The Interview
If you have been contacted for an interview, congratulations! As part of your preparation, you may wish to do one or all of the following
- Review or print the job posting you applied to
- Review your skills and experience that relate to the position you applied to
- Familiarize yourself with Performance Based and Behaviour Descriptive interview questions
- Familiarize yourself with the STAR Method
The interview gives you and the interview team a chance to evaluate whether you have the knowledge, qualifications and skills that would make you highly successful in your new job. Interview questions will include a blend of both Performance Based and Behaviour Descriptive questions. Each competition has the same set of questions and rating scale.
Performance Based Interview Questions
Performance-based questions outline a job-related situation, scenario or challenge and ask the candidate what they would do. The questions require candidates to demonstrate their knowledge, qualifications and skills to address typical job scenarios. Candidate responses are scored using a performance-based evaluation method that determines to what degree your response is acceptable and complete.
General Sample Questions
- One important project for us is… Can you please describe how you would organize this project from start to finish?
- If you were offered this position, how would you approach your first 90 days on the job?
- One of our key objectives for the person selected for this position is…how would you ensure that this objective is met?
- Outline the process you would recommend for…
Sample Questions by Position
| Position Title | Sample Questions |
|---|---|
| Word/Data Clerk | You arrive at work at 8am. Your Director has a meeting at 8:30am, and the meeting agenda hasn’t been completed. You also notice several emails and voice messages that need to be addressed. How would prioritize your workload for the morning? |
| Labourer | Consider this situation: the grass at a City field has fallen into disrepair, and you are required to replace the sod. Please describe how you would organize this task from start to finish. |
| Engineer | You will be required to oversee the creation of planning documents for land developments. Please describe how you would organize this type of project from start to finish. |
| Management | One of your employees is experiencing a personal problem, and it is starting to affect job performance. What course of action would you take? |
| Transit Operator | Tell us what you would do if an emergency situation occurred with your bus. |
Performance Based Testing
Candidates may also be required to complete tasks that are directly related to the job as part of the interview.
Test Examples by Position
|
Position Title |
Sample Questions |
|---|---|
|
Refuse Collector |
Drive a large collection vehicle through simulated narrow alleys. |
|
Word/Data Clerk |
Computer-based testing of typing, data entry, Word, and Excel abilities. |
|
Records Coordinator |
Respond (by letter) to a FOIP request, outlining whether or not the request is permitted and why. |
|
Parks Leader |
Several challenges are outlined, candidates are asked to prioritize each incident and explain how they would handle it. |
|
Recruitment Consultant |
Draft a posting from resources provided. |
|
Engineer |
Assess a design drawing and outline possible alternatives or adjustment. |
Behaviour Descriptive Interview Questions
Behaviour descriptive interview questions are based on the principle that the best predictor of future performance is past behaviour. The questions require candidates to isolate specific experiences from their past and describe them in detail. Depending on the response, probing questions may be asked for additional details and clarification.
General Sample Questions
- One important project for us is… Can you please describe something you’ve been involved in recently that is comparable?
- One of our key objectives for the person selected for this position is… Can you please tell me about something you have accomplished that is similar?
Behavioural Questions by Position
|
Position Title |
Sample Questions |
|---|---|
|
Word/Data Clerk |
One important objective for this position will be to summarize lengthy reports for your Director. The Director will rely on these summaries in presentations to City Council. Please tell us about comparable situations where you’ve summarized documents for others. |
|
Labourer |
Please tell us about a time where you had to replace sod on a field. |
|
Engineer |
Please tell us about a time where you’ve had to prepare reports to senior management in regards to servicing and development issues. |
|
Management |
Please tell us about a time when you had to implement a new policy, procedure or process. What steps did you take to implement the change? What was the outcome? |
STAR Method
When preparing your responses to behaviour descriptive interview questions, we recommend using the STAR method. This is a logical way to provide the interview team the information they are looking for.
Situation
Describe a situation you were involved in. The situation can be from a previous job, a volunteer experience, school or any other relevant event.
Task
Describe the tasks that were involved in the situation.
Action
What actions did you take? Focus on and highlight your individual actions or contributions even if you were working as part of a team.
Result
What results were achieved due to your actions?
Thank you for your application. We eagerly look forward to meeting you at the interview and we sincerely hope you find your passion filled career with the City of Edmonton!