Imperial Oil Project Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I got contacted through campus recruiting, and I guess my cover letter showed I was really interested. The interview was super casual. Mine went for about 50 minutes, but I heard others only went for 35, so I guess it really depends on how much you talk and your answers. It was pretty relaxed. The senior project manager started by chatting about his own time at Imperial Oil. I was asking a ton of questions, and honestly, I think he was expecting it because we weren't really getting anywhere (haha, at one point I thought he'd never actually start the interview). After talking about his career for a bit, he ran through the basic screening questions to see if I was even eligible for the work term, like if I was in third year, etc. The rest of it was all behavioral questions. He did mention it's unusual for Imperial, and only students get to skip the technical stuff, and normally there's a second round too. He really pushed using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Approach, Result) for answers and even told me to do it that way so he could 'assess' me properly. You should totally bring up past work stuff and relate it to class projects. For strengths, make sure you list five – I peeked and his paper had five lines for it. He'll also ask about your biggest weakness.

This is all about processes. The interviewer asked every single question on this sheet, and checked it off when it was done. The position was intended for a new grad, but I had 3+ years of experience in the same field. The first half an hour of the interview was dedicated to questions about my university experience. This seemed a little odd, since it's not applicable to me (So, do expect it to come up). The interviewer was very nice, however be prepared to answer questions by talking about a problem/issue, how you solved it and how the solution was perceived. If you don't follow this process, the interviewer will ask the questions in order to get all the information out of you. Make sure you ask the interviewer about corporate policy when it comes to promotion. IOL is a very competitive environment, and I suspect that not everyone would be comfortable in it.

I got the application through my university careers website. About 10 days after applying, I had my first interview on campus. Then, a week after that, I got invited for a second interview at their office. The whole experience was pretty nice, and the interviewers were chill and welcoming. They mostly asked behavioral questions and about cultural fit, wanting to know how I'd act in different situations.