Interview preparation
We want to get to know you during the interview and for you to present yourself in the best way, so please prepare.
- Review the position description and advert, taking note of the responsibilities, key skills and knowledge required. Think about the strengths you have in these areas as well as examples that show your relevant experience and abilities that align with these areas.
- Look at our website and specifically the business unit to learn more about the projects and responsibilities of the team.
- Write down any relevant notes and questions you may have about the role, the team or the organisation and bring these to the interview.
Whānau and support people
You are welcome to bring whānau or support people to your interview. Please let us know in advance so that we can make arrangements.
Accessibility requirements
If you have any accessibility needs we need to be aware of during the interview process, please let us know in advance so we can make sure to accommodate them.
Behavioural interviews
Interviews will generally be conducted by at least two council kaimahi (staff). We will ask you to introduce yourself. This is an opportunity for you to tell us about who you are. We will then talk about the role to give you more insight.
During the interview, we will ask you a series of questions, some of which may be behavioural-based interview questions. These are open-ended questions that ask you to describe an experience or event that you were involved with. If you have limited work experience, you could describe an event or experience from a non-work setting. This will help the interview panel to assess how you might deal with similar situations that may occur in the role.
STAR technique
You may find the STAR technique useful to help you answer interview questions. It's important that you focus on your actions, even if they were only a part of a larger picture.
Situation
Provide an overview of the situation you were in, why it had come about, and who was involved. Make sure the interview panel has the necessary context for them to understand the situation.
Task
Describe the range of options you considered to manage the situation. Explain how you made the decision of which tasks to action and what you thought or felt during that process.
Action
Describe what you did and said when actioning and/or implementing the task.
Result
Explain the results and what was achieved. What did you accomplish? Talk about what you learnt from the experience.
