Computacenter It Consultant Interview Questions
& Process

The whole application process at Computacenter was very structured and organized. First, there was a conversation with the team leader, which was very pleasant and took place on a professional and social level. Next, a one-day assessment center took place in Düsseldorf. Computacenter covered the train and hotel costs. 6 people participated in the assessment center that day with me. In advance, there was the task to prepare a short self-presentation including 1-2 short slides. These should be presented at the beginning. Afterwards, there was a short preparation time with all participants in a separate room to prepare various role-plays (angry customer, acute problem and appeasing the customer). The role-plays were then carried out individually with the HR colleagues from Computacenter. At the end of the task round, everyone received feedback (a self-assessment took place beforehand) and there was an immediate offer with a written contract draft. Overall, it was an experience that I wouldn't want to miss and I found the day pleasant despite all the excitement and felt well looked after. After the successful assessment center, there was a final meeting with the team leader in the actual offices in Berlin, including a small tour. This was more to get to know everything.

The interview process was an all-day assessment center in Ratingen, from 8 AM to 6 PM. There were only 4 applicants and 3 interviewers from HR and the department. The tasks included a 5-minute self-presentation, a 15-minute consultation discussion, and a 15-minute conflict resolution discussion. There were long processing times and breaks in between. The assessment center felt too long, especially considering consultants should complete tasks much faster. The initial salary offered was €36,000 fixed with no room for negotiation, which I found unacceptable given my Master's degree and relevant work experience, which they didn't seem to value. The overall tone was condescending and belittling. The self-presentation questions were somewhat appreciative but leaned towards negativity. Following this, there was a self-assessment, which felt designed to create uncertainty. The consultation discussion, a server migration case, was okay in principle, but the numbers provided were unrealistic and the project scope was very small. It was unclear if certain costs were included in the figures, and no one was available for clarification. The conflict resolution role-play, involving placating an angry customer with 5 issues in 15 minutes while also needing to mention an outstanding invoice, felt like a no-win situation and detached from reality. I eventually told the customer to give me my 5 minutes and stop talking. The focus seemed to be solely on appeasing the customer rather than solving the problem. The people themselves were nice, but I wouldn't want to work there. I wasn't actively seeking a job, just exploring options, as I wouldn't start for €36,000 anyway, which they justified as 'training'. My salary expectations for consulting were higher. I didn't get an offer because HR stated I wasn't customer-oriented, as evidenced by the conflict discussion. My view is that while the customer is important, they shouldn't be prioritized if they jeopardize the project or cause financial harm, especially if they refuse to pay.

Overall a friendly and transparent interview. In hindsight, I would have appreciated more precise information in the job description. They could have at least listed programming skills as 'desirable'. As an applicant, especially for a trainee position for career changers, one doesn't necessarily expect programming to be the central question in the interview. Even after I said no, I was repeatedly asked if I was a hobby coder or at least had some basic knowledge of programming languages. It doesn't seem to be a disqualifying factor, as I was invited to a second interview, but I still found it a bit difficult from an applicant's perspective, especially since they weren't interested in my actual skills, which might also be relevant for a consulting role.