I had been impressed with the efficiency of the application process up until this point - BT were quick to get back to me after the results of my online tests and application form. I received a call from someone at Futureboard Consulting, who handle the graduate applications, to arrange a Skype interview. I connected with the lady on Skype and she was very nice and friendly. However we had been speaking for 5 minutes when someone else called and there was confusion as to who was supposed to be interviewing me. She put me on mute and left me for a while as they sorted it out; meanwhile I was left with a blank screen and could hear other interviewers in the background. It completely disrupted the flow of the interview, and when she returned I could no longer see her face which meant it was much more difficult to build any kind of rapport. She had said she had to stick to a tight 30 min time slot as she was interviewing someone else immediately after, but then wasted 10-15 minutes trying to sort out their mistake. As a result, my interview was only 15 minutes long and I do not feel that I had a chance to sufficiently demonstrate my competencies and motivation. She asked a couple of simple questions and did not seem very interested in what I had to say. Furthermore, I asked her a relatively straightforward question about what BT graduates tend to do after finishing the programme and she did not know, as she works for Futureboard and not BT. I am aware that perhaps I was just not right for the programme, but I think the manner in which the interview was handled was wholly unprofessional and that I was put at a severe disadvantage because the lady was in a rush to get on with the next interview and didn't give me a chance to express what I wanted to say. I am extremely disappointed and don't feel like my application was valued after all the effort I had put in.

I sent off a written application and then completed a numerical test a few weeks later. Got through to a skype interview with an employee of BT about a month later. The interviewer was really friendly and not too formal which helped calm my nerves. It took about 30-45 minutes altogether and I heard back within a week. BT Futureboard also provided feedback on the interview which I found very helpful. I am currently waiting to hear back about assessment centre dates.