The application process

We want the best, so our recruitment and selection process is rigorous, thorough and designed to identify those people who will be most suited to the MBA Leadership Programme and a career with BT. The process is managed entirely by BT’s experienced recruitment team and all hiring decisions are endorsed by a panel of senior leaders.

There are a number of methods we use to attract the best candidates, including business school presentations, our website and referrals. Every application is treated the same, wherever it originates from.

Your application will first be reviewed to evaluate whether you meet the minimum criteria and have the right experience, skills and technical aptitude (see “Is it right for me” section to view the programme job description). The entire content of your application will be taken into account, including any cover letter you supply to provide further details.

Telephone Screen

If your experience and achievements match our requirements, one of our team will contact you to discuss your motivations for applying to the programme. Based on the outcome of your initial conversation, the next steps would involve an HR interview and business case.

Round 1 interview

This may be conducted in person, via video conference or over the phone, depending on your location. It involves two types of interview:

• General interview – a CV based, behavioural interview to review your career history and background and evaluate your fit against the BT leadership capabilities
• Business case study – a hypothetical business problem or opportunity is outlined to you and we assess your approach to analysing and addressing the problem.

Should you be successful in the Round 1 Interview stage, you will be invited to a full day Assessment Centre, held at BT Centre in London. This is an opportunity to meet the BT team, including senior managers, MLP management, team members and HR. It is both a networking opportunity and a chance to further prove your suitability for the programme through a series of exercises:

• General interview - to assess your understanding of and passion for BT and the sector, including your fit for the programme and BT.
• Business case study - an additional case interview, demonstrating how you structure your approach to a problem and demonstrate your strategic and logical thinking.
• Presentation – you will be given background information and time to prepare your response to this information, and will then present your findings/action plan to a senior manager.
• Group exercise – working in a team, you will be given a business problem or opportunity to address and demonstrate your ability to address a problem effectively in a team environment.

Soon after this assessment, we will make the hiring decisions, which must be endorsed by a panel of senior managers. We will offer a feedback session to all candidates who attend an Assessment Centre.

Summer Internship

The selection process for the Summer Internships involves the same steps as the MLP up to the Round 1 interview stage:

• CV screening
• Telephone screen
• General Interview
• Business Case Study

There is no Assessment Centre for Summer Intern recruitment.

The real assessment for the Interns happens once you join us for the summer. Your performance on your project and your interactions within BT will help us to determine whether a full-time offer will be extended at the end of the internship. We see the summer intern programme as a strong feeder for full-time hiring and have every intension of making offers to summer interns who perform well.