14d • 💼 Career Corner
Interview with Chevron: Challenges & trends
Recent interview question in Chevron. Happy to have some inputs. Thanks .
- Department: Corporate Strategic Planning, interviewing jointly with Chevron New Energies (the division responsible for lower-carbon investments like hydrogen and carbon capture).
- Target Role: Senior Quantitative Energy Economist
- Interview Stage: Final Round / Executive Panel Presentation. You would likely be standing at a whiteboard in front of 3 to 4 senior directors.
- 2 February 2026.
- Format: the recruitment coordinator takes your mobile phone, laptop, and smartwatch. There is no AI, no internet, and no Python to run your simulations. You are led into a quiet focus room. On the desk is a printed piece of paper containing "The Carbon vs. Capital Conundrum" prompt, a basic scientific calculator, a notepad, and a pen. You are given exactly 45 minutes to digest the prompt, formulate your economic models from memory, and structure your recommendation.After 45 minutes, you are escorted into the boardroom to face the senior directors. You have nothing but your handwritten notes, a whiteboard, and a marker.
Interview Question:
"
You are presenting to our executive investment committee. We have a strict capital expenditure (CapEx) limit for the upcoming fiscal year and can only fully fund one of two mega-projects. You must recommend which one we choose:
Project Alpha (Deepwater Oil & Gas)
- Location: Offshore West Africa
- Financials: Spectacular projected Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 20% with a very fast payback period.
- Risks & Downsides: The host country is experiencing growing political instability. Furthermore, the project has a massive carbon footprint that will push our corporate emissions well over our stated public reduction targets for the decade.
Project Beta (Carbon Capture & Hydrogen Hub)
- Location: US Gulf Coast
- Financials: The economics are extremely tight. The baseline IRR is only 7%, which barely clears our corporate hurdle rate (minimum acceptable return).
- Benefits: It operates in a highly stable geopolitical region, secures massive government tax credits, and practically guarantees we hit our corporate net-zero pledges.
Your Task:
- Which project do you recommend funding?
- What specific quantitative economic models (e.g., Monte Carlo simulations, Discounted Cash Flow, Efficient Frontier) do you build to justify your choice and adjust for risk?
- How do you explain the downsides of your choice to our shareholders?
"
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Interview with Chevron: Challenges & trends
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