The panel interview

Public-sector panels usually have three to five members, each holding a score sheet covering technical competence, integrity, communication and, in some services, knowledge of the national development plan. They are not making a gut call; they are recording evidence.

• Answer the question asked, then stop. Long answers lose the scored point inside the noise.
• Name the framework, law, system or standard you applied — panels score literacy in the sector's own language.
• Use 'I' for your actions and 'we' only when describing the team result.
• Expect a hypothetical: 'A supplier offers you a gift before a tender closes.' Answer with the rule, then the action you would take.

The questions candidates underestimate

• What do you understand this role to involve? Prepare a two-minute answer from the job description.
• Why this ministry or agency, rather than the private sector? Have a specific, researched reason.
• What would you do in your first ninety days? Name two deliverables you would actually own.