Npower

• Telephone Interview
• Competency Based Interview
• Competency Based Questions

..also prepare for questions on why NPower, Why Energy, and make sure you keep up to date with current news on credit crunch/price of oil/energy prices, etc.. although this type of question probably won't come up at this first stage telephone interview. Good luck... let us know what happens!

well, now i'm ill before the interview tomorrow morning! eep. oh well, will have to wow them in my own special manner.

i'm confident that i've got all the questions covered, of course i'll have to be smart on the spot but i'mhoping my voice clears up and i can speak properly and not jumble everything up as my accent has a way of doing.

any idea how long i should spend answering each question?

thanks !

You'll be fine. If your voice gets very bad, just apologise and take a second, then continue. Spend as long as you need to on each question. At least 30 seconds, at most 2 minutes.. but your interviewer should guide your answers and I expect it'll be more of a conversation really...good luck!

Well, my voice cleared up and I was able to answer all the questions although i'm not sure how i did! i was ...stuck on a question or two but hopefully i managed to put my skills across well.

had to answer around 6 or 7 questions and it went really smoohtly, thanks to the lady on the other end.

shall write up a thank you note to the place and then leave it as so.

phew!

Get thought to the next stage?

Hi yasin

Can you tell me more about the questions you were asked??I also have a telephone interview with them soon!!!

Hi guys,

I am through to the telephone interview (2nd stage) of the Npower Grad Scheme.

Apart from what's already posted i.e. energy prices and issues facing the energy industry, does anyone have any advise or more specific questions as to what to expect please???

Cheers.

I had questions on how did i deal with a crisis within a team, showed leadership skills and mistakes i have made and what i learnt. They were definitely three but icant remember the others, sorry!

Good luck!

Hi Wycombe,

Cheers for the reply. Just a few qustions?

when did you have your interview?
did you pass the interview?
what scheme did you apply for?

hey,
I had the interview about three weeks ago and yea i passed it to the assessment day sometime soonish!
I applied for business analyst role!

Cheers

Hi wycombe

After how many days you got to know that you have passed your telephone interview?

thx
cyco

i got an email 3 or 4 days later. I have my assessment day on monday week!

Fun times!

Hi wycombe

how was your assessment centre? hope you did well?

what did it entail?

Hi guys,

I passed the telephone interview and I have an assessment centre next week.

 Can someone please give me some information on what the ASSESSMENT CENTRE entails please.

Thanks

Hey,

I had my assessment day on Nov 24th and was offered the role the next day. Despite a couple of phone calls and an email I still have not received any contract- anyone else in the same position??

Cheers

Hello all,

I had a telephone interview for the General Business Management scheme some time in November. I was told a couple of days later that I had passed that stage, and I was being "considered" for a place at an assessment centre.

I have heard nothing from them since, although my application status on their website when I log in says that they will be in contact as soon as possible. Does anyone know if this is normal, or, is anyone else in a similar position? Also, if anyone would like to post a bit of info. on what the assessment day is like, that'd be very helpful.

For future reference, the 45min. telephone interview was only competency questions: dealing with crisis in a team, a complex or unique solution to a problem, something about influencing others to achieve something and planning/organising something (sorry the second two are a little vague). The woman on the phone was very friendly and helpful, in one of my answers I was told I had used the word "we" a lot, and was asked if I could be more explicit about my individual role. I took quite a bit of time to think as I was asked each question, and this didn't appear to be a problem, even though there was a bit of a silence each time, I just asked for some time to think about my answer. I was not asked "why npower" or "why energy" or anything like that, and I wasn't asked about anything on my CV or application. Also, might be worth noting that I passed the online numeracy test stage even though I thought I did quite badly and I didn't have time to answer all of the questions (I think it was out of 20, and I answered 14 or so).

Hope this is helpful.

hello everyone,

i have a telephone interview with npower on wednesday 21st jan. Just wanted to ask for some advice for those who have passed this stage. What questions do they ask and if its the same as the application form?
Its for an engineering scheme

Thanks

Hi essam86

Do you the questions you were asked in the telephone interview?
and how did it go?

cheers

Hi,

I have an assessment centre this thursday with npower for the quantitative risk programme..

anyone know what kind of questions i will be asked in the technical interview and also how i can prepare?

Thanks

Hi there, how did your assessment centre go? I might have one with them soon and will appreciate if you could share the experiences. :)
I am also very interested in how your technical interviews went.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

Hello buddy,

     I have an assessment day call from npower for the QRP.

hi am1507,

I also have an assessment centre with npower for the quantitative risk program. What kind of questions are asked?

Thanks

Hi there, I have no idea too as I will have one soon as well. When are you guys having it?

Hello joseph18

       I am going there on 18th march for the QRP.

Hey there!

how did the assessment center go? anyone got an offer for the QRP?

Hiya. Well, I struggled to find any expreiences for npower assessment centres out there so, here goes. I attended an HR one in Swindon office. It was very relaxed, very friendly, very informal I would say, compared to what I had watched in 'prepare for an assessment centre' type of videos. It was 6 of us. Unfortunately the mantra you hear that 'you are not competing against each other' turned out to be wrong as we knew there was only one position they are recruiting for. After an introductory presentation we were hanging out in a conference room. The day was scheduled from 8.30-4.30 with 3 activities- interview, presentation, group work. So while 2 were being interviewed, the other 4 had to sit and wait. So the stress was building up, however, everyone involved in this day assured us that there is no need, we should enjoy ourselves. We got to know the other andidates really well which was like a little support group. The assessors were employees of the company and not external assessors, therefore very friendly and encouraging.

The interview was with 2 assessors looking for evidence for particular competencies- accountability, teamwork, don't remember...i think either decision making or problem solving. Questions like- how would you go about if you can't meet deadlines, describe how you would prioritize then, describe when you have not met a deadline etc. When you implemented a unique solution, when you were held accountable, when you perfromed, when you did and when you didn't meet an objective. Etc. Probing what was your thinking process, how did you feel, what made you do what you did. However, I heard that the interviews will further on be behaviour based rather than competency based. 45 minute interview.

Group work was 45 minutes to read a short article about energy industry and prepare a response. So, discussion and then 5 minute presentation. But we were marked on team interaction skills and intellectual input, nothing about presentation skills at this point, so i thought my team took it a bit too seriously preparing a full on presentation. They asked questions at the end too, which we struggled with but yet again, we were later told- don't worry, that's not what you are being marked on. But I would say, it required some knowledge of the industry and company to complete the task well, as not much information was given on the sheet so in order to prepare the best response, like a report or we opted for a press conference, so the more we knew the more ideas we could generate and that was exactly what we were marked on.

Finally, the presentation- in small conference rooms infront of 2 assessors. We were sent questions to prepare beforehand- 15 minute presentation on either company, or industry and how as managers we should either prepare workforce to deliver outstanding performance, or implement responsibility and sustainability ideas in everything 'we do' etc. I would say- the topics were aimed at us doing research and knowing what's going on within the energy industry and where npower stands in all this. All the questions were aimed at this, the input in the groupwork was aimed at this, and in the interviews as well- we did get questions like- why npower, why energy sector. If you got it a bit wrong- not a biggy, but they wanted to see what you had managed to come up with and whether you were able to justify and stand by what you'd just said. And presentation skills of course.

So now we are all awaiting the phone call.... Hope this helps someone.

hi there, was wondering if there was anymore numerical or verbal reasoning tests done at the Assessment Centre cause I know other assessment centres do more aptitude tests like the online tests?? Thanks