Application Process & Interviews at Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)

The graduate program specifically is pretty involved with 5 or so stages to get through but the you are given plenty of information about what to expect at each stage and what the assessors and interviewers are looking for. I have found this the same for general interviews as well. the STAR method is the preferred tool

The interview process can be long and drawn out, or really short/quick turn around. Theres alot of process and checks to go through too, so if you're in a 'rush' to find a role, I wouldnt necessarily suggest going for a government role, because it can take months from the first application to starting the role. We always have interview panels, so there will always be multiple people interviewing you, and scoring you against set criteria. Sometimes, these interviews can be in person, and sometimes theyre on Microsoft Teams.

The requirement for internal hiring preference whilst often requiring public advertisement of open positions made it a deeply frustrating experience to attempt to work for DEECA.

The interview process for the graduate program was extensive, involving a written response to 3 questions (I think 2 behaviour-based and one values-based), group activity and interview with recruiter (via Teams), and a panel interview with organisation. Everyone I dealt with was very supportive and forthcoming.

It was a long process that was quite nerve racking because of the long waits between know if you moved to the next round

4 stage (long) assessment and interview process. One-way interview, aptitude test, virtual assessment centre, departmental interviews

Really enjoyed the interview process (as much as one does) - although it had all the normal stresses - Hoban and the GMT were supportive and available for information. They made this a very friendly environment.

The interview process for the Graduate program is very long with 5 steps to complete, some of the steps aren't obvious how they relate to the roles but all of the other Grads I've met have been excellent at their roles so they might just be measuring something I don't understand. The interviews for roles outside the graduate program are much simpler and very structured around the key selection criteria and STAR method so are easy to prepare for.

My program had a particularly lengthy process (4+ months of applications, and 6 months lead time).

Lengthy, a lot of uncertainty, hard to plan when the interview process was over 3 months.

As a graduate, the hiring process was unique. There were quite a number of steps, which may deter some people, however given that the job was my top preference, I was willing to do them. It felt fair and equitable, and the HR staff were and are still highly visible and easy to chat to. I found the recruiting consultant employed for the first round of interviews to be fairly cold and not as effective as the department's HR staff.

It was a very drawn out recruitment process. Initial written application, where we were asked to preference roles from the approximately 16 on offer, followed by online psychometric testing. The testing focused on logic and determining different styles of problem solving. After passing this stage there was a group interview process. This was hosted virtually and lasted approximately three hours. We were grouped based on our role preferences in the initial application. There were three components, a group task where we were asked to discuss a prompt together while we were observed by an assessor, an individual written task with a prompt, and an individual interview. The individual interview was with one panel member from the recruitment agency, and focussed on our motivations for wanting the job, our qualifications and experience, and behavioural questions asking for SMART responses. Although the process was intimidating and very long the assessors were very supportive and tried to bring out the best in us. Incorporated into this three hour session was also the opportunity to talk to recruits from the previous year as well as key staff from the Graduate Programs Management Team. This was really helpful to understand more about the Graduate Program and meet people we might be working with. We were also provided with more information about the roles before this interview and were able to refine our preferences. The next stage was individual interviews, also virtual, but with a panel made up of supervisors. It was then approximately a month or more before we got job offers.

Stressful and long

The process was extremely long and arduous. It took 4 months. My initial application was in June and the offer of employment was in November. The assessments and interviews took many hours of preparation to ensure that I was demonstrating my capabilities in the style that they required.

The assessments were interesting and fair, and the interview process was transparent and aligned with the role itself.

questions were mostly behavioural such as 'Tell us about a time where you were confronted with an unexpected issue, how did you handle it?' 'Can you tell me about a time you had to work as part of a team, what was your approach and what role did you play in the team?"

Theres often really long drawn-out questions, asking about your behavioural responses (using the STAR method) and your motivation for the role. Aligning your motivations and behaviours to the Departments values works wonders. Questions like 'tell me about a time when you had to de-escalate a difficult conversation with a customer/client', or 'tell me about a time when you had to shift priorities mid-way through a project' or 'tell us about a time when you had to build trust with someone that you didnt know'.

Behaviour and value-based questions, responses required the STAR system.

How I worked in a team. What I knew about water. I can't really remember what else it's a bit of a blur.

Questions relating to KSC and accountabilities listed on positions. Q's about things like: - Leadership and working with teams with different objectives / work ethic - Adaptability - Presenting / communicating information - Motivation for applying

In the first round of interviews I was asked about my motivation to apply for the program and my experience with general work skills like formal writing, collaboration and time management. In the department interviews I was asked about my experience and/or understanding of the skills required for the specific position I was applying for.

I was asked to speak about my experiences that directly related to the DEECA values and community charter. I also linked my own values with the values of DEECA, and showed my genuine passion and interest in the work that DEECA does. Speak about your interests in providing services to the community (you're applying for a public service role after all).

The focus was on how I respond to situations, rather than my achievements or past work experience. They wanted to see that I was passionate about the work. They also asked about how I responded when things didn't go to plan.

Motivations for the role, qualifications, and capability questions based off the key selection criteria, with SMART responses expected. For example, tell us a time when you had to change course during a project or task. How did you approach the situation, what did you learn and what was the outcome? For one of these interviews all the candidates received the questions beforehand so that we had time to prepare. This was an option that could be requested by people requiring the process to be more accessible. This was extremely helpful and felt as though we were being interviewed based on the quality of our answers not our ability to think on the spot and remember details.

Describing adaptive management of projects, managing difficult relationships with peers/colleagues, describe motivation and integrity.

Definitely review the STAR method for both applications and interviews. Read through the position description carefully, there is a lot of helpful information in their about the organisation as a whole, the specific team you are applying for and the specific role. Try to think of two to three questions you have about the role and get in contact with the hiring contact before submitting your application. Some good questions might be 'What is the balance of field versus office work typically like in this team?' 'In your opinion what is a key skill an applicant could have that would compliment the existing team?'

Gather examples of your working life where you can demonstrate the Department's values (publically accessible on google), using the STAR method to respond (situation, task, action, result). focus on the ACTIONS that you took to demonstrate those behaviours. show your excitment and genuine passion for the department's work, or giving back to the community.

Take it as it comes. Prepare but don't over prepare. You may not get asked the questions you prepared for so have more broad answers that you can tailor to multiple different type of questions. Make sure to follow the STAR model for interview questions (if you don't know what the star model is then familiarise yourself before applying)

Really focus on the KSC and Accountabilities listed on the position description. Also do your research on the Department you're looking to apply for - e.g. DEECA community pillars. Carefully consider your motivation for applying. Once you have all this, think of your experiences that sell these qualities and then describe how you would be a good fit for the role. Also - be yourself.

Read position descriptions carefully and think about examples for the key selection criteria. format these into a STAR format. I like to have two or three examples prepared for each KSC before an interview but these can often be reused in later interviews so it get easier with time.

Use the STAR method in your writing, be concise and deliberate with your words, focussing on 5+ actions for each response. Link your experiences and values to the DEECA values, be genuine and use your broad range of experiences elsewhere to make yourself stand out. Most candidates apply more than once to the graduate programs, if you don't get in one year, don't let that deter you from applying again - its worth it!

Use the Key Selection Criteria to understand what the interview questions are going to be cantered around and use the STAR method when answering

I found that compared to some other potential employers, DTP cared about me as a person during recruitment, and I didn't need to follow a script when answering questions. Still, I'd recommend to prepare for a wide range of questions about yourself. Nothing daunting, they will appreciate honest answers and won't judge you for having different experiences in your career or studies to date.

Broad advice, try and gain experience in as many different areas as you can. I volunteered for two different organisations while completing my Masters and while one was unrelated to land management it gave me lots of experience in working with people from all different walks of life. Different workplace or volunteering experience give you lots to draw on in applications and interviews. It also shows you can manage your time and are motivated. Try and get some kind of volunteering experience in your area of interest, for example for a local Committee of Management. They are often very grateful for your work and you never know what opportunities and contacts will come out of it. More specifically for applications and interviews, really think about and make sure you can articulate why you want this job, you will get asked this over and over again. Try and use different examples across questions. An experience from university for one, from your job or volunteer position for another etc. Breadth is really valuable. Make sure your answer actually answers all the points in the question and practice answering questions out loud, preferably with someone so they can give you feedback.

The Victorian Government have a lot of resources that outline roles and responsibilities. I would suggest anyone interested to read the VPS capability framework.

Life/work experience and a good attitude is more important than grades