HP (Hewlett Packard) Assessment Centre/Day

Welcome to the forum.

Can you please share the questions that you were asked during your telephone interview?

The telephone interview kind of went in 3 parts:

The first was about HP: What are the objectives of HP, how do they provide value to their customers, who are their competitors. Also I can vaguely remember a question such as "What does the phrase "customer relationship" mean to you"? I believe there was also a question about how the current economic situation may affect HP.

The second was "Take me through your CV"

And the third was competency based questions which were very close to the ones listed on this site such as "Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision and the outcome", "Tell me about a time when a project you were working on went wrong and what did you do?", "Tell me about a time you went the extra mile to provide for a customer" (or something to that affect).

There were no technical questions, the interview lasted approximately 50 mins.

To prepare for it I read up on HP from their website and current internet articles- for example I recall one article written by a high ranking HP exec that said they differentiate themselves from IBM by moving toward virtual technology solutions which minimize IT hardware whereas IBM focus on mainframe technologies? - came in handy for the competitor question.

I rehearsed how I would speak about my CV, had a copy to hand and basically explained why I did XYZ, but tailored my explanations for IT Consultancy (which is the area of HP Im trying to get into). For example I spoke about how my career progressed from being purely technical to working with cross functional teams etc, how I have a mix of technical and business skills.

I also went to the competency section of this website and wrote out answers for each question on each competency (teamwork, communications, decision making etc) on sperate pieces of paper then spread them all out on a table in front of me while I was on the phone so I could reference them quickly. I tried to mix up the responses- for example my answer to the project question was about a professional project, whereas my answer to the "desion making" question was personal.

I tended to take the lead in the interview for example when the interviewer asked me about HP's competitors I didnt wait to be asked about how HP differentiate themselves instead I listed the competitors in each business function (consulting, harware, printers etc) and then went straight into comparing HP to them. For competency questions I followed the advice here about what info they were really looking for - for example the decision making question I made sure to say that I conducted research, spoke to all the people it could possibly effect, weighed up the pro's/cons (cost/benefit), made a decision and then commited myself to it (The decsion was to go back to full time education to do my masters which is still ongoing so I couldnt really comment on the outcome but I did say that regardless of what may happen I knew that at the time I made it it was right for me.

The interviewer was happy and told me at the end that it went very well, I got an email a few days later saying it was successful.

I am worried about the assessment day though as Ive never been to one before, any tips?

JDLK,

thanks for your detailed answer. Good luck with your A/C

Hi there!
I passed the phone interview with HP as well, and I'm waiting for some info about the assessment centre..
I have never been to one, so I'm trying to prepare and read about it online. The problem is that I'm not coming from any IT sector, so I wonder if my interview is going to be as technical as the others'..?
Are you going to be attending the assessment centre in Bracknell?
Also, what program did you apply for? Was it the Graduate Development Scheme?
I look forward to be hearing from you!

Hi there!
I passed the phone interview with HP as well, and I'm waiting for some info about the assessment centre..
I have never been to one, so I'm trying to prepare and read about it online. The problem is that I'm not coming from any IT sector, so I wonder if my interview is going to be as technical as the others'..?
Are you going to be attending the assessment centre in Bracknell?
Also, what program did you apply for? Was it the Graduate Development Scheme?
I look forward to be hearing from you!

Hey iv emailed them about this having reached the AC but have not heard anything, i applied for IT solutions consulting (im assuming this equals non technical consultancy as there is nothing abt it on the website, tho i have applied for the grad development programme, does anyone know anything abt this???). Also i dont have a technical background having studied economics, but rather a interest in technology.

JDLK: thts almost how i prepared as well, the first part of the interview was challenging but i managed to blag it and probably didnt do as much research as you did! tbh my interview was so long ago now i cant even remember anything abt HP, will have to research once i know when the interview is.

Also they say they have positions in london, is this true?

I applied for the HP Graduate Development Programme. They havent told me where the A/C is yet- still waiting to hear back from them- though they did send me an email saying they are experiencing some delays because they are also assessing EDS positions that may be suitable for HP grad candidates.

The phone interview was fairly in depth so I assume they wouldnt put you forward if the lack of a technical background was an issue so I wouldnt worry about it.

Not sure how technical the A/C will be to be honest so I dont want to advise you one way or the other, I suppose it wouldnt harm to bone up on a few current IT trends (this will prove you have an interest in IT).

Im not sure where the positions are located but I assume travel is required especially in the consulting division as a large portion of consultancy is delivered on client sites (dont quote me on that though)

If I hear anything I'll let you know, please post if you hear anything also.

Best of luck with it!

has anyone got anymore details on the assessment center? it would be greatly appreciated!

No but i also got through the interview, all marketing placements have been withdrawn, so there is going to be a lot less places. I think they have let too many people through and are trying to reassses who is actually going to a centre. I think it is down to the economic climate i tryed asking my interviewer about the centres and i got no answers.

I hope we will get a shot though!

Hi,

So does it mean you just got a second phone interview? Or you had only one?
And did the interviewer tell you at least when we can expect the assessment centre?

Thx

No i had one phone interview but she gave it away by accident that i had got through and so i asked when the assesment centre would be and where. She could not answer and i got and email today explaining that coz of the merger and the fact that funding has been pulled for some one the placements they may be recontacting people who have got through and tell them they are not getting through. It said bear with them and they will try to be in touch ASAP.

i get the feeling that it's all a bit unorganised and unstable right now.

ahhh that makes sense!

I still havent heard anything from them dispite having got through and emailing them before xmas which they ignored and the first ac was supposed to be end of Jan and as i applied so earlier i would have thought theyd have been in touch sooner. I didnt apply for marketing but their lack of response etc makes me feel they wont be inviting many ppl.

Hi,

Anyone got any information on HP A/C,

What to expect and when what will be involved on the day?
How to prepare for it?
When is it held?

Thanks.

has anyone heard from HP yet about when their A/C day is?

Not yet

Hi, just got an email today 13.2.08 saying that due to the HP EDS merger they will be required 'significantly' less graduate intakes this year. Not looking too good lol. But they say at this stage theyre NOT withdrawing any1s application. This credit crunch is screwing me from all angles!

Have any of you guys got the same email?

Hey!

I got an email and phone call yesterday from HP. Basically the situation is exactly what deebo452 has described but you are still currently being reassessed for the A/C due to the EDS acquistion. So if you have only recieved one email it means that you are not going through to the A/C this year and you can choose to withdraw your application now instead of waiting around. However, if you recieved a second email and a phone call straight after- you will be going through to the next round shortly with a confirmed date.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE- it's going to be quite tough from now on!!

I only got the one email as above, however if you are definately not going through why send an email saying they will be in touch soon to say yes/no?

yeap, i got the email too. i guess it's just a waiting game. im personally not banking on it

I think they're just giving the opportunity for people to opt out instead of HP keeping your details until some new jobs crop up-

 "We will invite candidates that we believe would be most suited to the roles to assessment centre but at the moment we won’t reject a candidate that has not been invited as we may be in a position at a later date where new Graduate positions are available."

Yup got that email aswell

Just had a pretty intense telephone with HP, it went pretty well I guess although I was quite nervous and paused a few moments.
She told me the last assessment centre day would be in April and I hope I would be invited to attend one before that....
At the same time I am still waiting IBM to arrange a date for me for the selection day....they cancelled a whole day with unknown reason and told me I would be rescheduled to the next available one.....I am now filling the expense claiming form for my train tickets lol.
By the time they arranged one I guess I would be too late to get an offer since they have first come first serve policy.

I have received this email yesterday:

"Thank you for applying to the HP Graduate Programme 2009. We have received your application and are reviewing it accordingly. We will update you at each stage of the screening process.
Please be informed that our assessment centres will be taking place between February and April 2009
If at any point you would like to withdraw from the HP application process please respond via email (graduate_recruitment@hp.com) to advise us of such."

This seems weird as I have applied to HP 2 weeks ago and they have already sent me the same reply before..

"At the same time I am still waiting IBM to arrange a date for me for the selection day....they cancelled a whole day with unknown reason and told me I would be rescheduled to the next available one.....I am now filling the expense claiming form for my train tickets lol.
By the time they arranged one I guess I would be too late to get an offer since they have first come first serve policy."

I spoke with a lady in HR dealing with Grad Scheme @ IBM last Wednesday. She said that they might be withdrawing some of their positions and they would let all the candidates know by the end of last week (which didn't happen). Considering that I have been in the application process since September, it would be a real shame for them to withdraw the position now..

Something crazy is going on with the world..

Just had my telephone interview with HP. Thanks everyone for the information available on this forum as it was very useful. Spoke with a lovely lady from Poland, she was very nice but make sure you prepare some water next to you as my interview went on for 1 hour and 10 minutes and not 30-45 (although I'm not sure that's a good or a bad thing). She did mention that even if I'm through the telephone interview, they are going to re-assess all applicants that went through again and only the best bunch will be asked to attend the assessment centre. Good luck to everyone!

I might be able to help with the IBM problem and I'm sorry to tell you it is not good news.

All Industrial Trainees from 2008 were put forward for the Graduate Scheme in 2009, they are not yet letting anyone outside this attend assessment centres and it is looking very doubtful they will at all.

I never passed the assessment centre after working my ass off for over a year on placement. I know people who got through the assessment centre that done virtually nothing the entire year so they sre certainly not taking intern year into account.

Anyway, several ex interns who passed the assessment centre way before Christmas have now been told that there are no current graduate positions available yet IBM are still scheduling assessment centres for a huge backlog of intern students.

I also know an ex intern that has not got through two final interviews even after passing the assessment centre.

So basically if you were an ex intern you have a small chance of getting a job if you are just a regular graduate you have virtually no chance.

The way the scheme has been run this year is a shambles, the feedback takes months, the travel expenses takes months.

If you are relying on IBM apply elsewhere.

Surely if there is no chance of the people getting these emails being placed in 2009 they would say we have moved you forward to 2010 intake.

I find it hard to believe they wouldn't just say this outright rather than give everyone false hope.

I am also in the same position I received the first email, I had my phone interview way back in November. I really want to work for HP but all this hanging around is getting irritating I would rather know now if I have no chance of getting to an assessment centre.

Also doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of the phone interview, they really should be rejecting people at the first application stage not people who have passed a phone interview.

It is impossible to get a graduate job this year I have found.

Surely if there is no chance of the people getting these emails being placed in 2009 they would say we have moved you forward to 2010 intake.

I find it hard to believe they wouldn't just say this outright rather than give everyone false hope.

I am also in the same position I received the first email, I had my phone interview way back in November. I really want to work for HP but all this hanging around is getting irritating I would rather know now if I have no chance of getting to an assessment centre.

Also doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of the phone interview, they really should be rejecting people at the first application stage not people who have passed a phone interview.

It is impossible to get a graduate job this year I have found.

"I might be able to help with the IBM problem and I'm sorry to tell you it is not good news.

All Industrial Trainees from 2008 were put forward for the Graduate Scheme in 2009, they are not yet letting anyone outside this attend assessment centres and it is looking very doubtful they will at all."

That is simply stupid. 1st of all, it is wasting a lot of time for a lot of people. Secondly, how can they get the best bunch when their are choosing from the pool of candidates that they have already seen? Many good graduates possibly were not doing placement year. I personally didn't know by that time what I really wanted and although I thought of applying for their industrial placement, I've got a job from my first interview and as it was in a better location with more money I just didn't bother finishing IBM application form.

"Anyway, several ex interns who passed the assessment centre way before Christmas have now been told that there are no current graduate positions available yet IBM are still scheduling assessment centres for a huge backlog of intern students."

That all makes perfect sense, thanks. I actually know a guy who did a placement year for IBM, applied for a job 2 weeks before me in September and got a job early this year.

"Also doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of the phone interview, they really should be rejecting people at the first application stage not people who have passed a phone interview."

Well, looks like they put through too many 'not so good' people in the first instance and now they need to reassess. The only bit I don't get is why are they not doing a second telephone interview or something like that but are simply going to 'have a meeting and decide who to call for AC'.

"It is impossible to get a graduate job this year I have found."

That is 100% true.. Although it doesn't look like next year will be any better as there will be a new bunch of 'soon to be grads' looking for a job..

I totally agree it is stupid but they most likely have to open the graduate applications to everyone. This is the first year the intern to graduate scheme has been run and I think to be honest they have made a complete mess of it.

IBM is an amazing company to work for as I found on placement it just seems the hiring process is always a bit of a mess. When I joined on placement my start date was changed on several occasions and when I arrived my manager had not been informed I was starting that day, I was also not given my induction for 6 weeks.

I find it really odd that every company is able to run the hiring process efficiently but IBM and HP always seem to struggle.

Hi Everyone,

Just to let you know that I received a phone call from the HP Graduate Recruitment on Tuesday 24th Feb, informing me that I had been chosen to attend the Assessment Centre. This A/C is actually running on March 3rd, i.e. next Tuesday, lol. From what I gather, this could be the last A/C they're holding, whether or not they fill the spaces. I applied to I.T Solutions Consulting & Project Management. The A/C is to be held in Bracknell at the headquarters and is to last one day. The number that came up was foreign, maybe polish, so if you get a call or have missed a call from a +487 number answer it because it's them.

For those of you who have receieved the phone call, please let me know. I'll be getting the train on Tuesday morning via London. Maybe we could meet up before hand.

Take care

What is going to happen to all the people who have passed the first interview but have not received this phone call.

I wish HP would just tell us the truth isntead of feeding us absolute bullshit.

"What is going to happen to all the people who have passed the first interview but have not received this phone call."

I've asked this during my phone interview. Those people will be dropped off from the recruitment process.

"From what I gather, this could be the last A/C they're holding, whether or not they fill the spaces".

Did they specifically say that? It sounds suspicious as if they claim to have 'a lot' of people who passed the telephone interview and I personally doubt they can make an easy decision to cut them down to 8 or 10.

Well, when she told me that the A/C was next Tuesday, I was quite surprised - usually companies give you about 2 weeks notice, that's from my experience though. I asked her if there were any other A/C's running so I could have more time to prepare, but she said as of yet they're not sure if they will be holding one in April, therefore this could be the last one. However, if they don't like any one at the A/C they'll probably contact people and hold the April A/C. I think we find out the result of the A/C within 48 hours, so they'll probably know by next Thursday, give them a call and chase them up.

I received the email too, it mentioned about EDS.
So does it mean if there are no positions left in HP they would put as into the EDS interview?

hey all, Just to let you know i am so happy, i received this email to attend the assement center, i will copy and paste below

Dear Candidate,

Please can you confirm your attendance by replying to this email or call me on the number below.

The assessment centre will be held at: HP, Bracknell, Berkshire. Please arrive at 9.45am for a prompt 10.00am start as the Assessment Centre will run for a full day. The day will finish roughly around 4pm.

) yeey

If anyone else is going could meet up, im driving down from leeds in my mini cooper :)

Congrats iamhappy

Let us know how it goes

I heard they ask you to prepare a presentation beforehand- have they asked you to?

That is for the intern scheme that you copied the email not the graduate scheme.

yeah it is the intern, sorry just thought id get involved in the group :)

Il let you guys know how it goes :)

I also got a call from them on Thursday. I am booked for the assessment in bracknell on Thursday. So I guess I will see some of you there. Has anyone started preparing for the presentation yet?

Hi everyone,

The 'Graduate' Assessment Centre is being held on Tuesday 3rd March - that's the one I've been booked in for. I spoke to one of the ladies on Friday from HR, and she stated that they were planning to have an additional A/C in April, but they're not planning to hold that one anymore. She said this is last scheduled A/C for the graduate scheme, however, it depends which scheme you applied for. The A/C on Tuesday is for Project Management & Solutions Consulting.

I've been asked to prepare a presentation, which I'm currently working on. I found it quite wierd when they said that powerpoint facilities won't be provided - all the A/C's I've been to, have provided the equipment, never mind, their probably testing us to see what else we can come up with.

Is there anyone attending on Tuesday? If so, please let me know. Good luck to all your interns and fellow grads, I'll let you know how it goes, and give you any pointers if I can.

All the best...

Just thought I would update you- I attended the assessment centre on the 19th February- for Business development and Project management. I found out on friday if i was successful-

Turns out I wasn't and all the EX-HP Interns were selected for the graduate scheme- of course all the places have been taken- 8 places this year.

Makes you wonder whether you had a chance to begin with!

Good luck

Sorry about your news tictac...goodluck with your job hunting.

Sorry to hear that tictac- it does make you wonder if they are seriously consider any non Ex HP interns at all.

Can you describe the assessment centre/your day?

The Interns they took on which I met on the day never studied business, knew nothing about it and were from rubbish uni's studying irrelevant courses. Yeh i'm bitter about it because I actually thought I had a chance against them.

The most intimidating part of the assessment day was that most assessors already knew the ex-interns and were really 'chummy' with them.

Assessment day- It didn't follow the plan outlined in the email. Some candidates had an interview straight after the welcome talk. The presentation is done with another candidate, and they ask you a lot of technical questions after- becareful of Stephanie Cutler she seems nice but she's harsh.

There were 4 out of 15 external candidates- the rest were ex interns.

To be honest- it was a waste of time! No external candidates were selected!

2RV786

Would you mind sharing your experience from Tuesday? Thanks in advance!

I went to the one on thursday. It was really good. They made such an effort to make everyone feel relaxed. The exercises were fun as well and interview was relaxed as well. But these days even when you think things went well....I always wait for the result from them. So will see what happens.

Their whole application process was abit of a joke so tbh im glad they didnt waste my time calling me to ac as i would have had to spend days preparing, take time off etc!

2b_malata, i've got a weird question - when they phoned you up to invite for the assessment centre, which number they've called from? I've just had a missed call from a weird number which I cannot call back for some reason and considering I don't have any more applications pending, my hope are up =)

@b_malata - I was also at the assessment centre on Thursday. They said we should hear the outcome by the end of this week... good luck.

@zidanee - Yes the call comes from an abroad number. I can't remember what it is off the top of my head and I don't have it on my phone anymore. Something like +287 XXX XXX XXX.

Thanks adatay92, goodluck to you too :)