#129: Shell Oil Job Interview

Good Morning!

So, hi. You are on this post, most probably because you passed the first stage of Shell’s Online Tests or Phone Interview. So, this is the time where I feel like I should give back to the community by sharing my experience on attending Shell’s second stage of one-on-one’s face interview. Scary, I know. But fret not, I am here to help you ease your worry after you try googling about it and still clueless and nervous down your spine on it! (I definitely know the feeling as I have encountered a major sarcastic “Thanks Google, listing Shell as the World’s Top 10 Hardest Interviews sure does help me in putting off my worry” before.)

I am currently on my semester break before my last semester of BSc. in Science (Applied Geology) at University of Malaya. I have completed my Final Year Project (or also known as thesis project); majoring in Petrophysics, Geophysics and also Sedimentology. Sounds super heavy and tough, pheeew to that, I actually succeed in going through the long hassle of it. I applied for a technical position in Shell’s Petrophysics and Reservoir Engineering way back in April 2013, via online. I will only be graduating in December 2013. If I am not mistaken, they open the application all year round (You can check the website). Then, I had my first stage of online tests in May 2013. The online tests are basically just some psychological behavioural tests and also a few technical tests (testing on your calculation and understanding ability, 16 questions in 16 minutes). Honestly, I really thought I did so bad for the tests because I don’t even understand half of the questions and the time given was ridiculously too short for such long, twisted questions. I did not heard of anything from Shell after I did the tests for almost 2 months except for a “Thanks for completing the tests…” email. At that point, I was 100% sure of how my chance of working with Shell is down the drain.

Surprisingly, after I finished my 6^th semester, in Early July 2013; I received an email from Shell, an invitation to their second stage interview session. Meaning; I passed the ridiculously tough online tests! I did not expect their interview would be any time near, but I was wrong. I received another email on 8^th July 2013; asking me to pick a date and time slot for my appointment with them for the one-on-one interview session within that week itself. Can you imagine how nervous I felt? Insane. I don’t even know what to prepare as this is my first job interview ever. So many things are going on that week as I have to submit my corrected thesis in for the university library publishing. I was busy and nervous at the same time, what a bad combination of feelings to have; especially during your last semester break ever! None of my batch mates have ever attended a job interview before, so I have no idea who to refer to about it. So, I turned to my thesis supervisor, seniors (Syawal and Muzzamil) and also my new AAPG advisor (Evon, who happened to be my senior that I have never had the chance to meet before). I got a bunch of very useful tips, trust me, they were. Oh yes, I also did my research on Shell and also few job interview skills.

On the day of the interview (12^th July 2013);

I went to the Shell’s Building in Changkat Semantan, Damansara Heights (the building is nearby HELP University in Damansara, you will see a signboard stating “Bangunan Shell Malaysia” after you passed by Jalan Dungun) in the afternoon and I arrived 20 minutes before the interview starts. (It says to arrive 15 minutes before the interview session, but it is always good to arrive way earlier than that. Ohh you know, just to make yourself calm down and be comfortable with the environment and vibe.) The early arrival lets you to deal with the receptionist for your pass in. I sat at the lobby, murmuring a few prayers to calm myself until my interviewer came out herself to call me in. The interview session is done at this area on the ground floor itself. It’s like an area specified for meetings and interviews. The person that interviewed me was one of Shell’s Human Resource (HR) Recruitment Team. My interview was pretty laid back and not as intense as what I have read in other blogs before though. Maybe it was just my luck, but who knows. So, basically the interview is based on your past experiences, achievements and also relationships – in other words, it is based on C.A.R (Capacity, Achievement and Relationship) which is a concept used in Shell. The interview session is divided into two;

First round of interview questions are based on C.A.R like:

·         What is your greatest challenge and how you overcome it?

·         Have you ever encountered a situation where you have to deal with people of different ranks and how is your relationship with them?

·         Can you adapt to a new environment, if so, what is an example and how you did it?

*There are a few more questions, but basically they are just behavioural interview questions, testing your skills and abilities in tackling challenges and problems.

Second round of interview questions are based on your personal preferences and Shell like:

·         Why do you want to work for Shell?

·         What role do you want and what are the skills that you have for the role?

*There are also a few more questions, such as your preferences in the technical skills area and such. Basically, just to know how you would fit in Shell.

There were many questions and they were quite long, so I suggest that you listen carefully to the points that they want from you. If you do not understand what they want, don’t be afraid to ask for the explanation from them. And another advice, if you need a little time to think, don’t be afraid to tell them that you need a minute to think of the answer. They will give you time. My interview session took about 50 minutes; almost an hour. It’s good if you manage to tell them about yourself and give them many points. They will also ask you if you have anything to ask them at the end of the interview session. My advice is that you should prepare a few. I had like 4-5 questions for them. When you ask them appropriate questions, it shows that you are interested to work for Shell and it also shows that you are one curious person and always eager to find out more about something; which is a good trait for the industry and the technical area. I managed to feel comfortable during the interview, and that helps a lot in expressing myself and my thoughts during the interview.

I hope this helps. There was not much tension going on during the interview, and the interviewer was not scary too. She was really friendly. So, calm down and start preparing points to talk on for your interview. I wish you all the best!

And in case you’re wondering, YES I PASSED THIS INTERVIEW ;)

Loves, xx

Listening to: Let’s Go by Matt and Kim