Capgemini Interview Questions & Reviews

Interview Details 2 initial telephone intevrivewa, face to face case study
and hr competency interview

Negotiation Details – very strict no room to moaneouvre

Interview Details 1) Technical interview on the phone
2) Interview at Cap offices in London 1 to 1. Got a case scenario where I had to come up with a technical solution, team and project structure.

Negotiation Details – I was given an offer which I accepted. The agency had told them upfront what my minimum expectation was. Thats what I got.

Interview Details Online application
Telephone interview
AC

Interview Details I was approached by email by senior recruiter who had viewed my LinkedIn profile, initial 'phone discussion with recruiter to establish my potential interest. Full job spec supplied after I confirmed possible interest in the role.

As the role was biased towards innovation I submitted my resumé as a PowerPoint presentation, in the expectation that my presentation would be close to those I would have to deliver in-post. This was favourably received and I was invited to a formal interview.

The interview went well but I realised that my decision to wear an expensive suit, shoes, collar and tie did not mirror the interview panel, who were all dressed for business casual.

About ten days after the interview, the senior recruiter called me and ran through a whole list of praise for my experience, skills and interview performance - summarised as being excellent. But then came the killer punch: "we consider that your management presence is not congruent with the needs of the Center."

So, in their words, good enough to do the job but didn't look the part. My conclusion that it was probably my smarter attire, when they expected business casual dress. Or it could have been my age (mid 50s) which, of course, they could not cite legally as a valid reason for rejection.

Interview Details I applied online via the Capgemini website (which is a pretty standard application form – it asks about your work experience and a few motivational questions) then received an email from the Graduate Recruitment (GR) team (who have been outsourced to India, though don't let this put you off, they are all very efficient) a couple of days later inviting me to take a telephone interview.

This was mainly competency-based and lasted around 30 minutes. The interviewer asked a bit about Capgemini so make sure you do your research first: what they do, how they are organised, who their competitors are, what projects have they been involved in and so on. The best place to look for this is on their homepage – all resources can be accessed there. The interviewer was very friendly and professional and didn't ask me anything to catch me out; at this stage they are simply trying to find out your strengths and weaknesses and whether they think you are a good match for the company. I received an email 10 (yes, 10) minutes after I had put the phone down from GR saying that I had been successful and that they would like to invite me to an assessment centre, which took place at their HQ in Woking. I received a case study along with the invitation, where I was instructed to prepare a 15-minute presentation which I had to do in the interview.

The first exercise was a chat with 2 existing graduates, which I found very useful as it gives you the opportunity to find out more about the company. Make sure you ask lots of questions and be prepared to regurgitate all this information for the "Why Capgemini?" question in the interview. The face-to-face interview was with an SAP consultant and kicked off with the presentation. I thought I did alright but afterwards the interviewer grilled me for 10 minutes, asking very awkward and obscure questions. In this stage, it's important to keep your cool: they aren't expecting precise answers but they are looking for whether you can arrive at a solution logically (so explain your methodology!). You can have a handout but don't refer to this constantly during the interview – instead write down some bullet points on prompt cards (these will be collected) and use these instead.

The rest of the interview was much more pleasant and consisted of a couple of competency-based questions and a few motivational questions (e.g. Why Capgemini? Why the technology programme? What does a consultant do?). If you have knowledge of SAP then show this off – the interviewer will know what you're talking about. It was really more of a discussion; in my case there weren't any set questions and it made me feel a lot more relaxed. After the interview, there was a short lunch break then a group exercise (in a group of 6 with 3 Capgemini assessors) and a verbal reasoning test. The group exercise was arguing an investment strategy and they aren't looking for leadership but whether or not you can work effectively in a group discussion, so don't talk over people or dismiss other people's ideas – this won't go down well! The verbal reasoning test was a standard SHL one (with a technology theme) which I, surprisingly, found easier than the online ones. If you've done them before then you needn't worry – just read through the questions and take your time.

After the interview I received a call from HR a couple of days later saying that I had passed the assessment centre stage but unfortunately the original position that I had applied for (SAP Finance) was already filled and Capgemini felt that I was a better fit in another SAP department. I was told that the head of this department wanted to have a further chat with me, which came a week after the assessment centre. This wasn't an interview at all – more the manager trying to sell me the position and asking me whether I wanted to work for them! I then got a call a week later saying that I had been successful and they would like to make me an offer, which I happily accepted.

Overall, I had a really positive interview experience. The HR and GR staff are polite and efficient and never try to catch you out at any stage. Just be yourself and do your research and everything will be fine.

Negotiation Details – With a graduate scheme there isn't much room for negotiation until you've completed it.

Interview Details 2 phones interview (Both technical and non technical questions) lasted about 30-45mns each. Then a face to face interview on client site, mainly technical questions, then they decided to skip the case study.

Interview Details I applied online and would relatively quickly asked to complete two online tests- numeracy and literacy. These are the generic and common tests for all major companies recruiting graduates.

I then completed a telephone interview - which was both technical and competency based.

I was then informed I had passed (the next day) and was informed that I would need to wait for an assessment centre day to open up. This took a long time and then I was informed, with one days notice, that there would be a space. Needless to say I don't think that much of their HR department (which incidentally is outsourced to India). Anyway I went to the assessment centre which involved a group activity, a re-run of the logic, numeracy and literacy tests, and a face-to-face interview (including a presentation of a case-study).

In general I found all the staff I spoke to to be very welcoming and friendly. They were open to questions and were not in any way trying to catch-you-out.

Negotiation Details – I didn't make any negotiations other than the office I would be placed in and the start month.

Interview Details Had an unusually pleasant telephone interview. Unlike most interviews where you get off the phone and feel as though you are drained and didn't learn much if anything, the interviewer spent more than half the time explaining Capgemini to me.

The group interview was similar. You leave with a view on Capgemini. Often after I have received an offer I have asked to come back and interview the company, this time I didn't have to.

Their catch line "People matter, results count" is real. This isn't the sort of firm where cut and thrust is rewarded or people talk about 'screwing' the client. On the other hand, it is a big organization and the review and promotion processes feel like box ticking. It is also very much a French company. Manners are important. Client delivery excellence goes without saying. It is the bits around the edges that will determine your success.

Negotiation Details – The pay scale at Capgemini is less than the market. That is the way it is, and the benefits aren't great, but the bonuses are real, and the consulting culture remarkably collegial.

Interview Details Not much of a technical interview as this was a contract position. Was more to check for a personality fit and establishing that my CV was truthful. I was unofficially given an offer right there and this was made official before the end of the day. Only met my manager, so didn't get much of an idea of the environment at the time, but the work seemed different from other companies I had worked with.

Negotiation Details – negotiated a better rate as I had received another offer at the same time