Application Process & Interviews at Optus

As part of the grad interviews, the hiring managers at optus were more interested in who you are as a person as opposed to what you know. it was a fun and relaxed environment.

The hiring team is excellent. jasmine was responding very quickly and explained everything clear. vidhi helped me with my access problem professionally. the overall experience was amazing.

Interviews were done with the employees who work in the business unit that i've applied for a role in.

Online assessment and interview, phone interview, in person assessment centre, final phone interview

Assessment centre was excellent. best i have been to.

We had a four hour assessment centre where we had a group exercise and then four individual 5 min interviews.

The hiring process was very professional and well handled however had very long windows of uncertainty between interview and the contract.

Group interview and then solo interview. interview process was pretty standard and quite smooth. some lack of transparency regarding placements in business units - i.e. some people interviewing for different roles than they were placed in (applied for marketing got put into a different business unit)

I remember it being overall quite good for my intake but i know for others in the most recent intake there were some issues with hearing back. but i think that was for one particular space/team that had issues and the others were fine.

The interview process is quite straightforward and standard. the interviewer was fair in the process, and were very diligent in responding to queries throughout the process.

For the graduate program, it was quite simple. i did an aptitude assessment, video assessment and then assessment centre. the questions were quite standard and communication with hiring managers and grad co-ordinators were good.

Following the online application, there was an initial online technical assessment, then an online one on one interview and assessment centre.

Started with a phone interview, then a pre-recorded video interview, followed by an assessment centre which lasted 2 hours and it was a combination of group and individual questions and activities, both behavioral and functional too.

The communication given to potential hires could be better. sometimes they don't hear from optus for a while and sometimes when they hear back, they are put in an area of the business which they are less interested in when compared to the area of the business they applied for.

We had multiple stages to get into the graduate program: 1. online application 2. video interview - recorded responses to questions 3. assessment centre: case study, 1:1 interview & group task

Interviews were conducted digitally during covid and also over the phone

Following the online application, there was an initial online technical assessment, then an online one on one interview and assessment centre.

Terrible disorganised and poor. unprofessional & not responsive, delaying outcomes by over 3 weeks with no communication (despite multiple emails and calls from me). this almost single handedly made me switch companies despite really enjoying the interview with a senior leader.

The process was very similar to other graduate programs. There were multiple stages with an interview, assessment centre and an at home assessment. The time between each stage was very quick and the HR team extended the offer not long after the interview.

For the graduate program we had to do a pre-recorded online interview and then we did a full day assessment centre.

Some tech questions regarding networks. i was asked the tech stack i am using. some behaviour questions.

Why do you want to work for optus - what is your career goal and how optus can help you achieve that

About my previous experience, diversity and inclusion questions, problem solving and moral dilemma type questions

Hireview video interview initially. asked a number of behavioural style questions. next gamified assessment activities to test eq and iq. after this there was an assessment centre we completed group and individual case studies as well as a 1 on 1 interview.

There was a case study about where optus should invest money into the network, and then general behavioural questions such as "describe a difficult task you had to overcome at work/uni and what was the outcome"

What would you bring to the company? how do you hand x situation at work? what are you strengths and weaknesses? are you willing to learn, if so what would you like to learn?

Standard interview questions

It was a while ago now but just your general interview questions as well as how we show the optus behaviour of take ownership and follow up.

We were mainly asked questions geared to the star format: such as: tell me about a time when you had to manage a project... tell me about a time when you failed... etc.

Questions regarding difficult situations and how they were dealt with, times i worked in a group, times i had to find the answer/s to issues i hadn't experienced before, times where dealing with a customer/person that was being difficult.

I can't remember aside from one, which was a case study about how you'd approach something by tofu-ing (take ownership and follow up).

How would you solve a large and complex problem involving many stakeholders - the follow up question to this involved our proposed solution not working, what would next steps be as a result? What makes your previous experience an asset to the position you're applying for?

How would you solve a large and complex problem involving many stakeholders - the follow up question to this involved our proposed solution not working, what would next steps be as a result? what makes your previous experience an asset to the position you're applying for?

Tech background behavirol questions 5 years plan

About the company values and how we would behave in difficult scenarios, about who i am and what i had done in my personal and professional life

Why did you join Optus and how can Optus help you achieve your career goal?

Why did you join optus and how can optus help you achieve your career goal?

Why i wanted to work at optus. given a case study and asked to propose creative business solutions, collaborating with 3 others and preparing a presentation

Apologies, i don't remember.

Why you want to work here What did you have to do when you were told to do something that you didn't agree with How do you handle stress How do you prioritise/handle time Assessment centre -Optus Case study and need to work with a group of other candidates to think of solutions and present it back while a Optus employee supervises

Be yourself and focus on your strengths. think about your strongest traits that you can leverage to allow you to be a good leader/team member.

I would like to advise to prepare for some tech questions and behaviour questions. the interview has no hands on coding questions.

Know why they want to apply for optus and how does that relate to their career goals

If you come from a diverse background, make it known, there is a push to bring in more diversity to the optus crew

Make an effort to understand the company values and culture. this is really important aspect of working here. you need to live an breath the values.

Research the telco industry to understand the current trends/challenges.

Prepare all the generic interview questions and have solid examples. ensure you know your technical knowledge. remember that attitude is more important than the actual knowledge you have.

Know about the company, know what you can bring

Show genuine interest in the company and the area you are applying for. note the values and behaviours so that you can use these in the interview process.

Really get to know the history of the company and study on our values. our values are critical in how we operate and understanding these will really determine the success of the candidate.

Use your learnings and experience in work/university/life to your advantage and ensure you are open and honest with your experiences. if in a group assessment, ensure you promote communication and group involvement, rather than just focusing on trying to seem knowledgeable and impressive, as working within a team is more important.

Research the company you apply thoroughly along with the language and etiquette they express in emails and interview to determine how casual / formal you should be. also regardless of in person or online interview make sure you look presentable. also be transparent and have an open mind if you express this you become a lot more approachable.

Get to know the company and their values / goals / mission. know Why you want to work for the company.

When you reach the 1v1 interview, try to treat it like a normal conversation. if possible, get the interviewer engaged in the interview themselves, ask heaps of questions. for the assessment centre, try to be a good team member, give others a chance who haven't had a chance to speak. don't shut down ideas. keep to time.

Be positive, prepare lots of behavirol questions not many tech questions

Understand and research the company. think about various situations you have been in and how you dealt with them (positive and negative). come prepared with questions to ask back

* have some pre-prepared examples of how demonstrated key skills i.e. teamwork, etc (and weave optus values into this) * look up the role, understand the company and articulate what you're hoping to achieve from being part of xx team. * pre-prepare questions about company/expectations of role you want clarified

Look into the company values and prepare examples of where you have displayed them.

Apply the star method wherever possible. in group activities, the aim isn't to be the loudest - it's an opportunity to showcase your interpersonal skills, let your personality shine.

I think optus really looks for people who will fit the culture of the company, so do some research into this and see if it actually fits you too. also, think about what you have learnt from uni/previous jobs, and how that would translate into a new job.