Interview Skills for the Public Sector – Recruitment, selection & promotion on merit

This training will equip your hiring managers and selection panel members with an understanding of how to apply best practice methods when preparing and conducting selection interviews. This highly engaging workshop can be delivered in-house for your Department in Canberra.

Selecting the best person for the job is the goal of your panel ….. And yet too often, it’s the person who can “talk-the-talk” and not walk-the-talk that gets selected

Making a poor decision can result in negative effects on service delivery, damage team morale – and potentially create a loss of faith in staff towards the integrity of the selection process.

Government Departments are using behavioural interviewing as a core component of their selection methods –  but how many of your staff have actually received training in the why and how of using behavioural interviewing techniques? …….. What is a “good” behavioural question? ……. How do you assess and rate a behavioural example? ……. Are there additional assessment methods that could be used to help select the best candidate?

The quality of any selection decision will only be as good as the information-gathering and analysis skills of the people making the decision. 
Interview training Canberra

It is all too easy when a selection panel member hasn’t been properly trained – and therefore doesn’t feel confident in their role as a panel member – to end up simply deferring to the senior, more experienced person on the panel. However, this defeats the purpose of having a panel – denying the benefit of more than one “set of eyes” in the decision making and assessment process ………. A panel exists to reduce the risk of potential unconscious bias – and to help ensure a fair and impartial selection decision is being made on the basis of merit.

In-house interviewer training for your Department in Canberra

This workshop can be delivered as either a half day or one day format. The one day allows more time and opportunity for skill practice by participants. The training explores the following key themes, using group discussion, exercises and skill practice activities –

  • Avoiding the cost of poor selection or poor promotion processes
  • The use of selection criteria in driving the selection process
  • Applying the principles of “merit and equity” throughout the selection process
  • Ensuring reasonably uniform interviewing conditions – preparing our “interview guide”
  • Developing behavioural questions derived from the key selection criteria
  • Questions that can and can’t be legally asked
  • Working cohesively as part of an interview panel
  • Avoiding unconscious bias
  • Assessment methods such as planned simulations and work-sampling activities
  • Managing the pace of the interview
  • Interviewing techniques for probing and exploring responses to questions – particularly when there may be gaps or anomalies in the “STAR” response from the candidate
  • The consistent application of an applicant rating method

This training will help to maintain the integrity of your Department’s selection process. It will help to ensure that anyone sitting on a selection panel can apply Best Practice interviewing techniques.

You might be interested in our list of sample behavioural  interview questions. Relevant questions are determined by the skills and experience requirements of the position.

An experienced facilitator

Brian Carroll brings 25 years of experience working and consulting in HR, Recruitment & Selection Interviewing skills training. He brings a practitioner’s experience to the training. Over the past two years, in the Victorian Department of Justice & Regulation over 350 of their managers and staff have attended this training. The training is “highly recommended” for anyone sitting on the Department’s selection panel.

The cost of the training, delivered in Canberra

The cost of delivering the half-day on-site session for up to 12 participants, is $2,500 + gst. The one day on-site session is $3,500 + gst.  – inclusive of participant notes……… For more information or discuss your needs, call Brian on 0430 972 578.

Also, your Department might be interested in our intensive training “Influencing & Negotiating Skills – Managing stakeholder relationships”. The course has been delivered in Canberra for two Departments in 2018, mainly attended by EL 1 & 2 level staff.

You also might be interested in our tips on How to Conduct the Interview