Application Process & Interviews at Inland Revenue

As the policy department leads the process, it is smooth and introduces you to a range of people you will work with.

In all of my interviews I felt very comfortable and were more conversational based, which calms the nerves. All the staff involved were very professional but made sure you performed well. The assessments felt as if they were targeted at the right level, challenging enough for an interview process but not too stressful.

The majority of interview and assessment processes were done externally by the DIA (GovTechTalent), but we did get a bit of a summary of the positions offered by the managers of each department that were hiring at IRD and also a call with the manager of the position of interest.

Two in person interviews. Two written assignments. Focus on policy skills which is unique for public sector interview but I really enjoyed it

The interview process was the best one I experienced when applying for jobs at different government departments.

The recruitment process does not involve any "one way" interviews or online tests that many other places require. You hand in a piece of work you have already done at university to show your writing skills. The interviews are very involved as you present on a policy question you are given 24 hours in advance - but I actually preferred this to on-the-spot STAR questions. There are two rounds of interviews - one online and one in person. You also go out for coffee with previous years' graduates to ask questions about working at IR.

1. General application with cover letter, cv and transcript. 2. Teams interview. 3. In person interview with several policy brief assessment questions.

I found it really personable and you weren't penalised for smaller mistakes (e.g. not answering straight away or having to backtrack).

It was organised and inclusive. the interviewers were very welcoming and respectful. the questions were very organised allowing time to answer.

The interview process was broken down into 3 steps. First was the typical application process (where you submit a CV, cover letter etc). The next stage was an online interview with 3 members from the team. If you progressed passed this stage you were asked to come to an in person interview. This involved a formal interview, a written and oral policy question assessment and a coffee catch-up with graduates from previous years. The final interview process gave me a strong indication as to the types of problems I may be working on, and allowed me to ask individuals who had been in my shoes in previous years what their experiences at this place where like.

The interview process was an enjoyable experience. Small panel of team leaders who were very friendly and would support any unsettled candidates.

It was a mixture of the standard SMART questions around how you would handle particular conflicts, and some questions to gauge your understanding of tax issues and policy approaches.

There was a range of capability-based questions (STAR) and then more technical policy questions. Often you are referring to your own assessments.

Question when having a quick call with my manager before starting up includes: - Background and experience - What type of work I was doing in my last rotation - What I want to get out of my time here at IRD

Standard competency question + policy questions

STAR formatted questions. Once you are at the interview stage they are largely looking for red-flags.

The questions asked in the interview were based on role capabilities. These were scenario based, so need to apply your experience in previous roles/jobs to show how you have the certain capability.

Hard to remember.. but it was your typical behavioural questions (how do you handle conflict/when a situation went wrong, and what did you learn?) and technical (what govt intervention would you recommend to solve x problem?).

I asked about professional development inside IR, because my love to progress in my professional development.

STAR personality questions, broad problem solving questions, topical questions about tax (one provided ahead of time, and one on the day).

Best to read up on the news and what's happening in tax policy, plus be clued up on past tax policies that have been debated on.

- Have some sort of goal or something you want to achieve at the company

Keep up to date with current events - interview questions re policy tend to be based on what's happening currently Start thinking like your doing actual policy - issue identification, how to solve the issues, pros and cons of options

Brush up on any current tax affairs in the news (this isn't essential, but it will show you are interested). Be yourself, they are looking to so how well you will fit within their work environment, if you act differently in your interviews to the way you would in real life, it is harder for them to achieve this.

I think keeping somewhat of an eye on the tax news and IR's website (e.g. recent policy blogs) is good to answer any technical questions and get a feel for tax. But the most important part is learning how to convey who you are and what you can bring to the job in a concise way. For example, what is your workstyle, how do you manage your time, how are you working with others.

I advise others to Join IR as a coolest and inclusive workplace. the Knowledge and learning are one of the best aspects of working in IRD. I am sure that learning and development will not be available in other places but IRD alone.

Be authentic - make sure you are willing to approach issues and questions from multiple different angles. Make the most of the coffee catch-up, this is an opportunity for you to get a sense of if the place is right for you.

Go through the competency wheel and understand what each is. Be able to apply them to situations/experience you have had in the past. Try be yourself and show your point of difference over other candidates.

Be yourself, rely on your skills in problem solving and policy rather than tax itself.