The purpose of the interview is to provide the applicant with the opportunity to expand on information presented in their application and to enable the selection panel to gather further information for the assessment process.
In general, the interview process will involve the panel asking you a series of clear questions that are directly related to the role requirements and job description for the role.
Interview structure
The purpose of the interview is to provide the applicant with the opportunity to expand on information presented in their application and to enable the selection panel to gather further information for the assessment process.
In general, the interview process will involve the panel asking you a series of clear questions that are directly related to the role requirements and job description for the role.
A common set of questions is asked of all applicants followed by further questions that aim to:
Find out more information about your skills and experience
Follow up on any issues you may raise
Explore your work history
Determine your strengths and weaknesses in relation to the selection criteria and requirements of the position
The panel may request that you provide additional supporting documentation in instances where they need more information to assess your claim for the position, such as educational transcripts.
Important - preparation
- In preparation for your interview, summarise the responses in your application into key words and examples
Use these in your interview so the panel are not hearing the same things that they have already read in your application - HIGHLIGHT KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Talk about your achievements and goals as they relate to the interview questions and capabilities for the role and show the panel how you exceed their expectations or bring something extra to the role
- REHEARSE YOUR ANSWERS ALOUD
- The panel will be most interested in hearing of how you have used your skills and experience so talk about real examples.
Interview technique
This is your opportunity to showcase your knowledge, skills and talk yourself up.
A simple technique that may assist you to frame and answer interview questions is called STAR. This stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Essentially, STAR gives you the framework for responding to questions from the panel where you present a recent challenge or situation in which you found yourself (Situation), identify what you acheived from this situation (Task), what you did (Action) and the results of your action (Result). Also important to include is whether you met your objectives and what you learnt from the experience.
Important
- A strategy to relieve some of your anxiety is to do a mock interview with someone who has had experience with the interview process.
- Make sure you know your resume thoroughly as you will be asked questions about the work, skills, training, projects, qualifications and experiences you have listed.