Interviewing
Congratulations on making it to interview!
This is a good sign the panel sees value in your experience and wants to learn more about you.
Whether this is your first NIC/Defence contracting interview or you’ve done this before, it’s normal to feel a bit nervous. These interviews can feel formal, but they’re simply a chance to talk through how you work.
Use this page as a guide (or refresher) to help you feel more prepared and confident on the day, and to understand what happens next and how Remote supports you. Remember, you’ve already done all the hard work to get here.
What to expect
Interviews are generally short and structured. Expect around 20–30 minutes, a set of focused questions, and time at the end to ask your own.
Questions are often a mix of:
- Skill‑specific questions about your experience
- Behavioural questions about how you work with others
Panels commonly include a Chair (EL2 or EL1), someone close to the role or project, and a third panel member to round out the discussion.
Interviews may be virtual (via platforms like Microsoft Teams) or in-person.
- For virtual interviews, it’s worth checking your setup ahead of time – internet connection, camera, and microphone. Agencies will usually send a calendar invite directly to your nominated email address, so keep an eye on your inbox and spam folder.
- For in‑person interviews, the agency will confirm the time and location with Remote. In some cases, arriving a little early can help, particularly if visitor sign‑in is required.
Where we support you
Remote acts as your point of contact throughout this process. We help guide things behind the scenes, including:
- Coordinating communication with the agency
- Keeping you informed as the process moves forward
- Talking through rate discussions and options
- Advising on next steps once outcomes are known
Before interview
Re‑read your application and CV, and jot down a few real examples you can draw on. As a guide, it helps to have 3–4 examples you can reuse across different questions.
A big part of the interview is how clearly you tell your story. For behavioural questions like:
- “How do you prioritise tasks?”
- “Tell us about a time you managed difficult stakeholders”
Focus on: what you did, what worked and what didn’t, what you learnt along the way, and what you’d do differently next time.
If you don’t have a perfect example, that’s okay. You can:
- Talk through what you would do
- Explain how you’d seek guidance
- Refer to relevant processes, documentation, or lessons learnt
Panels are often just as interested in how you think as what you’ve done.
You may also get broader or role‑specific questions, such as:
- Why you want to work in a particular agency
- What you think the ideal <role you’re interviewing for> brings to a team
Using the STAR method can help structure your answer, but don’t lose sight of the most important part: the outcome and why it mattered.
During
Interviews are structured, but they’re still a conversation.
It’s okay to pause, take a moment to think, or ask for clarification if a question isn’t clear.
If you’re unsure how an answer landed, you can check in with:
- “Does that answer your question?”
- “Would you like me to go into more detail on any part of that?”
After interview: what next?
Sometimes the panel will share expected timeframes at the end of the interview. If the agency is looking to progress or shortlist, the next step is usually a referee check.
Referee checks
The agency may contact you directly or via Remote to request up to two referees. This often happens within a couple of weeks, but delays are common. If you don’t hear anything straight away, there’s no need to stress. Referee reports form part of the agency’s assessment of your suitability.
If you are contacted directly, please let us know so we can keep track of your progress.
Conditional offer and rate discussion
If the agency would like to proceed following referee checks, they’ll issue a conditional offer via Remote. This means the offer is subject to a suitable outcome from your Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA).
Organisational Suitability Assessment (OSA)
The OSA assesses your suitability to work in the agency and manage access to sensitive information. This process can take several months, and timelines sit entirely with the agency – Remote isn’t given visibility of where you are in the queue.
- If found suitable, the agency will confirm this with Remote and propose a start date. Remote will then be in touch to confirm details, finalise the Official Order with the agency, issue your Employment Agreement, and coordinate onboarding with us.
- If unsuitable, the agency does not provide reasons. While this result is generally valid for that agency for around two years, it doesn’t mean the door is closed more broadly. Different agencies have different processes and risk thresholds, and Remote will continue to support you in exploring other opportunities where your experience may be a strong fit.
Timeframes and notice
Contracting timeframes can be lengthy: from the time you submit your application to the day you start can take anywhere from 3-6 months (up to 12 months in extreme cases), depending on agency priorities and processing.
For this reason, we strongly recommend not providing notice and resigning from your current employer until contracts are formally signed.
Contact
If you’d like to talk anything through, you’re welcome to reach out to Tom, Kate, or Casey from the Operations team, or email tenders@remote.com.au.
We’re always happy to chat and help clarify what’s happening.