Top 10 Interview Tips

There are many resources to help job candidates prepare resumes and countless tips on how to do well in a job interview. These Top 10 Tips are specific to the OPS. They are designed to help you prepare for a job interview with us.

1. Learn about working in the public service. When you have finished exploring this OPS Careers site, go to ontario.ca and do some more research. You may be expected to be familiar with what a professional public servant is and the relationship of the public service to the political arm of government.

2. Find out about government priorities. For example, read the most recent Ontario Budget and Speech from the Throne. All of these documents are readily available on the website. They tell you a lot about the environment in which the public service is operating.

3. Explore the issues facing the ministry or special office you want to join. Find out about the issues that are front-and-centre. Be able to talk about your interest in this area of public service. Go to the news release section of the ministry to which you are applying. You will get an idea of what is generating a buzz.

4. Expect a panel of interviewers. There are usually two or three people who conduct the job interview. Don’t be thrown off by the fact they are writing. They have to document their assessment of each candidate. Don’t wait for them to finish what they are writing – keep talking.

5. Think about why you are the best person for the job. What is it about you and the education and experience you have that makes you an appealing candidate? Think about how your strengths and skills “fit” this job. Look carefully at the job ad and list of qualifications. The interview will be based on this information.

6. Describe past experiences in terms of what you learned and accomplished, not just what you did. When citing past job experience, talk about the outcomes you achieved and how your own learning and development were enhanced. Try to quantify your experience if you can. Don’t assume that everyone knows what a teaching assistant does, for example. How much responsibility did you have? Did you tutor students, hold seminars, mark papers? How many?

7. Structure your answers for maximum impact. Keep your responses concise and structured, based on the questions. Be prepared to answer what are called scenario-based or behavioural questions where you are asked how you would handle certain situations or how you met certain challenges. For example, a question might start: “Tell me about a time when you….” A common technique for answering these types of questions is called PAR: describe the Problem that you faced, the Action you took, and the final Result you achieved.

Below are some example questions and tips on how to prepare for them.

Type of Question	Description	Examples
General	Questions aimed at asking information about your work history, skills or knowledge, as they relate to the job.This tends to be an opening question in OPS interviews. Your answer to this question will be assessed and scored based on how well you organize your facts to show that you understand the position and how qualified you are. Be brief, and focus on how you ‘fit’ into the position.	“Briefly describe why you are interested in this position and what skills and experience you possess that make you an ideal candidate.” To prepare for this type of question, read the job ad and job description and develop four or five points that link your work-related strengths, background and experience to qualifications of the position. Remember that the panel has read your résumé already, so try not to just repeat what is in it.
Technical or Job-Specific Knowledge	Questions aimed to assess your knowledge of specific programs, policies, or procedures that are related to the work of the position. In most cases, you should have prior knowledge or experience that will contribute to a good response.	“Please describe the Premier’s top priorities for the ministry and how you would develop a press release outlining these priorities.” If you know that the position will primarily work with a specific process and you don’t have prior knowledge, be sure to research the ministry and provincial government internet sites for relevant policies and directives to increase your knowledge in that topic prior to the interview.
Situational or Scenario - based	Questions aimed at presenting you with a hypothetical situation that you may be faced with on the job and ask you to suggest a solution. These questions tend to assess analytical and problem solving skills and the ability to handle daily tasks effectively.  It is important to think effectively on your feet and to formulate your responses in an organized manner.	You are working on a project that has to be completed by tomorrow a.m. Your manager comes to your desk and gives you an assignment to be completed by noon tomorrow. You know you can’t meet both deadlines. What would you do? Take a minute in the interview before responding, so that you can think about the process you would go through to address such an issue, who you would consult with, and what results you would anticipate obtaining.
Behavioural–based	Questions aimed at drawing on your previous experience and behaviours to provide examples of how you demonstrated specific skills in previous situations. These kinds of questions are also sometimes referred to as “competency-based”. They are specific, and challenge the candidate to provide concrete examples of their previous achievements in different types of situations. These are the most commonly used questions in OPS interviews and they look for how you do your work, not just what you do.	“Conflict is inevitable when working with others. Please describe a recent conflict you had with a co-worker and how you dealt with the situation. Also describe what you learned to help you work with that individual in the future.” OR“Tell me about a time when you had to design a solution to a key problem facing your work unit. What did you do, and what was the result?” To prepare for this type of question, think of job ad qualifications and develop responses including: what you have actually accomplished in the past, what your involvement was, what the scope of your assignment was, what you did, and what the outcome was. This response method is called PAR – Problem identification, Action explanation and Results achieved.

     

8. Ask Questions. This will show your interest and reveal that you have researched and prepared for the interview. Don’t be shy to ask for clarification or jot down your own thoughts. Make sure that you understand the question in order to demonstrate how you are the best person for the job. If you are struggling to formulate a response to a question, you may ask to come back to it at the end.

9. Think outside the box. Don’t forget about your experiences that aren’t directly job-related. You may have served on a volunteer board, been elected to a student council, run a club, coached a team or contributed to your community in some other way. What did those experiences teach you?

10. Be prepared and bring references with you. References are a way for the interview panel to confirm what you have told them and to ask additional information about you. Use the names of current and former supervisors and other individuals who are able to provide qualitative information about your employment history. You will be asked to complete a reference check consent form.