Application Process & Interviews at Commonwealth Bank

For the graduate program it entailed video (recorded) interview, psychometric testing, group interview and solo interview.

Being a graduate role. The interview process was rigorous like any organisation.

I first applied for an internship at CBA. It was a pleasant process in comparison to other companies interview processes. From there I was offered a Graduate role.

Application submission, online assessment, video Interview submission, assessment centre & 1:1 interviews

Lengthy process consisting of multiple assessments and interviews.

Plymetrics, Online recorded interview, assessment centre - group activity and 1:1 interview

A few online applications/video interviews before an interview day - included a one on two ( a manager within your area and an HR manager from memory) and a group session, both on the same day.

1 - Online aptitude test 2 - Video interview (with pre-recorded questions) 3 - Virtual group assessment + individual interview (via Teams)

The process was similar to a lot of other big organisations. It was an online application, behavioural testing, recorded interview questions, a group activity and a 2:1 interview. Then I received and offer and feedback.

I was given the offer for the graduate role as I was accepted as an intern. This was some time ago so I will answer based on that experience. You had to apply with CV and answer a few questions to check eligibility. Then I was invited to do some online assessments checking numeracy and problem solving. Then it was a recorded video interview. Then it was an online assessment centre where we had to read on information and then present a solution. Then there was a final interview with two people within HR.

I got into the graduate program via the internship I did previously in this organisation. The interviews were welcoming and informative to the organisation and roles available.

Submitting resume and answering questions, online autogenerated interview and personality tests, in person/online interview and literacy/general test.

Psychometric test - Regular aptitude test Group interview - Create a product for the bank and pitch as a team Individual interview - standard interview.

I interned in bank's internal property and facility mgmt team so my questions were not related to finance at all. I was asked questions about Building Information Modelling software and also on what steps I would use to determine whether a location was suitable for the bank to open up a new branch in.

Many - largely just about my personality and self drive.

How my values align with CBAs. Examples of how I have used team work, communication and problem solving skills in my previous roles.

How do you manage risk? Tell me about yourself. Which area of IBM interests you in particular?

Asked to talk about my experience to date and talk through examples of how I overcome challenges. Was asked about how I could ensure customers privacy and data was kept confidential.

How I tackle problems, past successes and failures, how I learn etc. Almost nothing on actually technical skills e.g. programming experience.

What makes you different from the other applicants? How do you work with different people in the team? Why do you want to work at CBA?

Nothing technical but mostly focused on experience I had from the past.

Asked to talk about myself and my background, what I studied and what I was looking for in the role. There were no specific technical questions in the interview process.

Why do I want to work here? Would I relocate? Times when I went above and beyond for customer. What does excellent customer service mean to you? Describe a time when I mitigated risk. What is your previous experience/role?

General experience questions, both technical and professional skills related. A general scenario in the group session to work through, engineering/tech related but nothing specific (i.e. no coding)

Why I want to work at CommBank?

Read through the bank's annual report, profit announcements, climate report and other publications and find nooks and crannies that the average person would not pick up on. With finance, all the finance teams will contribute in some way to the financial statements and capital metrics, so it's important you show an awareness of these statements and numbers even if you do not know what mean as no one will expect you to understand these metrics as an intern/ grad.

Have an opinion. Don't be a yes man.

Make sure you look at the companies website and reports to understand their values, strategy and goals. By weaving these into your responses, you show that you have taken the time to understand what matters to the company. You can take a breath, when answering a question its ok to pause for a moment to think about your response to ensure you articulate your answers properly.

Work through the classic interview questions - experiences, strengths, weaknesses etc. Feel confident and comfortable as they definitely valued people willing to speak up, lead the group sessions and also listen carefully to potential grads and managers.

Just do it!! You are never going to know if you don't try!! Be your authentic self with an open mind and willingness to learn that is what they are looking for.

Prepare responses for question types so you don't get caught on the spot. Don't write/memorise anything, but have a think ahead of time so you can answer them without stumbling a lot.

Research the company.

Be ready to speak about your experience and have examples of your good work ready to share. Know a bit about the company, role and why you want believe you would fit into it.

Research the company a bit more deeply than just on the website - e.g. media articles and linkedin posts

Be yourself and show that you have interpersonal skills. Technical skills can be taught but interpersonal skills cannot be.

They really enjoyed hearing about times I went above and beyond for either customers or work colleagues so I would try and demonstrate in your responses that you care about your customers and are a team player. Not specific to my company but searching up tips for assessment centres online I also found really useful.

Apply for the internship as they may not hire any external grads.

Understand the company and their values.