Department interviews

If you are successful after the results of the assessment centre stage have been finalised, you may be invited to attend a panel interview or interviews with individual government departments and agencies.

About the interview

The interview is the final step in the application process and the point at which the department makes its decision.

The format and the duration of the interview can vary according to the department. Before the interview, you’ll be briefed on the interview style and structure and told how long the interview should take.

Remember that, if successful, you will be employed by that particular department. You will begin the Graduate Recruitment and Development Scheme with this home department before rotating to two other departments.

Hints and tips

• Always consider the selection criteria when framing your answers.
• Re-read the questions you were required to answer in the application. Make sure you have examples of previous experiences and activities that will demonstrate your level of competence against each criterion. These can be used directly, if needed, in the interview.
• Make notes and bring them with you to jog your memory.
• Find out as much as you can about the department, its role and responsibilities – a good place to start is the departmental web site but newspaper archives are an excellent source of information too.
• Use the STAR approach to answer questions: describe the situation (outline), the task (what you did), the approach (how) and the result (the outcome).