INTERVIEW QUESTIONS – 2 (Job-related)
1) Why did you apply for this position?
2) Would you tell us what attracts you to a career with us?
How do you see your studies, skills, experience and personal qualities contributing to the
work of the organization ?
3) Describe a time when you had to deal with conflicting demands. How did you deal with
this situation and what was the outcome?
4) Would you tell us what attracts you to a career with us? How do you see your studies,
skills, experience and personal qualities contributing to the work of the organization?
Can you describe a time where you have been required to perform as part of a team?
What was the situation?
What part did you play in the team and what was the outcome of the exercise?
5) How do you establish a working relationship with new people?
6) Where do you expect to be in 5 years time? What will you do if you are not successful in
gaining this position?
7) What particular skills and qualities do you bring to the workforce? What other skills would
you like to develop in the future?
8) Tell me about a challenging situation you have faced. What was the situation and how
did you cope with it?
9) Is there an achievement of which you are particularly proud? What is it? Why is it
Significant?
10) Imagine that you are a member of a small team responsible for the development and
production of an internal publication. Your team is dependent on another workgroup to
provide the data which will form the basis of your publication.
The deadline for completing this project is not able to be relaxed.
(a) What factors do you think might affect the team's ability to meet the publication
deadline?
(b) What could the team do to ensure the project is completed on time?
11) What are the key elements of measuring performance and how can you establish
whether an outcome represents a success? (Answer this in terms of your own work or
study experience.) More specifically, what do you think might be some key indicators of
the successful performance of a national agency?
12) You have demonstrated in your CV that you have knowledge of entomology.
Could you please expand on your experience and tell us what you think your strengths
are in this field. An important component of the position will be the maintenance of water
quality parameters within acceptable limits for the species. Can you outline your
experience in water quality testing? What do you feel are the most important water quality
variables?
13) The ability to work independently within a structured team is essential to the position.
This will require the successful applicant to be self-starting, able to prioritise tasks, be a
good communicator, as well as showing considerable initiative.
Can you give us some examples where you have worked within a team environment and
demonstrated these abilities?
14) What do you feel is the potential for aquaculture in Australia and what are some of the
major impediments to its development? What are some of the major aquaculture species
cultured in freshwater?
As well as the position involving general maintenance of the aquaria and pond facilities, a
significant component will involve participation in scientific experiments through the
collection and collation of research data. Can you describe previous experience you have
had in the day to day running of scientific experiments?
15) The research project and facilities the successful applicant will be involved with
receives considerable attention from the general public. Therefore, a component of the job
will involve liaising with the general public and media. This requires the delivery of
information in a simple precise manner. How confident do you feel you are in delivering
sometimes complex information in a simple manner?
16) What computer programs are you familiar with, and more specifically, what programs
would you use to write a report, enter research data, and to prepare a poster or seminar.
17)You have had an opportunity to look at the statistical table from the publication
(This was supplied before the interview).
(a) Imagine you were asked to write a commentary on the information in the table. Are
there any significant or curious or interesting features revealed by the data which you
think should be highlighted, and if so, what might you say about them?
Can you offer any suggestions to explain these features?
(b) What is your opinion of the general layout of the table?
How might it be improved?