT hard...

It's is just that you need to be prepared to type quickly on your calculator since you have to do stupid additions with 15 figures...

For the Verbal part, more difficult for me because I cannot find every subtility...

I Hope I'll pass this test though :) (with chance maybe ...)

Btw aadi, what are you asked about during the phone interview (in case I am selected :) ) ?

If that's the assessment centre for finance on the 15th April, I have that too. For the numerical test, my best advice is to stay cool and read things over, as some of the data is relavant to two to three questions, and once you've comprehended them they're fine.

As for the results, they email you pretty much the next day. In fact, they get back to you rather quick compared to most companies.

@ gpanesar
Yeah I have the assessment centre on the 15th aswell. i have never been to an assessment centre before this would be my first one! all my fellow mates from university havent secured any graduate job yet. im sure it will be very competitive.
Any advices or tips on how to prepare??

@ aadi ...

You have applied for a graduate program or a summer internship?
btw, how come the salary is so HUGE ! ? (1400 pounds/week!)

Hi, i've applied for the Centrica internship this year, still got to get through a telephone interview first before I get to the assessment centre though.

I thought the main thing that was difficult about the verbal and numerical tests was the time limit, I felt as though I needed to hurry through it, although I actually finished with a few minutes to spare in each. I didn't think any of the questions I got were too hard to do though, although they don't give you your marks back so it's hard to know whether I was answering most of them right or not!

Any tips from anyone that's done a telephone interview with them? What do they ask?

The only tip i would gve you for the telephone interview is, look at your application form.
prepare 2 examples each for each competency.
my interview lasted for 30mins

I applied for graduate scheme.

Still nothing... I'm anxious lol :) (I know ... it's Easter ... )

The telephone interview was more challenging because you can't use any of your application form examples. Which were obviously the best examples I could think of!! The questions were very standard competency based ones though, so that was OK.

Anyone else going to the assessment centre on the 30th?

I think my best advice for the assessment centre would to be yourself, and keep a cool head in all the tasks to appear confident. In terms of preparation, not much to prepare (apart from the usual commercial awareness, info on centrica) as you've probably covered most of it in the telephone interview. I think the one on one interview will be more personal, for them to decide whether they could see you working in their team, and how you interact with others.

Hope this helps, and if you're booked in for the assessment centre tomorrow, see you there!

I think my best advice for the assessment centre would to be yourself, and keep a cool head in all the tasks to appear confident. In terms of preparation, not much to prepare (apart from the usual commercial awareness, info on centrica) as you've probably covered most of it in the telephone interview. I think the one on one interview will be more personal, for them to decide whether they could see you working in their team, and how you interact with others.

Hope this helps, and if you're booked in for the assessment centre tomorrow, see you there!

Folks who went for assessment centre please share you experience.

Thanks.

How was the AC?
How many applicants were there?

Come on guys, you do not want to share your experience?

Yes! Phone interview step reached :)

But new problem... There is no time slot available before 7th of May!!!!! Are there SO MANY applicants :o

EDIT: actually there is now :)

Well done to everyone at the assessment centre- you must have been good, because they've cancelled mine... Just got an email this afternoon saying all of the places on the 2009 Graduate Finance Programme have now been filled. And I was looking forward to sightseeing in Windsor. Ah well.

Same happened to me as you sock.

I am quite livid as no mention was made of this once I'd got information about attending the assessment centre. I haven't applied anywhere else since being told I'd be attending an AC at the start of the month as I really wanted this role. Very unfair of them not to even state once that the AC may be cancelled if places are filled beforehand.

Personally I didn't have any trouble with the SHL tests. Got an e-mail the next day informing I had passed.

Is this the case only with Finance stream or across the board? I have a phone interview coming up for General Management and not sure whether its worth taking.

It was my first choice by a fairly large margin. I was a bit gutted to be honest. You're right, they should have told us there was the chance they would cancel, but I'm coming to expect this kind of thing from graduate recruiters.

Hey guys,
I have centrica's assessment centre on 31st of July. Does anyone know what d topic researched on the internet was about??
I'd appreciate some help here pls.

Hello everyone!!

Anyone had a phone interview for grad scheme 2010??

Thanks

Hi,

I have a phone interview coming up for Centrica next week... Did you have yours?

Hi
Nope its on Friday. When is yours?

There's an interview with Centrica's director of corporate affairs here: http://www.thegatewayonline.com/article/271 - a great source of info should there be any questions about why you want to join Centrica / what the recent moves towards green energy mean for the company.

Good luck!

Mine is on Tuesday. Is it next Friday or today?
Thanks Albatross, that's a very good article.

Glad to see some other people have applied to Centrica - no-one that I've spoken to at my university has, I don't think their scheme is that well known. That was a very interesting article, I also just read the one on Carbon Trading on the same site (http://www.thegatewayonline.com/article/298) - I wonder if Centrica do any of this? I spoke to someone from Shell at a careers event and he said that they have a whole trading team dedicated to this type of thing.

Best of luck on Tuesday sasya, I got invited to an assessment centre but couldn't make the day, I haven't heard back from them yet to see if they can put me on a different one. I do hope they can: they're really high up my list of companies.

Congrats sidewayson on making it to AC... I guess its too early for the places to be filled, so you should be getting another call soon... Good Luck for that :)

Can you please give some pointers about their Telephone interview?
Thanks!

Sasya,

Mine is on Friday 4th December, so I guess you are before me, I wold appreciate it very much if you could tell me some tips.

Sidewayson,

thanks for the articles!!! Is it possible you could give us any pointers on the telephone interview.

Thanks a Bunch

btw, what scheme you guys applying to?

Hi guys and girls.

I would be grateful, if anyone has any info on the type of questions asked at the telephone interview. That would be quality.

Mistry16

has any one got any tips for the phone interview? mine is on friday!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Stevie

The phone interview is straight forward. Do your research on centrica. I got asked first "what do you know about centrica?" and something about how centrica can help you achieve your career goals. Have good infomation for this part. Then i was asked 3 competence questions based on centrica's key competence's (see the web site for those). The interviewer did explicitly say use new example, you can't use the one used in the application form. So think hard. I got asked about customer focus, sharing knowledge, and focusing on solutions.

They got back to me with in 24hrs with the result. I got through to the final round, some time in jan/feb 2010.

Hope this helps

Mistry16

Hi!
To add on to mistry's tips, Prepare some examples of your competency before hand... helps you streamline your answer better. And do thorough research on the company as they want to see that u've done some. And also on why you are applying for the particular role.

Good Luck.

Mistry, Which scheme are you applying to?

My AC is in March!! :( :(

Hey Sasya,

I applied to the Analyst programme. Not sure when my AC will be, as im waiting for the date. They just said at the very beginning of the year.

What scheme are you applying too??

Mistry16

Mistry and Sasya u 2 are superstars, THANKS for the info on the telephone interview!!! I have applied to Finance. when would an assessment centre for that take place?

I am interested that in some of your comments you think the tests and application procedures for this entity are hard and sometimes perceived as more difficult than the Top 4 (Accountancy firms...presumably). It is an area I am not very familiar with and wonder if you have any thoughts as to why this company is apparently difficult to get graduate employment with? Is it because number of vacancies are pretty limited?
At somewhat of a tangent, we are all aware of the current graduate employment/unemployment issues and some government spokesmen are suggesting that while looking for jobs graduates should take ANY employment they can find.....even working in call centres.
However, joking aside, I read in a recent broadsheet survey of call centres (or "Customer Services" as they prefer to be known)that 38% of their employees are graduates and that many graduates recognise that entry to a company via its call centre is a good career route. Comments?

these tests were fairly difficult, but with practice they are not too bad i believe. I dont consider myself to be that smart and if i passed them then to be perfectly honest i wouldnt say the bar is that high!! i dont know abt call centres, but the way i see it is that if you try your utmost with graduate applications and dont get anywhere with them, then that simply means there are much better people out there!!

has anyone got an assessment centre in finance coming up? i have one in February and really want to know how it went with people!!

Cheers guys!!!

I have a telephone interview for the analyst programme next week. Could sum1 tell me the type of questions asked during the interview? thanks

The phone interview is very structured. Make sure you do research on Centrica, they want to know that you have done your research. They started by asking me this. It was then followed by 3 main competency questions, mine were Focussing On Solutions, Learning & Sharing Knowledge, and Customer Focus. They specifically asked for examples different to the ones you have used in your application, in some cases examples from outside uni/ academy work. I had my phone interviews a while ago, so I am not sure if it would be the same. However, post no. 37 (see above) by mistry16 is pretty similar to mine, so I am guessing all phone interviews are largely the same. Hope this helps rajsiva! :)

Urgent Help Please:
I have an assessment centre coming up VERY soon (this Friday in 2 days time)! It is for General Management summer internship. I was wondering if anyone with experience can perhaps share how you found the interview, written and group exercise. I have especially limited experience with the Written and Group Exercise, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Does anyone know if the Written exercise (in the form of a report for a fictional situation) is the same as the In- Tray/ E-Tray exercise? Also, is the Group Exercise a Group Case Study, Discussion/ Role Play or Practical Activity??

Thanks guys so much in advance!! :)

Hi all, just had my finance assessment day... found out 2day that it didnt go as well as i thought! nvm... well got some pointers for the day seeing as no1 bothered in the last intake (these were based on my day, so i dont know if they will change):

- the written exercise is much like an e tray exercise but there was only one letter/email that needed to be responded to (in my case it was a customer complaint) main thing is to plan your time very well and read brief carefully (i messed up on time allocation)

- the group exercise is pretty straight forward- it is a presentation (centricas email didnt explain this)... I was in a group of 3; main things are to just be calm and try to have some input whilst always listening to others and brush up on presentation skills, standard stuff really.

- 1 to 1 interview is competency based... MAKE SURE you prepare for AS MANY competency questions as you can AS WELL AS Centrica knowledge... i prepared soooo much Centrica background knowledge but wasnt even asked a question on any of it, however another guy got asked two... so you really dont know what they are gonna ask!

- 1 to 1 presentation... not much i can say about this as its a standard research and present task, try to be clear on your points and avoid just reading off the flip chart... there is plenty of time to research

- Ability testing... only thing here is that they give u a calculator as u cant use your own... their calculator is a standard NON-Scientific calc so maybe practice using one for a few hours the day before or something

Finally remember they looking at all of the competencies not just the ones that might seem more important!

also for those like me who arent sure how many people there are in assessment days there was supposed to be 8 at mine but 2 never showed up.

Hope this helps and good luck!

cheers momkey boy for the info, much appreciated! Sorry you didnt get the result u hoped for. Do you know then how many people they are looking to take for finance? Is the test exactly the same level of difficulty as the shl ones we did prior to the phone interview?

no probs stevie... they r gonna take on 10 finance grads all of them will be on different placements throughout the company.

As for the test I would say it was about the same difficulty except the fact that they give a crapy calculator to use and its on a lap top meaning you have to use the finger pad to move the mouse! i know its little things but it kind of throws you off when uv had a long day of assessments!

good luck!

Had a telephone interview, did not pass that despite thinking it was the best i'd ever had and also i thought i had very good vibes from the interviewer. (Engineering). This was my experience:

The interview was split into three, General Questions, Competency Based Questions and Questions for the interviewer.

General Questions: (Background info)
-What do you know about Centrica?
-Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years time?
-Why did you study ur particular degree?
-Why do you want to work for Centrica (I remember answering this but i dont remember being asked this particular question) ?

Competency Based Questions - (I was told not to use examples from application form)
- Focus on Solution: Describe a complicated problem that you had to solve/deal with.
-Learning and Sharing knowledge: Tell me about a non academic situation where you received feedback...Who did you go to for support? (something along those lines)
- Managing Relationships: Tell me about a time when you worked within a team.

UPDATE: TIPS FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS

Focuses on Solutions
Discuss the problem in detail, show evidence of recognising the problem and gathering information to solve it. Mention the process by which the final solution was reached.

Learns and Shares Knowledge
Show that you actively sought feedback which resulted in a change in your behaviour in order to reach your goal. Mention how you shared the knowledge and information to help others.

Manages relationships
Show how you support your colleagues in achieving the group goal and the approach you adopted towards managing the group relationships. Dont forget to specify 'I'.

If you can help it dont use any other pronoun apart from I.

Hope this helps..

@kokojobs

THanks man that is hugely helpful... I have my interview soon and being honest I am not really looking forward to it. I don't like phone interviews but I'll give it a go anyways and let ye know what came up for me...

Hello all

I had my int and thought Id share the wealth.... My format was the same as everyone elses (thankfully!) and so it should be easy to prepare for.

I was asked:

1.) Why do you want to work for Centrica

2.) Focus Solutions

3.) Learns and Shares Knowledge

4.) Focus on Customers

Hope this helps everyone... (also wasnt allowed to use college example in learns and shares knowledge, although for other apps I would reccomend not to use any academic examples if it able to be avoided because they know that you went to college, everyone did)

heyy vegas diamond,
can i have ur email-id. I have some problem filling in the application form.

hi

got a phone interview for Centrica on thursday any pointers any one?

@Luch

Look at 48 and 50 above.

Yes I had telephone interview last week.
Basically there are five questions:
1) What do you know about centrica
2) what are your aspirations
Situation where I demonstrated
3) Focusing on solutions
4) Learns and share knowledge
5) Managing relationship

Thats all.

Yes I had telephone interview last week.
Basically there are five questions:
1) What do you know about centrica
2) what are your aspirations
Situation where I demonstrated
3) Focusing on solutions
4) Learns and share knowledge
5) Managing relationship

Thats all.

Hi All,

I have Assessment centre in march.
Would be good if someone can share the experience.
What type of group exercise it is? What topic they give for reaserch and present.
is there any technical questions based on the background?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hi Momkeyboy, in the ability tests were these to test the integrity of the person who had taken the online tests? Also I have an AC coming up in March and have been told it is a shorter version of the original online tests. Therefore how important are the scores of this test.
How many questions did you have in AC for numerical and verbal reasoning and how much time did they give for each test.

Hi,

I have my AC for IS on Thu 11th Feb, was pushed back a week from the 19th Feb due to limited resources or something like that. I was notified around the end of January. This might mean a larger group in my AC. Any advice?

Hi Ladies and Gents

I have just had last week and AC for the Analyst role, and I was successful in getting a job with centrica. :-).
I thought i would share my experience with all who have an AC coming up.

First Interview. Its all based on the competences listed on there website. I didnt get asked any questions about the company, but i did relate some for my answers to what i would do at Centrica. I Did get asked Why Centrica?? and Why Analyst??? [was about 30 - 45mins]

The the individual written exercise. This was based on some information about the scenario and a compliants letter. I was asked to create an action plan (bullet point is what i did for this), and write a letter to person X about how you would solve the problem. (Brush up on letter writing skills). [was about an hour long]

Group exercise, generally was OK, was based on green technology, and you had to as a group decide which one you wanted to invest money in and why. Then you have to present your thoughts, and everyone has to speak. [an hour for everything, 20mins to read info, 30mins to discuss and create presentation, and 10mins to present.]

Individual presentation. This is one on one. You given information i had an report, and you have to read it and create a presentation to answer some questions, mine was on carbon emissions and how that impacts centrica. Have to create a 10 min presentation on you interpretation of the rule so to speak. [ one hour] There's more than enough time.

You are final retested on the numerical and verbal Shl tests. they are shorter than the one you done at the beginning of the app process. I found them both a little harder, but thats probable because i am a bit rusty.

AAhh there was 10 people at my AC i believe its the same size for all AC's.

Hope the info helps all, and hope to see you in Sept 2010.

Mistry 16

Hi Ladies and Gents

I have just had last week and AC for the Analyst role, and I was successful in getting a job with centrica. :-).
I thought i would share my experience with all who have an AC coming up.

First Interview. Its all based on the competences listed on there website. I didnt get asked any questions about the company, but i did relate some for my answers to what i would do at Centrica. I Did get asked Why Centrica?? and Why Analyst??? [was about 30 - 45mins]

The the individual written exercise. This was based on some information about the scenario and a compliants letter. I was asked to create an action plan (bullet point is what i did for this), and write a letter to person X about how you would solve the problem. (Brush up on letter writing skills). [was about an hour long]

Group exercise, generally was OK, was based on green technology, and you had to as a group decide which one you wanted to invest money in and why. Then you have to present your thoughts, and everyone has to speak. [an hour for everything, 20mins to read info, 30mins to discuss and create presentation, and 10mins to present.]

Individual presentation. This is one on one. You given information i had an report, and you have to read it and create a presentation to answer some questions, mine was on carbon emissions and how that impacts centrica. Have to create a 10 min presentation on you interpretation of the rule so to speak. [ one hour] There's more than enough time.

You are final retested on the numerical and verbal Shl tests. they are shorter than the one you done at the beginning of the app process. I found them both a little harder, but thats probable because i am a bit rusty.

AAhh there was 10 people at my AC i believe its the same size for all AC's.

Hope the info helps all, and hope to see you in Sept 2010.

Mistry 16

Congratulations Mistry16!! And thank you so much or the information :)

Hey, i also have an assessment centre is march :) i just wanted to ask does any one know the pass mark for the online test?? I got my friend to help me with the tests and am worried i'll fail them at the assessmenty centre. There soooo difficult!!!!
Thanks :)

Hello everyone, I also have an assessment day in march for ANALYST role but I am worried because, I reached a similar assessment day last year for the internship programme and it got cancelled. I am a bit nervous as they fill vacancies on a first come basis. Can anyone tell me how many assessment days that has happened so far and on which days for which roles?

Thanks

Hey,

I jus had my AC on thursday. I thought it went alright. They said they'll notify me within 48 hours so prob get my result by monday. The shl tests were much easier then the one at stage 2. The day was really laid back. The interviewer was really nice. The group exercise was OK, you have a judge who asks you questions that you prob won't have thought of when you're working as a team. The written exercise was tight, you'll have to rush tob write well in the hour given to read and comprehend the subject. You're supported throughout the day by a recent graduate who'll give u some pointers throughout the day. He told me they have 4 AC a week for all positions applied for, summer internships and graduate programmes. There were only 4 people in my AC. They'll give u a lunch voucher 2 eat as much as you want but don't overload as you have the tests and presentation after that. A good prep would be 2 research the core competencies, practice shl tests on the shl website and keep tabs on time on all ur exercises as none of the rooms in the AC have clocks. Also practice reading and extracting info with speed, possibly reading the times or some other tabloids. Also take a highlighter and a nice smooth pen so you can write with speed.

Hope this helps

Ishy

Thanks so much Ishy. Good luck with your result :)
Which stream was ur AC for?

Thanks again,
Sasya

Hi,

I applied for IS summer placement. I was the only summer placement candidate. The other 3 were IS graduate schemes

Happy to help if you have further questions

Ishy

Cool. Thank you :)

Firstly, well done to Mistry16 and anyone else who has been successful in getting an offer!

Has anybody else heard back since the last post in this thread?

@Ishy: I have an assessment centre next week for General Management - what sort of questions do you mean for the group exercise, that you probably wouldn't have thought about when working in a team...?

Also does anyone know whether the streams listed as closed on the website count for the summer placement as well as the graduate scheme or is it just the grad scheme?

Sorry for all the questions!

Hi !
I have an assessment day with centrica.
Could you be a bit more specific on the written exercise as in what actually is the scenario and what is expected.
Also, details on the presentation/ group exercise topic would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks,
Boozer

Hi !
I have an assessment day with centrica.
Could you be a bit more specific on the written exercise as in what actually is the scenario and what is expected.
Also, details on the presentation/ group exercise topic would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks,

heya, i have an assessment centre this friday and was wondering if any one else is going down the night before? if you are let me know, it would be nice not to eat supper alone!

hi bonita88

which role have you applied for? i'll be down there on friday as well.

i applied for the marketing summer internship, how about you?

i'm applying for the resource planning role...see you there.

I got my telephone interview of IT consultant on Tuesday. Ill let you know how I get on and what they ask for.

where is the centre?

Hi,

I just had a telephone interview yesterday for the General management summer scheme and I got asked:

1) Why do you want to work for Centrica
2) What was the decision making process that lead you to study Law?
3) Decribe a situation where you focused on Solutions
4) Describe an instance where you went above and beyond for a customer
5) Describe a time when you learned and shared knowledge

I'm off to an AC soon, just waiting on the date!

Just to say thanks to all the people that have shared their experiences on here, they've been really helpful.

Got an offer for the General Management summer placement last week! :D

i just had my telephone interview for IS graduate. its split into 2 parrts. first part asks what do you know about centrica, why do you want to work here. what are you aspirations. what skills will you bring. why choose centrica.

second part is contempacy based. the polite lady ask about a difficult situtaion which i handled smoothly. second question was about learning about something and doing something different. their question was about when i had delivered excellent customer service.

she said she would get back to me 2mro. fingers crossed. anyone else apply for IS graduate?

yay ive been invitied to the centre. they will forward me details of when to come. a day after the phone interview, they advised me of the outcome! gd luck preople. any one doing IS graduate ?????

yay ive been invitied to the centre. they will forward me details of when to come. a day after the phone interview, they advised me of the outcome! gd luck preople. any one doing IS graduate ?????

hey craig ive got an assessment centre for IS too they told me they will get back to me with the dates....did u get any news?

hey craig ive got an assessment centre call for IS too....did you get your date yet?

hey nikki400. no news yet. they said to wait for a date. im off on holiday on thursday and will be back on 26th april. i hope its sometime between then. maybe cya at the AC. leme kno if they contact u pls!

hey nikki400. no news yet. they said to wait for a date. im off on holiday on thursday and will be back on 26th april. i hope its sometime between then. maybe cya at the AC. leme kno if they contact u pls!

i mean i hope it not between my holiday dates****

hiya. just got told that my AC date is 29th APril 2010

hey craig yup mine is the 29th too....have fun on your holiday.....ill be reaching there a day before n staying at some hotel....lemme know when ure reaching....ill c ya there...tc!!!!!!

ill also be coming a day early. this is my email craig_gillmore@hotmail.com. what hotel are you planning to stay at?

ill mail you ....

if you ask they put you up at the Beaumont in Windsor :)

In the telephone interview, do they ask commercial awareness questions or questions about the industry theyre in?

I personally didn't get any commercial awareness question about the industry. But I did get asked what I know about Centrica. Other than that, the questions that I got asked in the phone interview are identical to the other posts above. Make sure you read all the posts above as they are really useful! Good luck!

Thanks for the help =)

Hi, is anyone else going to the finance AC on the 4th May?

hey mistry,

congratulations on your success. I had a few small questions - firstly how may people were there in your group? What would you say worked for you taking a lead role or contributing? Just want to know if its important to shine in the group or work with everyone? Secondly, to handle your customer complaint letter what all aspects did you consider like was it researched the cause, did you first apologise to the customer for any lack of service and tell him that you will get back asap after looking into it. If you could please give me an idea about the sort of attitude you projected and steps to rectify it. I will really appreciate your help. Thanks a lot!!!!!!

hey mistry,

congratulations on your success. I had a few small questions - firstly how may people were there in your group? What would you say worked for you taking a lead role or contributing? Just want to know if its important to shine in the group or work with everyone? Secondly, to handle your customer complaint letter what all aspects did you consider like was it researched the cause, did you first apologise to the customer for any lack of service and tell him that you will get back asap after looking into it. If you could please give me an idea about the sort of attitude you projected and steps to rectify it. I will really appreciate your help. Thanks a lot!!!!!!

Hey Everyone,

Just thought I'd write to say thanks to everyone on this post for their contributions. The key words for all applicants are 'preparation and practice.' If you really do your preparation and research about Centrica you will progress through the selection process promptly.

I got a C for my GCSE Maths but was able to revise for a week and passed both the online SHL verbal and numerical tests. I then had a phone interview which I also passed. And as other contributors here revealed, there are two parts to it.

The first part is really about Centrica as a company and its subsidiaries etc. What do you know about Centrica? why do you want to work for them? What motivated you to apply to them and not someone else? And then the second part is all about the competencies they look for on the Centrica careers section - Mainly Customer focus, sharing knowledge, problem solving/focusing on solutions. The most important thing to note is that you are not allowed to use the same scenarios/examples as those that you did on your application.

I have an assessment centre coming up so I'd be really grateful if anyone out there that has already been to one could give me some more tips on the Individual written exercise and individual presentation topics and how to approach them. Many thanks.

Hey,

I attended a General management AC on April 1st and got the job.

Firstly there is n individual interview. They focus on 5 competencies. You also cannot use examples you have used previously, although on 'adapting to change' they did let me use the one on my initial online application which was good. But I wouldn't count they would do the same again.

You then have to do a reply to a customer complaint email and an action plan.

After this I did a group work and presentation. I'm not sure they judge you wholly your ideas, part of it is how you work with others and listen to others. Time is tigh on this one, you onyl half half hour to prepare then ten min presentation, so keeping your eye on the clock is advisable.

Then you repeat the SHL tests, there were ten on my AC and NONE of us finished the maths one, we all got about half way through so don't panic if that happens to you on the day.

Good Luck! ( they told me on my AC day that there isn't a quota from each AC but if you make the grade you will be awarded a place on the internship. Also 42 out of 75 places have been taken already so plenty more- they cancel AC's once they fill the places)

p.s. They tell you 48hours after your AC whether you got the job which is nice and quick

Hey,

I attended a General management AC on April 1st and got the job.

Firstly there is an individual interview. They focus on 5 competencies. You also cannot use examples you have used previously, although on 'adapting to change' they did let me use the one on my initial online application which was good. But I wouldn't count they would do the same again.

You then have to do a reply to a customer complaint email and an action plan.

After this I did a group work and presentation. I'm not sure they judge you wholly your ideas, part of it is how you work with others and listen to others. Time is tight on this one, you only half half hour to prepare then ten min presentation, so keeping your eye on the clock is advisable.

Then you repeat the SHL tests, there were ten on my AC and NONE of us finished the maths one, we all got about half way through so don't panic if that happens to you on the day.

Good Luck! ( they told me on my AC day that there isn't a quota from each AC but if you make the grade you will be awarded a place on the internship. Also 42 out of 75 places have been taken already so plenty more- they cancel AC's once they fill the places)

p.s. They tell you 48hours after your AC whether you got the job which is nice and quick

Many thanks 'LawStudentManc' for your tips.

Could you please clarify a couple of things for me.

1. When you say that we are not allowed to use previous examples, does that include examples used in the phone interview as well? This is because I used fresh examples on the phone interview which were ace but have non left!

2. What are the 5 competencies in the individual interview, are they pretty much the same as before? Customer focus, sharing knowledge, problem solving/focusing on solutions, leadership, adapting to change?

3. Also in what format did you answer the customer complaint? Letter or bullet points?

Your tips are highly appreciated.

Nomist123

Hey,

You cannot use the examples you gave for your phone interview for your one-on-one interview at the AC. I was allowed to use one from my initial online application but I didn't ask for the other examples so I don't know about that.

If I remember correctly, my competencies were:
1. Managing Relationships
2. Adapting to change
3. Focusing on the customer
4. Managing self
5. (possibly, bit difficult to remember now) Sharing knowledge

Also, I didn't ask the other candidates on the day what they were quizzed on so it could vary from person to person. It is probably best to look at the competencies online and think of a fresh example for each :)

And (a little tip here), I was a bit stuck on one so I asked if there was a different competency he could ask me. He said he couldn't ask a different competency from the ones he had in front of him but he was able to give me a second question for one, which I was then able to answer.

You had to write a letter to the customer in reply, and an action plan for the business. I didn't use bullet points but I guess they can be done differently. Maybe your careers at Uni can give some advice on how to write an action plan? Or, research it online?

Hope this is useful! Good Luck on your AC!

'LawStudentManc'

I cannot thank you enough for your top tips, thats very kind of you. I am getting back to the drawing board to put together a fresh battle plan lol. Hopefully things work out, i'll let you know.

Take care.
Nomist123

Hey Nikki400

There was 10 people at the AC. in the group exercise my group had 6 and the other had 4. That made no sense. With the group work, best to contribute, key points listen to everyone dont be scared of voicing your opinion even if it is different long as you can justify it. I found that i had to steer the group even though i was not the appointed chair. with the presentation part try to answer the questions they ask you with keeping centrica's philosophies. so link it to the company, like how it will benefit them. dont be too quite, as you need to contribute but on the flip side dont be too loud either. this you will have to judge yourself. best strategy of the complaints letter, put yourself in the customers shoe's, what would you like to hear first. i would like a appologies, but the letter has to be tactical too, such that you wont lose the customer. all of the info you need is given to you. you want to show them you fit centrica's competencies so memories them. Finally dont be scared of other at the AC as people will always try to out fox you mentally, so be yourself.

mistry16

Regarding the comment: 'dont be scared of other at the AC as people will always try to out fox you mentally, so be yourself'..

I agree with be yourself but the other nine people at my AC were all genuinely nice and we got along great (no one was an arrogant know-all!); I don't feel like anyone was trying to undermine me or outshine me. There isn't a quota so its not as if everyone is competing for a limited number of places from that day. Anywho, my AC was a really enjoyable day and I met some lovely people. I'm looking forward to working with three of them this summer! What I would say is don't be nervous about the other people you meet, hopefully you'll get a nice bunch (which really helps for the group task regarding group dynamics).

Good Luck for your forthcoming AC Nikki 400

hey mistry thanks a lot for all the tips. I really appreciate you taking the time out for it. Ill let you know how it goes and what happens. Thanks a lot.....:)

hey lawstudentmanc thanks a lot for your tips as well. Really do appreciate all your tips and assurances. It really help to know im not the only who goes nervous to these places. Will let you all know :)

Hi guys, just want to say like many others, your responses have been fantastic - lawstudentmanc and craig123123 in particular really helped me out - had my telephone interview last Thursday for IS and am now going forward to the AC on or around the 10th of April (will be getting confirmation in the next couple of days), so again thanks!

Craig123123, I just had a couple of questions for you. I first want to say good luck this week on your AC. I was going for General Management but that closed up early. My second choice was IS which I'm still pretty happy about so I'm going to go ahead, I was just wondering how the AC goesand if it is any different to what the others have been saying about the rest. If you could tell me about your experiences, that would be awesome!

Anyway good luck to everyone else, and if anyone wants advice about the the process up to now, feel free to ask, I just have a feeling everyone else has already done a bang up job explaining it!

hi geoffy:

my AC is this thursday which im really nervous about! ill spend monday revising about the company and tuesday revising my maths (its a bit rusty).

They put you in a hotel one night before and its paid for by Centrica. They will reimburse you £90 for any other expenses. Ill surely let you know how thursday goes.

Good luck to everyone and thanks to everyone for their comments/posts/

Hi craig

Thanks for your quick response. I noticed your above posts so best of luck this Thursday. Mine is about a week or two later. Best of luck, and as a number of people above said don't worry too much, they're obviously having you in for a reason!

I'm just curious as to the specifics, and any technical info and expertise that is required. I am coming from a non-computer science degree, but was told I am still fully eligible. I am quite savvy in terms of IT, but am just wondering if it goes further than that.
Also just general thoughts on the process and any pointers.

In any case Im sure you have more pressing things to worry about in the mean time so good luck preparing and fingers crossed it works out!

Cheers!

just found this forum! its great!
hi all thanks a lot for all your tips.

My telephone interview for IS graduate stream was scheduled today. As soon as they called, they said their line was bad and their systems were down and they sent me an email to reschedule.

Hopefully, next week i'll have the interview. the tips on here are awesome. i have been researching a lot. the trouble is these competencies based questions. i reckon you should have like 2 of each and as soon as they are used., cross them out. m y ones in the application were ace, but i have been forced to 'manufacture' new ones now. and will prepare more fore the assement center.

i just hope the space dont get filled up befor my AC appointment!

Hi guys!

IF anyone had a phone interview yesterday for IS or in general know how long does it take to get results/reply?

Thanks

I got my reply within 5 hours for my GM placement, by email

I had my phone interview for the IS summer programme at 12 noon last Thursday and found out 11am on the Friday that I was invited onto the AS. They did say they would get back to me with regards to dates, but I haven't heard anything back yet.

Can anyone tell me if they found out the dates with their confirmation email or later on?

Cheers, Geoff

hi geoff,
i think they send the dates later on. know someone who got invited and was emailed details later on .

Hello everyone.. This thread was really helpfull.. Im so glad all of your share your experiences as i have my telephone interview on the 14th of May! Do you know if there are still vacancies or if all/most postitions are filled already! Im really nervous and i really hope i get this job.. :D.. I think i have a clear idea about the contents of the telephone interview. If i get through i will talk to you guys about the AC! Cheers..

P.S - I applied for the IS placement. :D.. and i Cant wait :)

Hi cal,
Thanks for the advice. It has been a week since I heard anything so I am just wondering what to do as they said it would be Monday week. Has anyone been invited for an assessment centre around then (the 10th/11th May)?

well I can tell you that there are 51 members of the exclusive fb group (you get invited to my the recruitment people if you're successful at AC day), so assuming everyone who got a job has fb thats means that 66% of jobs have been filled (24 places left). :)

Thanks for the reassurance! They are obviously hiring some good people as you've been a great help RE advice.
I was going for GM but it filled up so I'm now going for IS, but I'm actually really interested in both. Hopefully those 24 places are for IS then I might be in with a chance! I guess I'll just wait for them to get back to me.

Best of luck to everyone else

ps craig123123, any news? best of luck to ya!

Assessment centres are difficult but the key is to be yourself, calm, prevent the other members from distracting you!

Hey guys,

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice they've given on here. I had my phone interview for the IS scheme this week, and they said they'd get back in touch within 24 hours. I didn't hear anything from them the next day, so I sent an email They replied pretty quickly to let me know i'd made it to the assessment centre. Don't be afraid to get in touch if they don't let you know!

My questions were the same as most peoples, Customer Service, Learn and Share Knowledge, and Ability To Find A Solution. The good thing is, its not timed, so once you've been given the question, you can take as long as you want to think up a good answer and they don't mark you down for it. As most people have already mentioned, if you give an answer similar to what you've put on your application form, they let you know you'll be marked down for it.

I'm waiting for the date, but hopefully i'll see some of you guys there. Anyone know if they are all in London, or if they have any northern Assessment Days?

Good luck to everyone involved!

Hi ADT, the ACs are all at their head office in Windsor, but they pay £90 of your expenses as well as booking you in to a hotel for the night. So financially and logistically, its not too much trouble if you're travelling from the north. Good luck for your AC!

Thanks for that LawStudentManc, thats good to know. Quite like the idea of a trip to London to be honest!

If anyone of you have an assessment centre or got through to the t.p interview kindly let me know. :D (Meaning after the 1st of May :)) Congrats to all those who got in :) Cheers..

.....

hey nikki400, how did you AC go? Any chance you could let us know how it went and what ya did like how you asked up above? (i.e. handling the customer complain and details about the group meeting) I have mine around next week.

I hope it went well for you and you hear/heard back some good news!

The task had nothing to do with a customer complaint! The group exercise was more around discussing and choosing projects to execute. I was offered a place, went for assessment on the 29th for IS.

Oh I think I was reading someone who did the Management AC a few weeks back, I heard that's very customer oriented. Congrats for getting a place! Any advice for the weary?

Just be Yourself! Revise the competencies, do the SHL practice tests over and over and over and over and over! I cant say this enough times, if you can buy the assessment tests from the assessmentday website, DO IT.

Ask yourself this question: Why centrica? Why do i want to work for them? What do i want to do with my career in future at centrica?

If it helps, look at job descriptions on the centrica website and it will give you a few ideas!

Last but not the least, dont be a robot, your personality is important on the day!

Be yourself, calm, cool, collected, controlled. I did all this until i had to use the non scientific calculator, i almost smashed it lol!! Buttons weren't responding!!!

Did my telephone interview today for IS grad. was ok. pretty much the same experience like others have posted. the key is to PREPARE. have fresh competency examples especially focusing on the customer and manging a difficult solution and also delivering excelent customer service. al different scenarios. so be creative . cook up some go examples. i await a positive response and IV to AC. if dont make it, no worries.

Research about Centrica too. career goals and aspirations and how you intend to achieve then in centrica. why do you want to work for centrica. what do you know about the company.

mine lasted 30 mins. dont be afraid to ask for more time especially to think your answer through before answering.

good luck to all yet to do fone interview and to all going for AC.

cheers

Hey caltech09,
best of luck! nice to hear you have a good attitude, I think that's one of the reasons I got through, and you sound like you came up with a variety of scenarios, which is no doubt what I think they were looking for. They too asked me a number of questions about the company, what I knew, and why I chose them for everyone else going for the phone interview - they're really nice interviewers so there's no need to worry!

I was just making sure though caltech, is the interview for the summer programme or the 2 year graduate programme? I'm just wondering out of curiousity really (not even sure they interview for the 2 year programme till later this year, so just wanted to get my facts straight). Again, best of luck!

hi geoffy,

thanks for the wishes. my interview was for the IS 2 year grad programme. i hope am selected because i learnt places are going pretty fast..

and you are right, the interviewers are awesome people. nice attitude, polite and sweet. if everyone who worked in Centrica were like them, the place must be a haven.lol.

so for those yet to do theirs, be positive, PREPARE, i cant say this enough,, and research well about the things listed earlier.

@ Geoffy have u had any reponse as to when your AC is taking place?

@Nikki400 can you enlighten us as to the outcome of your AC, if you didnt get thru please share your experience so we all gain. cheers.

heya ITcrowdfan I got the job.

First of all group meeting just work with everybody make sure everyone talks and try to drive the dynamics. Think on your feet in the group exercise cuz the questions they ask will be designed to take you off guard. Think of more things than the rest of the group when answering questions to display your analysis. About the presentation make sure you read the whole thing dont leave even one word of the description unresearched if you by chance happen to ignore something then handle the question tactfully. Have your manners with you at all times, ask all the questions you would like to in your one to one and the lunch time managers who will visit you all.

Dont worry about the test no one finishes them. Still try to do your best try and finish all english questions and do at least 23 maths questions key is attempt as many as you can if you think and if you think a question is going to take around 3 or 4 minutes leave it for the end. Do the small ones first but dont leave too many...i know its kinda confusing but i hope u get what i mean....dont leave more than 2 or 3 and none before u hit 20.....

Ya the customer complaint letter wont come for IS so dont worry.

thanks nikki

I have also been offered a role on the IS 2 yr scheme!!! YES

hey i just outlined the whole thing above but again i would:

1. One to One interview: Have good company knowledge, use fresh examples and actually ask if u need to the interviewer will tell u. Be confident and be natural.

2. Group Exercise: Make sure you contribute, never butt in when anyone talks, be visible but not dominating, think on your feet and try to have good solutions. Appear smart in terms of body language also and look in the eyes of the observer when answering.

3. Lunch: Make sure you interact with all the graduates, talk a lot with the visiting managers who come to meet you guys and ask lots of questions, make sure they know you and have good table manners.

4. Presentation: Research the topic well, make sure you make a good presentation so divide your time well, one hour is not enough so work fast and smart, use good sources, make sure you address every topic and question in your problem statement, research the company well so in case you can link something to the company website do that, and be alert about handling the questions. Make it look like you know everything and handle every question the best you can.

5. SHL Test: Make sure you do every question in verbal, dont guess. In numerical do as many as you can in the begg but if some look like they will take more than 2 minutes then leave it for later but dont leave more than 3 questions cuz you can never get back to them.

6. Case Study: Read the situation carefully, structure your answer in the format of the question, pay attention to what is asked and think as much as you can out of teh box as well apart from the facts given.

All the best!!

Hey caltech,

No, no news about when the AC is taking place.. a bit worried the places have filled up! I'm only going for the summer position, so hopefully I hear back some good news, it would be a stinger if I didn't get to go to the AC due to timing as I really want to work with Centrica

Thanks for all the advice nikki - great stuff!

no issues....all the best .....dont worry ull be fine!!!!!!!!

Invited for the 10th of May! 5 days notice is a little scary as the ash cloud is wandering about so looks like it will be the ferry for me!

Anyone else going?

does anyone know for IS scheme how long does it take to get AC results/reply? by email or telephone? fcuk19 & nikki, did you hear back from them the next morning?

Thanks a lot!

Hey Geoffy,
They put me through to the AC last Friday, i'm hoping that they are going to let me know i've got in for the one on the 10th. What date was your telephone interview/ when did you hear back with a date for the AC?

ADT

Hi Klying, Yes you receive an email the next morning to say you've passed. ac days are not confirmed straight away but the important thing is passing anyway. My assessment was originally on the 10th of may

Hey ADT,
I had my interview on the 22nd of April, heard back about my success on the 23rd and found out the actual dates today! They said on the phone it might be around the 10th, but I emailed them to find out the dates, they're very friendly so if you haven't heard in a few days I wouldn't worry about emailing them! I think they're under a bit of pressure with the ash cloud and all for non-UK applicants. Just go ahead and ask, maybe i'll see you next monday!

Cheers, Geoff
congrats for getting this far!

Thanks Geoffy,

They've just phoned me and i've got my AC on the 20th May, so Sadly I won't be seeing you on Monday but I wish you the best of luck! I didn't really consider overseas applicants, but like you said I bet there is a lot for Centrica to deal with.

ADT

did anyone have an A/C today? how did it go? how many people came and how many more to recruit?

Hey there CRASH,

Yeah I had mine today, I made a major mistake - you do a written assignment first, where you are told that there are 3 software packages to choose from, each with different advantages and disadvantages. you are given criteria to base it on, ranked in terms of importance (3 is the highest, 1 is the lowest)... I got it mixed up and thought 1 was most important and 3 was least important... not cool! Apart from that I came up with some solid reasoning, hope the fundamental flaw doesn't come back to bite me!

Before that was an interview, where they basically ask a question on each of the competencies, very similar to phone interview, just more indepth.

After the individual there was a break and then there was the group presentation. You get given a brief and then 20-30 minutes to discuss, and then give a 10 minute presentation. Not too tough, just make sure to be very open to everyone else and discuss your concerns. You will have to make assumptions.

Then there's lunch, really yum :D

And then there's the tests like the ones you did online.

The whole process ain't that stressful and they're all really nice, which makes it a lot better.
There were only 2 other guys with me! One GM and one IS.
Apart from my silly blunder, I felt it went pretty well, hopefully I hear back good news!

Good luck to everyone else!

Cheers, Geoff

Hey Geoffy,

I Honestly hope you get in.. and Im sure you would.. Two others apart from you only? Hmmph i wonder how many more they would be recruiting. I really hope i get in.. :)

Cheers
Crash

Hey guys,

Hopefully you got the news you wanted Geoff. I had a call yesterday to explain that they have now filled all the remaining IS positions :(

They are still putting my AC on, as a reserve list incase people drop out for any reason.

Oh did you have a telephone interview with them or not? Well i have mine in the coming few days. You sure they've filled the IS positions? Damn, now this is not good news.. :(

Sounds about right, when i went for assessment on 29th April, they only had approximately 6 places left with two assessments to go! But people always drop out and accept other offers, so fingers crossed!!

I'm sure its the IS positions they've filled, the women i've been dealing with at Centrica called me up and explained I could still go or not bother, it was my choice. My phone interview was at the end of April. The website has closed the IS scheme to new entrants now too.

Wasn't the news I wanted to hear either I'm afraid CRASH!

I'm guessing if your up to the phone interview stage, they'll just do that as normal, and then maybe invite you to the assessment day with me for a reserve position if you want to do that.

Thanks for the update. Hmmm.. Discouraging indeed. but either way if i get through id definitely give it a shot. Lets hope it all goes well for both you and i :)

I think some of the people who went to the may 10th assessment should comment and say how they got on!! it should clear things up!!

Hey people ,

I have an assessment center coming up . what could i expect ?

hope no more SHL test !!!

haha, sorry 1 more SHL Test on the day! The assessment has been explained in detail, scroll up to read more. Just practice more SHL Tests online before you go there!

From the SHL website ?? i found they were easier than the actual test .

Anyone going for the IS this year ???

Hey there,
sorry for the late reply - had my final masters project due today!!

Yeah I went to the AC on the 10th, there were only 3 of us total, it wasn't too tough, and I was told by one of the guys working there that they were not getting as many applicants as they wanted, so it surprises me that they've filled up tbh!

Beware though, I was told a few weeks ago that all of the Management summer places had been taken up but one of the guys at the AC was being interviewed for management! Who knows what that was about.

I was also told on the phone that I could either go to the IS AC on the 10th (which I did), or wait until September and be fast tracked through for the 2 yr grad program interviews, so look into it!

They've filled up . I have applied for the summer internship not the grad program plus AC are still on going .

surly they should have told me they have filled up before hand !

Hey i inquired. They havent filled up summer internships. Only grad programs are closed. So no worries.. Good luck and do your best :) I applied for summer internships as well :D

I am applying for the IS, Please I would appreciate if anyone can tell me how they answered the 3 key questions. All I want to know is the word limit and any additional information will be appreciated.

Well for starters dont lie. be yourself and talk about what you have really done cz it really does come out on the application. secondly i think the word limit is given there. its 150 words per section in a question totalling to 450. Im not too sure but check that out, its stated in the application. besides that write your best, make sure you dont submit it with spelling/grammatical errors and im sure you'll do good. Good luck with that. (If possible read up on the competencies and previous profiles so that you might have an idea of what they expect)

Did anyone get through for IS summer. I didnt :( How sad. I thought i managed the first part of the interview pretty well but later it went a bit off but still.. BUGGED! Good luck to the rest! :)

What part did u get up 2?? the phone interview or assesment center .

Phone interview :( cry..

Sorry man, but to be honest, there are plenty of other opportunities to come. I cried alot as well, not literally but its disappointing to fail but get feedback or do a self evaluation as to why you failed and come back stronger!!

Treat every application as your last and soon it will be!

No one on here going to the assessment day on Thursday?

yup crash i agree with fcuk19 all of us got many setbacks.......but the trick is to get stronger each time......

Awww.. Thanks.. This was my first interview so got a little nervous as well.. Anws maybe next time i should apply to more places. I didnt really give much thought to summer internships and just randomly applied to this.. hehe.. Thanks a lot for the encouraging words :) Appreciated..

It it makes you guys feel better, 2000 people applied for 75 places! A lot of the elimination process can be put down to the luck of the draw, as someone said above, keep thinkin of each interview as your last and eventually it will be!

CRASH 1st interview? Well relax and take a deep breadth. Next time use this document to do your research.

http://targetjobs.co.uk/sites/targetjobs.co.uk/files/Employer-Research-Sheet_0.doc

It helped me alot and also depending on your university, get a handbook called TargetJobs 2010. It gives a good idea of how to apply for roles!

It all works out eventually!! Its not a matter of IF you get the role, its WHEN.

hello everyone, my deadline for the SHL online test was 5.17, but I have not heard from Centrica yet until now. There is a "book interview" choice in my on line application form saying no slots available at the moment.

I want to know if I was not sucucced on the online test, will there still be a "book interview" choice?Or it means maybe I passed it..? :O

How long did you hear about your SHL test result after you finished it? I am thinking if I should send an email.

I will appreciate any help you are providing. Thanks. :p

I would recommend waiting for them to confirm, its their process, you might be trying to use initiative, but sadly, this is something that only they should initiate! Call them and find out if you passed! and also check your junk email, their emails were being flagged as junk on my account!

If there was a book assessment day option, would u click it without going through the telephone interview? loool

It took approximately 24 hours for them to get back to me! I think the interview option comes up automatically as you've completed the previous stage regardless of result!

Be honest and play by the rules!! Good Luck

thank you fcuk19, your suggestions are really helpful. But I got a bit confused, did you mean I just wait for a while
(if no feedback) and then call them to find out if I passed? you wrote "I would recommend waiting for them to confirm." and " Call them and find out if you passed". :p

haha, the choice is book a telephone interview actually, i might write something caused misunderstandings. :p

i think i may probably already fail it,i did bad in numerical ones, and english is not my first language, i think the verval ones are ok though. :( So thought if I could send them an email to explain something before they really tell me that "hey girl, I am regretful but you failed' lol

anyway, thanks so much, maybe I will wait until next monday, then call them? :p

Just be patient! Wait for them to email you by monday, if not, call them!

Did you do some practice before doing the tests??

English isnt my 1st language either but practice makes perfect in anything you do!!

Yes call them on monday!

Hey guys,

Had my AC yesterday, they offered me a place on the IS Graduate Scheme! Over the moon, can't wait! Best of luck to everyone else still in the application process, and hopefully see some of you guys from here in the near future

Well done ADT i was wondering if you could shed any lite on the AC? Any input would be great.

Cheers

msr5dk2

Nikki did a perfect description earlier, she wrote:

1. One to One interview: Have good company knowledge, use fresh examples and actually ask if u need to the interviewer will tell u. Be confident and be natural.

2. Group Exercise: Make sure you contribute, never butt in when anyone talks, be visible but not dominating, think on your feet and try to have good solutions. Appear smart in terms of body language also and look in the eyes of the observer when answering.

3. Lunch: Make sure you interact with all the graduates, talk a lot with the visiting managers who come to meet you guys and ask lots of questions, make sure they know you and have good table manners.

4. Presentation: Research the topic well, make sure you make a good presentation so divide your time well, one hour is not enough so work fast and smart, use good sources, make sure you address every topic and question in your problem statement, research the company well so in case you can link something to the company website do that, and be alert about handling the questions. Make it look like you know everything and handle every question the best you can.

5. SHL Test: Make sure you do every question in verbal, dont guess. In numerical do as many as you can in the begg but if some look like they will take more than 2 minutes then leave it for later but dont leave more than 3 questions cuz you can never get back to them.

6. Case Study: Read the situation carefully, structure your answer in the format of the question, pay attention to what is asked and think as much as you can out of teh box as well apart from the facts given.

The most important thing is to try remain calm and clear at all times, the staff aren't there to trick you, they just want to make sure you have a full understanding of things. Be polite to everyone; assessors and other interviewees. You'll be fine!

@ADT

So is it a confirmed start for september or reserve list like you said earlier?

I hope its a start though, see you at centrica! lol

Yeah its a confirmed start. Luckily for me, someone dropped out a day before my assessment centre, but they didn't tell me this until they actually phoned me today to tell me i'd passed the AC, and then they offered me a confirmed start. I was in so much shock I can't remember half the conversation, totally didn't see it coming.

So i'll be seeing you soon fcuk19!

thanks alot ADT

The posts in this forum are very encouraging and they're very motivating as well.. I want to appy to centrica for the IS but to be honest, i don't have any example of the key competencies. I will be most please if anyone can help me with specific answers on customer relationship, team work, knowledge sharing,, solution focus..

My email is cleakoms@yahoo.com..

your response will be highly appreciate. Thanks and best of luck

Thats a lazy approach to applying for graduate roles as there is no perfect answer! You are going to have to adapt your answers to different schemes! . Read more on how to answer competency questions as they will be in pretty much all your interviews. Also it helps to read graduate profiles as they give a good indication of how the company operates, culture, opportunities etc!

Ill look for some examples and post them if i find some!

Thats a lazy approach to applying for graduate roles as there is no perfect answer! You are going to have to adapt your answers to different schemes! . Read more on how to answer competency questions as they will be in pretty much all your interviews. Also it helps to read graduate profiles as they give a good indication of how the company operates, culture, opportunities etc!

Ill look for some examples and post them if i find some!