Although the interview was relaxed, the Team Leads are listening very carefully to assess your lab skills, your work ethic, and lastly, your people skills. Come prepared. BASF is one of the few plants that is willing to train graduate chemists, so you have to demonstrate , through your senior project or military certifications, that you know your stuff. Some PhDs have applied, but were not hired, because they had no people skills (ie. their University didn't make them work with students in a lab vs a lecture class). There are the rare PhDs who are hired who are supposed to learn Process Chemistry, but they end up being solo guys because they have no experience in graduate school working with students, especially women. BASF is also a plant that values people skills. They have let go employees that tested positive for weed, and an angry or arrogant employee sticks out like a sore thumb. Finally, BASF is a German company, so be old school and write a thank you note to your interviewer. There is a general skills test that everyone must take and pass. It consists of safety, mechanical, and good work habit skills. I aced it, but there are some local people who are dumb as boards who don't pass. I would say to recent graduate applicants to save up your money in your state working as a barista because the pay is great and the local talent pool may not be the sharpest tools in the shed.
