The Interview Process

The Interview Process

A.      Preparing for your interview

If your application has been selected for an interview, a member of the department’s hiring team will contact you to set up a time. (If you don’t live in Yukon, initial interviews may be conducted by phone or Internet video.) Now, this is your chance to do some background research and to gather together everything you need to come to the interview confident and prepared.

B.      Know the requirements for the position

Re-read the job description carefully, and ask your contact for any additional information. Make sure you have a solid understanding of all the responsibilities, skills, certification and knowledge required, and that you are able to accommodate the job’s location and hours. Visit the department site to get valuable information on its mandate, services and structure.

C.      Refresh yourself on your experiences and work history

Examine each skill and qualification in the job posting, then review your own work and volunteer history as it relates to the posting. Prepare examples of experiences or successes that back up each requirement.

D.     Prepare for specific questions

You will likely be asked questions about your teamwork skills, your interpersonal relations, your management style or your ability to work in a diverse environment. Review the job posting again and try to anticipate other likely areas of questioning, and prepare honest and concise answers that highlight relevant aspects of your work history and life experience. Remember that there may be questions you did not anticipate: when this happens, breathe and take a moment to think through your experiences to find the best answers.

On the day of the interview, dress appropriately and arrive early, calm and mentally prepared. Bring a list of references if you did not already include them in the resume you submitted. And, most importantly, don’t forget to relax and be yourself.

What to Expect During the Interview

When you arrive, you will meet your selection board (usually two or three people, including the supervisor of the position and a representative of Human Resources). The team leader will tell you what to expect, and will explain that the board will be recording your answers for later review. Don't let this recording process distract you it’s a normal part of the interview and necessary to make a complete assessment later on.

The board will then begin asking you a series of questions to assess your knowledge, abilities and personal suitability. These may include:

@  Closed questions that demonstrate your knowledge by requiring a specific factual answer.

@  Open-ended questions that are broader in scope and require you to work through the answer.

@  Situational questions that describe a hypothetical situation and ask how you would proceed in those circumstances.

@  Behavioural questions that ask you to describe a time in your own history when you dealt with a certain situation, and to explain how you dealt with it.

You may also participate in a set of exercises that will demonstrate your abilities and suitability for the role. (All candidates for the same role will go through the same testing process.) These may include:

@  Tests that demonstrate your ability or knowledge of specific relevant tasks, such as keyboarding, accounting principles or writing a memorandum. These may be written or performance-based tests.

@  Situational exercises that use hypothetical situations to demonstrate your ability to solve problems or make decisions.

When the questioning and testing phases of the interview are over, go ahead and ask any questions you still have about the position, the selection process or any other aspect of working for the Yukon public service.

After the Interview

After screening and interviewing each candidate, the selection board scores and ranks each one, then checks the references for the top-ranking people. Once they have made their decision, they contact the successful applicant, as well as everyone who was interviewed.

If you are selected for the position: Congratulations! You have met or exceeded the essential qualifications of the position. You may be given a conditional offer, pending appeals from bargaining unit employees.

If you are not selected for the position: Don't be discouraged! Many more opportunities with the Yukon government await you in the future. Ask the Human Resources representative responsible for the competition to explain the reasons you were not successful. (This is called a "post-board.") This feedback can be a great help in your next job search.