Jobs at UWA

Preparing for the interview

Preparation for an interview is an essential part of the application process..

The better prepared you are for an interview, the better your chances of creating a good impression.

  • Know yourself: your strengths, weaknesses, skills, goals, preferences, personal qualities, etc. and be prepared to talk about them. The more you know about yourself, the more confident you are likely to appear at the interview.
  • Look at the duty statement and selection criteria and think about what knowledge, skills and experience you have that you could talk about at the interview.
  • Think of specific things you've done and specific situations you've experienced that you could discuss (refer to the exercises in Deciding to apply for a job).
  • Think about the kinds of questions you might be asked and give some thought to how you might answer them.
  • Think about any questions you might want to ask the selection panel.
  • Write down a few ideas if you think this will help you to remember.
  • Practise answering some of the questions, especially the ones you find difficult. You could try talking to yourself or taping yourself. Better still, practise with someone you know, such as a friend, colleague or partner, and get them to ask you both prepared questions that you particularly want to practise, and 'surprise' questions.
  • Do some further research on the department and the job. Find out as much as you can about them either by talking with someone in the area or with those who have close contact with them, or with someone working in a similar position in another department.

The more you know about the job and the department, the more positively you'll be able to answer questions and show that you have an understanding of the needs of the position and the department. If possible, find out details about the department such as its size, main areas of responsiblity, directions, policies, who they deal with.

  • If possible, try to arrange a visit to the department or section beforehand to find out more about it. See where you would be working if you got the job and try to meet some of the people with whom you'd be working.
  • If you're feeling particularly nervous or underconfident about the interview, consider the following techniques:
    • Try to imagine that you are at the interview, that you're feeling relaxed and confident, and that everything's going well (positive visualisation)
    • Talk to yourself positively about the interview. Say things like 'The interview will go well', 'I know I can do this job' (affirmation). The more positive you are about the interview, the better you will come across.