At Northern Grampians Shire Council, our interviews are designed to help us understand your skills, experience, values and motivation for the role. Depending on the position, you may be asked a combination of the following question types.
Motivation questions
Motivation questions help us understand what interests you about the role and why you would like to work with Northern Grampians Shire Council.
These questions explore your enthusiasm for the position, your career goals and what motivates you to contribute to our organisation and community.
Examples may include:
- What attracted you to this role?
- Why do you want to work for Northern Grampians Shire Council?
- What interests you most about this opportunity?
Values-based questions
Our values guide how we work, collaborate and serve our community. Values-based questions help us understand how your personal values and approach align with our organisational culture.
These questions may focus on areas such as:
- Respect
- Collaboration
- Accountability
- Integrity
- Community focus
- Innovation and continuous improvement
We are looking for people who will contribute positively to our workplace culture and demonstrate our values through their actions and behaviours.
Technical questions
Technical questions assess the specific knowledge, skills and experience required for the role.
Depending on the position, you may be asked about:
- Relevant legislation, standards or processes.
- Industry knowledge and technical expertise.
- Equipment, systems or software.
- Scenario-based problem-solving.
- Practical examples from your previous experience
For some roles, technical assessments, practical demonstrations, presentations or case studies may also form part of the selection process.
Behavioural questions
Behavioural questions explore how you have responded to situations in the past. We use these questions because past behaviour is often one of the best indicators of future performance.
You may be asked to describe situations where you have:
- Solved a problem
- Worked as part of a team
- Managed competing priorities
- Resolved conflict
- Delivered excellent customer service
- Shown leadership or initiative
When answering behavioural questions, we recommend using the STAR Method:
Situation – Describe the situation or challenge.
Task – Explain your role or responsibility.
Action – Outline the actions you took.
Result – Share the outcome and what you achieved.
Why do we use behavioural questions?
Behavioural questions help create a fair and consistent recruitment process by allowing candidates to provide real examples of their skills and experience.
They help us:
- Understand your capabilities through real-life examples.
- Assess how you approach workplace challenges.
- Evaluate skills and behaviours relevant to the role.
- Create a more objective and evidence-based selection process.
- Identify candidates who can successfully contribute to our team and community.
Our tip
Before your interview, think about examples from your work, study, volunteering or community experience that demonstrate your skills and achievements. Preparing a few STAR examples in advance can help you feel more confident and ready to showcase your experience.
Our recruitment panel aims to provide feedback and outcomes as soon as possible, usually within two weeks of interviews being completed.