ways2work - Parents and carers
Job interviews
To make sure you know your rights when it comes to job interviews and your family status read the Pregnancy & work, your rights and obligations: A Guide for Employees publication produced by JobWatch, Workforce Victoria and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
Interviews are your opportunity to tell the employer why you’re the right person for the job. They are also an opportunity for you to interview the employer, so you can decide whether this job will suit you and your family.
Types of interviews
- On-the-spot interview – usually unstructured and informal, these interviews can happen if you drop by a business or organisation to see if there’s any work available. So be prepared! Take copies of your resume with you.
- Screening interview – if there are many people going for a job, some employers do a 'first cut' or shortlisting interview.
- Panel interview – when more than one person interviews you. There’s likely to be a person who coordinates the panel, and each panel member will probably ask you a question or two.
- Follow up or second interview – you’ve made it through the screening interview, and this is your opportunity to really sell yourself. The employer will get down to the nitty gritty of the job – and how you might perform in it. These interviews are usually offered only to a small number of applicants. So if you get one, you know you are in with a good chance.
- Group interview – with a number of applicants being interviewed together, a group interview can be intense and highly competitive. Applicants might be asked to answer questions from panel members or complete job or teamwork related tasks. Depending on the job, the employer may be looking for a leader or a good team player. Stay focused and treat everyone with respect. Listen carefully to what people are saying. Don’t interrupt other applicants; in most cases, being domineering won’t do you any good.
- Sequential interview – as part of this selection process, you might be interviewed by different people one after the other, be asked to complete a questionnaire and/or do a competency test.
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