Application Process & Interviews at Austal Australia

The interview has a welcoming atmosphere while still challenging me to present myself as myself and to show that I have the technical knowledge there are looking for.

Long and a bit tedious but very thorough and organised

The interview process was quite standard, but the recruitment team is always fast to respond and helpful.

Online quizzes and materials to complete. Graduate Assessment Centre. Interviews: in-person or online.

I had a different experience to future candidates as the application process has since changed, so my experiences are not really relevant anymore. That said, my experience was an initial online application which included reasons for applying, followed by a follow up phone interview if successful, followed by an in-person assessment centre day, followed by a final interview with my respective department. I believe it is now a one-way video interview that has replaced the phone interview, which I cannot really provide insight on, although I could imagine it would make the overall experience worse. The in-person assessment centre day which is quite different to the online one involved multiple group activities with very strong emphasis on teamwork, negotiation skills as well as social skills. Final interview was a standard typical interview.

What was my thesis topic? Could you describe your work in detail but be concise?

Both technical and soft kills based questions

Why I chose these career path? What is my end goal/ career goals?

Since I am in a graduate role, it was not too technical but rather more on my mindset, my university experience and other internship experiences. I believe the line of questioning was to understand if I was the right fit for the company rather than if I was competent to join.

What is the reason why you have applied to work for Austal? Where do you see your future career taking you? What experience do you have? What are your interests, any hobbies outside of work? Do you think you would enjoy the work done here at Austal/are we (the company) a good fit for you?

Be yourself, make sure you show your passion towards your job.

Know your field and also have the ability to talk about yourself and experiences, don't be shy.

Be honest of what you want out of it.

Just be aware of what you have done in your past, be confident in your own ability and experience. So if there are things you have forgotten that you have done but is present in your resume, you need to refresh yourself on that. However, these tips only apply for Graduate roles, for more technical roles I am not sure how to prepare.

The assessment centre is the hardest part of the process, the interview (in my experience) was quite relaxed and not stressful like other companies. You can best prepare by being as relaxed as you can on the day, and remembering that the assessment centre is just as much about others as it is about yourself - do not try to stand out at the expense of others. Lift others up, empower others, and be your natural self. This is undoubtedly far more important than studying and practicing questions or group activities - it is effectively a measure of your personality.