looking for Interview advice

when you say its for public service, is it a general customer service position? or a technical job in the public sector? more info would help.

When my husband went for his interview in the public service (he was in a technical field - the job is part of the engineering group), there was a written test and your interview in the same day. I think the 60 minutes was for the written portion and then he had the interview. Then he had a more informal interview after that (just more of a meeting the boss type thing).

malecoke wrote: ↑ when you say its for public service, is it a general customer service position? or a technical job in the public sector? more info would help.

Personnel administration

Chickinvic wrote: ↑ When my husband went for his interview in the public service (he was in a technical field - the job is part of the engineering group), there was a written test and your interview in the same day. I think the 60 minutes was for the written portion and then he had the interview. Then he had a more informal interview after that (just more of a meeting the boss type thing).

I did all the written portion already, this one is supposed to be oral so I'm so confused to why I need an 1h of prep. I guess the more time to prepare my answers the better but it's the first time. I'll be given that much time. In the past, it's always been 20mins or so.

Given from what I have heard from others who have gone through the process, I would assume that they will provide you some specific questions to prepare answers on. I.E. 1. Provide an example of a time you took care of a problem using your own initiative. In preparing for this, I would review all the details in the job posting to make sure you have a good idea of what they will be looking for in your answers (they will have checklists). In this case you would know you would need to also indicate that you took immediate action (i.e. the action oriented part). They could also do scenario based questions by giving you a situation and then having you develop how you would deal with it, then presenting the answers to your interviewers. Again, you know they want to see that you display initiative, are action-oriented and are attentive to clients. I would just make sure you keep all the points they have said they are looking for in mind, and make sure you cover them in your interview.

Most likely you will be asked to respond to behavioural based interview questions. First, make sure you have a clear understanding of what it means to demonstrate initiative and client services. You will be surprised how many people actually provide examples that show how poor they are in these areas. Once you understand what they are looking for, use the STAR method in formulating your response:

S - describe in detail the situation that you were involved in. Make sure that you provide enough detail so the interviewers have a clear understanding of what was transpiring. Be specific. Don't just provide a general description. Explain exactly what was happening.

T - describe the tasks that you took. Make sure you speak to your role and what tasks you took and why you took them.

A - describe the actions that you took. What you did specifically and how it helped the situation. Describe the interaction clearly and how the actions you took support the competency that is being assessed. For instance, all the actions that you took with regard to client service should be actions that demonstrate that you excel in client service.

R - always describe the results you achieved. What was the outcome? Was it successful? How do you know? For instance, for client service, you should be asking the client whether your actions meet the client needs and whether the client has any other needs or concerns.

Usually the interview team will allow you to make notes. Make them. Many times the interview team will not spend time trying to draw out the answers from you. You either provide a detailed and well thought out response or you fail. Remember, when describing these situations the interview team wasn't there so they won't know if you are leaving out valuable information.

When I did one of theses prep before interview. They give you the questions when you get there and give you an hour to make your questions.