Recruitment Process
There are some simple yet effective things you can do to prepare for your interview at Marlborough District Council. We may not have all the answers; however, we do have a few nuggets of advice. Remember we want to get to know you, so share your values, believe in yourself and tell us what makes you unique.
Interview preparation
We want to get to know you during the interview and for you to present yourself in the best way.
- Review the position description and advert, taking note of the responsibilities, key skills and knowledge required. Think about the strengths you have in these areas as well as examples that show your relevant experience and ability that align with these areas.
- Look at our website and specifically the business unit to learn more about the projects and responsibilities of the team.
- Write down any relevant notes and questions you may have about the role and bring these to the interview.
The interview is as much about us assessing if you are a fit for the role as it is for you to determine whether Council is right for you.
Behavioural interviews
Interviews will generally be conducted by a panel of two or three Council kaimahi (staff). We will ask you to introduce yourself, this is a chance for you to tell us about who you are and what makes you the best contender. We will then talk about the role to give you more insight.
During the interview, we will ask you a series of questions, some of which may be behavioural-based interview questions. These are open-ended questions that ask you to describe an experience or event that you were involved with. If you have limited work experience, you could describe an event or experience from a non-work setting. This will help the interview panel to assess how you might deal with similar situations that may occur in the role.
STAR technique
You may find the STAR technique useful to help you answer interview questions. It's important that you focus on your actions, even if they were only a part of a larger picture.
Situation
Provide an overview of the situation you were in, why it had come about, and who was involved. Make sure the interview panel has the necessary context for them to understand the situation.
Task
Describe the range of options you considered to manage the situation. Explain how you made the decision of which tasks to action and what you thought or felt during that process.
Action
Describe what you did and said when actioning and/or implementing the task.
Result
Explain the results and what was achieved. What did you accomplish? Talk about what you learnt from the experience.
Whānau and support persons
Whānau and support persons are welcome to attend interviews, we understand they can be a traditional and important aspect of the process. If you plan to bring support, it's crucial to inform the recruitment team in advance to ensure an appropriate space is booked.
By communicating openly and planning ahead, the presence of whānau or support persons can be a positive and supportive element of the interview process
Accessibility & inclusivity
We’re committed to an inclusive and equitable recruitment experience. We value authenticity and it is important to us that we support you throughout our selection process (interview and assessments). If you require any adjustments or support—whether related to neurodiversity, accessibility, or other needs—please let us know in advance so we can do our best to accommodate you.
After the interview
We'll tell you at the end of the interview when you can expect to hear back from us and what the next steps in the process will be. In some cases, we may ask for you to complete some assessments.
Assessments will vary depending on the role. This could be a psychometric test or work sample exercise. For example, delivering a presentation so we can assess your knowledge of a specialist topic or your presenting skills.
Reference checks
Reference checks are an important part of our recruitment process. At your interview, you will be asked to confirm that you are happy for us to contact your referees. This is a requirement of the Privacy Act 2020.
After the interview, if you are a preferred applicant, we will tell you that we want to contact your referees to confirm your suitability for the role.
Pre-employment checks
If pre-employment checks are a requirement of the position this will be explained to you. This is to make sure that there isn’t anything which may affect your ability to safely carry out the duties and responsibilities associated with the position.
Sometimes we need to complete the pre-employment checks before giving you a verbal offer. If we make you a verbal offer and checks are still needed, your offer will be conditional until the pre-employment checks have been passed to a satisfactory standard. The hiring manager (and your offer paperwork) will let you know if the offer is conditional.
Offer of employment
Once the interviews and reference checks are completed, the interview panel will determine which candidate will be offered the job.
If you are the preferred applicant, you will be contacted and a verbal offer will be presented, which may be subject to pre-employment checks. The verbal offer will be followed by the written offer of employment. This offer contains all your terms and conditions of employment.
To accept or decline the offer, you will be required to sign into your recruitment profile and respond to the offer there.
As soon as you've accepted the offer, we'll kick off your onboarding program. This will allow us to prepare, ensuring you are set up for success for your first day
Unsuccessful applicants
We don't want to keep people waiting on a decision, so we will let applicants know as soon as a decision has been made. Depending on the stage of the process, you will either receive an email or a phone call to inform you of the decision.
Contact us
If you have any questions, contact the hiring manager who is advertising the vacancy, or email our recruitment team: vacancy@marlborough.govt.nz
