APS interview preparation checklist

A short reference to come back to before an interview. Start with research and preparation, then review structuring examples and common APS interview questions where you need more detail.

The checklist

1. Read the interview instructions and the candidate information pack, so you know the format, what to bring, and how to raise any adjustment you might need.
2. Review the position description and identify the main requirements of the role, along with any genuine gaps in your own experience.
3. Prepare a small group of examples that cover the role's requirements between them.
4. Practise a short introduction focused on your most relevant experience.
5. Prepare for behavioural, hypothetical and technical questions.
6. Prepare a handful of questions for the panel, in priority order.
7. Test your video setup or confirm your travel arrangements beforehand.
8. Bring any notes and documents that are allowed, and check what's permitted if you're unsure.
9. Listen carefully to each question, and ask for clarification if something is genuinely unclear.
10. Explain your own actions clearly, using accurate language for the part you actually played.
11. Use STAR where it suits the question.
12. Include the result or what you learned where it's relevant.
13. Be honest about any gaps, and pair them with what you're doing to close them.
14. Before finishing, check whether there's anything the panel would like you to clarify or expand on.
15. Ask about the next steps and the likely timeframe.
16. Follow whatever communication process was stated in the advertisement.
17. Review any written offer and its conditions before resigning from your current role.

If time is tight

• Review the position description and pick your strongest two or three examples against it.
• Say those examples out loud once, start to finish.
• Write down four or five questions for the panel.
• Check your video setup, or your travel plan, and lay out what you're bringing.
• Get some sleep.

A few natural phrases

These aren't scripts. Put them into your own words before the interview.

Tell me about yourself:

I currently work in [area], with most of my recent experience in [relevant work]. The parts most relevant to this role are [one or two areas], including [a brief example].

Clarifying a question:

Could you clarify whether you'd like an example from my current role, or from any point in my experience?

An experience gap:

I haven't used that particular system. I have worked with [a related system or process], and I'd approach the gap by [a brief, honest plan].

A question for the panel:

What would you hope the person in this role has achieved after the first 12 months?

Before finishing:

Is there anything from my answers you'd like me to clarify or expand on?

Asking about next steps:

Could you give me an indication of the next stage and the expected timeframe?

A last word

Most of this series has been about the ordinary parts: understanding the role well enough to prepare properly, explaining your own experience clearly and honestly, asking questions that help you make a good decision too, and leaving the room having said what you meant to say.

None of it removes the nerves. It just means walking in with a plan rather than without one, and for me that was most of the difference.