Octopus Energy Interview Process 2026: Cover Letter and Discovery Day

Last updated: October 2026

TL;DR

The Octopus Energy interview process runs in order: an application built around a cover letter of up to 500 words (Octopus says it does not use CVs), a short recruiter call, a video interview, numerical and verbal aptitude tests for many early-career and customer roles, a roughly 3-hour Discovery Day with group tasks and individual interviews, and a final one-to-one interview. Candidate reports put the whole process at about 2-3 weeks. Rehearse the video interview and your cover-letter story in OphyAI Interview Practice, and practise live-call structure in OphyAI Interview Copilot. We could not read an Octopus candidate AI policy, so ask your recruiter before using any tool in a live round.

Quick Answer: Octopus Energy Interview Process

Stage	What to prepare
Application and cover letter	A personal letter of 500 words or fewer on why this mission and what makes you tick, in your own words.
Recruiter call	A 10-minute story of your background and why energy, customers and Octopus.
Video interview	A conversational 40-45 minute interview with competency questions and questions about the role.
Aptitude tests	Timed numerical and verbal reasoning practice on the device you will use.
Discovery Day	A virtual half day of group work on a customer scenario, a product pitch, individual interviews and a Q&A.
Final interview	A one-to-one conversation of about 30 minutes on fit with the team and the role.

Action Plan: Prepare for Octopus Energy by Round

Round	What Octopus tests	What to do before the interview
Cover letter	Motivation, personality, honesty	Write 300-500 words about one customer moment and one reason you care about decarbonisation
Recruiter call	Basic fit and enthusiasm	Prepare a 60-second background and two reasons for Octopus specifically
Video interview	Competencies, empathy, communication	Prepare five STAR stories with a customer or colleague outcome in each
Aptitude tests	Numerical and verbal accuracy under time	Do two timed sets in one sitting, with a calculator and rough paper
Discovery Day	Teamwork, customer thinking, creativity	Practise a group scenario and a 3-minute product pitch with a clear recommendation
Final interview	Values and team fit	Prepare three questions about the team and one story about doing right by a customer

If you only have a week, spend two days on the cover letter and why-Octopus story, two on aptitude practice, and three on STAR stories and a mock group task. Candidates who rush the cover letter lose the chance to be remembered before the first call.

What Makes Octopus Energy Different

Octopus Energy is a UK energy supplier that also builds Kraken, the technology platform that runs billing and customer interactions for its own business and for other utilities. In practice that means one employer hires customer service, operations, sales, data and software roles, and the interview feels more like a conversation about people and mission than a formal exam.

Octopus’s own blog on applying describes what recruiters look for: people who are passionate about its mission and who thrive in how it works, before skills and experience (read via search summary). The same post says Octopus does not use CVs and asks instead for a cover letter of no more than 500 words, more interested in what makes you tick than in the opportunities you have had so far.

Traits that shape what interviewers look for, based on that published advice and candidate reports:

Mission first. The blog describes everyone working to transform energy and drive decarbonisation, so expect to explain why that matters to you.
Customers at the centre. Octopus says it is here to do right by customers first and foremost.
Honest, empathetic people. Careers pages describe looking for decent, honest and empathetic people (search summary).
Autonomy. Octopus describes trusting people to work independently rather than hiring to fill small gaps.
Informal style. Candidates describe the interviews as relaxed and conversational, with questions arising naturally (candidate-reported).

Many candidates use OphyAI Interview Copilot in mock calls to practise structuring answers on Zoom, Teams or Meet. We did not find a published Octopus statement on candidate AI use, so use it for practice and check the rules before any real interview. Our tracker of employers that allow AI in interviews lists what employers say in their own words.

Interview Process Overview

Octopus does not publish stage durations in any source we could read, and its own careers pages were not readable in this research. Stages below come from Octopus’s published advice plus candidate-reported Glassdoor accounts, so order and length vary by role. Durations marked estimate are typical for the industry.

Stage	Format	Duration	Timeline
Application	Cover letter of 500 words or fewer plus application questions	1-2 hours to write (estimate)	Before the advert closes
Recruiter call	Phone or video chat, sometimes with an agency recruiter	8-10 minutes (candidate-reported)	Week 1
Video interview	Informal competency interview	40-45 minutes (candidate-reported)	Week 1-2
Aptitude tests	Numerical and verbal reasoning	30-45 minutes combined (estimate)	Week 2
Discovery Day	Virtual group tasks, individual interviews, Q&A	About 3 hours (candidate-reported)	Week 2-3
Final interview	One-to-one with a team leader or manager	About 30 minutes (candidate-reported)	Week 3

The application. Treat the cover letter as the first interview. Write about a specific moment, not a list of skills, and keep it personal and human as Octopus’s blog advises. Draft and tighten it in OphyAI Application Assistant.

Recruiter and video stages. Candidate accounts describe a short call to get to know your background, then a conversational video interview. A few accounts mention an agency recruiter running the first calls for graduate and customer roles, so confirm who you are speaking to. Rehearse in OphyAI Interview Practice so your first two minutes are clear.

The Discovery Day

The Discovery Day is the signature stage of the Octopus process for early-career and customer-facing hiring.

What it tests: whether you can think about a customer problem, work with strangers, be creative under a short deadline and come across as the kind of person colleagues enjoy working with. Candidate accounts describe a virtual session of about 3 hours with an ice breaker, a company introduction, group work on a customer scenario, group work on a pitch for a new product, individual interviews of about 30 minutes and a question time with someone who has worked there for a few years (candidate-reported). Octopus does not publish the exercises, so do not rely on one candidate’s description of a specific task.

Red flags that fail candidates (typical for group days, not Octopus-confirmed):

Dominating the group task or staying silent until the last minute.
A customer scenario answer that fixes the process but ignores how the customer feels.
A product pitch with no customer, no price logic and no next step.
Treating the informal tone as a reason to be vague or unprepared.
No questions for the employee Q&A.

How to prepare:

Practise one customer scenario out loud: listen, name the feeling, fix the problem, agree what happens next.
Prepare a 3-minute pitch for an imaginary energy product with a customer, a benefit and a risk.
In group work, summarise what others said before adding your view and watch the clock.
Prepare three questions about how teams work day to day.

Rehearse the individual interview and the pitch in OphyAI Interview Practice, and use OphyAI Interview Copilot in a mock call if you want live structure.

Role-Specific Breakdowns

Customer Service and Operations

Customer roles on the Kraken platform serve UK customers by email, phone or chat, depending on the team (search summaries of Octopus listings). Expect scenario questions about upset customers, accuracy and prioritising a queue. Candidate guides describe the recruiter, video, aptitude test and Discovery Day sequence for these early-career hires. Practise difficult-customer scenarios in OphyAI Interview Practice.

Graduate and Early Careers

Octopus runs graduate, apprenticeship and internship routes, including an “Octopus in Colour” internship series (job board listings). Check the live scheme page for the function, intake and deadline, and confirm stages with your recruiter. Prepare STAR stories from university, work or volunteering that show initiative and care for others.

Software Engineer and Data Roles

We could not read a current Octopus page describing the technical interview format. Candidate summaries describe a recruiter conversation, one or more technical or problem-solving interviews and a team conversation, which is typical for UK technology companies but not Octopus-confirmed. Prepare a project you can explain end to end and review technical interview prep for software engineers. For live coding practice, see OphyAI Coding Interview, a Premium product for screenshot-based coding help.

Sales and Specialist Roles

Business energy and sales roles add commercial questions on pricing, objections and pipeline. Ask your recruiter whether there is a role play or a presentation, and prepare one example of a sale or negotiation that kept the customer’s trust.

Common Questions with Frameworks

These questions are illustrative, based on Octopus’s published advice and candidate reports, not an official list.

1. “Why Octopus Energy?” (Motivation)

Name something specific: the mission, a product such as a smart tariff, or a customer group. Avoid “it is a fast-growing company” as your only reason.

2. “Tell me about a time you went the extra mile for someone.” (Customer first)

Use STAR: the person’s problem, what you did beyond the brief and what changed for them. Show you understood their need, not just their request.

3. “Describe a time you worked in a team on something new.” (Teamwork)

State your role, how you helped others and what you learned. Be clear what you personally did.

4. “How would you handle a customer who is upset about a bill?” (Scenario)

Listen without interrupting, acknowledge the frustration, check the facts, explain what you can and cannot do and agree the next step.

5. “What makes you tick?” (Personality)

Answer with a real interest and a short story, since Octopus’s own advice says it cares about this. Avoid a rehearsed list of strengths.

6. “Tell me about something you taught yourself recently.” (Learning)

Pick a concrete skill, say how you learned it and show a result.

Culture Fit: Understanding Mission and Honesty

Octopus wants people who care about the mission and treat customers fairly when nobody is watching.

Mission energy. Show you have thought about decarbonisation beyond slogans. What interviewers screen for: genuine interest and curiosity.

Doing right by customers. Show you notice what a customer needs and act fairly. What interviewers screen for: empathy, honesty and accuracy.

Independence. Show you can pick up a problem without being told every step. What interviewers screen for: ownership and judgement.

Warmth in a team. Show you help colleagues succeed. What interviewers screen for: collaboration and good humour under pressure.

For UK-specific interview norms, including the modest tone British interviewers expect, see our UK interview guide.

Compensation Overview (2026 Estimates, GBP)

Octopus says it does not advertise specific salaries on many listings so that pay is not a reason someone does not apply (search summary of Octopus careers pages). We could not find a reliable published band for graduate or customer roles in a source we could read, so the table gives labelled market context only.

Role	Base Salary	Total Compensation (Base + Bonus + Equity)
Customer service agent (London market average, Payscale)	About £22,000 (market estimate)	Not confirmed for Octopus
Entry-level customer service agent (London, Payscale)	About £19,200 (market estimate)	Not confirmed for Octopus
UK graduate, energy and utilities (average starting salary, 2026)	About £22,700 (market estimate)	Not confirmed for Octopus
Software, data and specialist roles	Not confirmed in sources read	Check the vacancy advert

These are market averages from salary aggregators, not Octopus offers. Ask the recruiter for the range early, and see our salary negotiation guide before accepting an offer.

Preparation Timeline: 4-6 Weeks

Week	Focus	Activities
1	Research and cover letter	Read Octopus’s blog on applying, choose a role, write a 500-word letter in your own voice
2	Recruiter and video stages	Record five answers under a timer in OphyAI Interview Practice and review the transcripts
3	Aptitude tests	Timed numerical and verbal practice; set up device, camera and microphone
4	Stories	Write five STAR stories and a “what makes you tick” answer
5	Discovery Day	Practise a customer scenario, a 3-minute pitch and a group task
6	Polish	Prepare questions for the employee Q&A, confirm logistics, rest

Customer service candidates can compress this into one or two weeks.

Common Mistakes

Writing a CV in disguise. Octopus asks for a personal cover letter, not a list of duties. Tell one story.

Overlong letters. The limit is 500 words. Going over signals you did not read the instructions.

Treating informal as easy. A relaxed interviewer is still scoring empathy, honesty and structure.

Fixing the process, forgetting the person. In customer scenarios, name the feeling before you offer the solution.

Dominating or vanishing in groups. Assessors watch how you build on others. Contribute early and invite quieter people in.

Skipping aptitude practice. Timed numerical and verbal tests catch candidates who never practised under a clock.

Prepare for Octopus Energy with OphyAI

Octopus’s process rewards candidates who can tell a personal story, think about a customer and stay warm in a group. Use OphyAI Interview Practice for voice or text mock interviews with follow-up questions, a transcript and per-answer feedback in behavioral formats. Use OphyAI Interview Copilot in mock calls on Zoom, Teams or Meet. Pricing is on the OphyAI pricing page. Start practicing →

Start Your Octopus Energy Application

Ready to apply? OphyAI can help at every stage:

Search for open roles at Octopus Energy and similar employers with AI-powered job matching
Generate a tailored cover letter that highlights your fit for the role, plus follow-up emails and thank-you notes for after your interviews
Track your application status alongside every other role you’re pursuing

Pair these with Interview Copilot for structured mock interviews, or practise first with OphyAI Interview Practice.

For UK hiring habits in general, see our UK interview guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many stages are in the Octopus Energy interview process?

Candidate accounts describe up to five stages: a recruiter call, a video interview, aptitude tests, a Discovery Day and a final one-to-one interview. Octopus asks for a cover letter before these. Stages and order change by role and team, so check your invitation emails and confirm the sequence with your recruiter.

Does Octopus Energy ask for a CV?

Octopus’s own blog on applying says it does not use CVs and asks for a cover letter of no more than 500 words instead, focused on what makes you tick. Some listings may still have extra application questions. Read the instructions on the advert you are applying to and follow them exactly.

What happens at the Octopus Energy Discovery Day?

Candidates report a virtual session of about 3 hours with an ice breaker, a company introduction, group work on a customer scenario, group work on a new product pitch, individual interviews of about 30 minutes and a Q&A with an employee. These accounts are candidate-reported and Octopus does not publish the exercises, so ask your recruiter for the schedule.

What tests does Octopus Energy use?

Candidate reports describe two timed aptitude tests, numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning, mostly for early-career and customer roles. Octopus does not publish the test provider or pass marks in a source we could read. Practise timed questions on the device you will use and check the invitation email for the exact tests.

How long does the Octopus Energy hiring process take?

Candidate accounts put the process at about 2-3 weeks from the first call to the final interview, though graduate and internship routes follow fixed intake cycles that can run longer. These are candidate-reported figures that vary by team. Chase politely if you have not heard back within a week of your last stage.

How much does Octopus Energy pay in the UK in 2026?

Octopus does not advertise specific salaries on many listings. Market averages from Payscale put an entry-level London customer service agent near £19,200 and an average agent near £22,000, and the average UK energy and utilities graduate starting salary is about £22,700. These are market estimates, not Octopus offers, so confirm the range with the recruiter.

Can I use AI tools during an Octopus Energy interview?

We could not find an Octopus candidate AI policy on a page we could read, so ask your recruiter before using any tool in a live round, and see our tracker of companies that allow AI in interviews. Practising with OphyAI Interview Practice beforehand is a separate matter.

Sources and verification notes

Checked in October 2026. Octopus Energy’s own sites (octopus.energy and its careers pages) were blocked in this environment, so every fact below was read through search summaries rather than a fetched page. Stage descriptions and timings are candidate-reported or third-party and are labelled that way, and Octopus does not publish stage durations in any source we could read. Durations marked estimate are typical for the industry, not Octopus-confirmed.

Octopus Energy, Standing out when you apply: no CVs, cover letter of 500 words or fewer, what recruiters look for (read via search summary).
Octopus Energy, candidate advice: recruiter-supported process and adjustments (read via search summary).
Glassdoor, Octopus Energy interview reviews: candidate-reported stages, aptitude tests and 2-3 week timeline (read via search summary).
Glassdoor, Octopus Energy Discovery Day review: candidate-reported Discovery Day format and final interview (read via search summary).
Payscale, Customer Service Agent salary in London: market salary averages (aggregator, read via search summary).
Octopus Energy on Lever, job listings: role listings (read via search summary).