The application form collects a broad range of information and helps us determine if you’re eligible for the program. Give yourself plenty of time to complete the application, because you won’t be able to edit or adjust your responses after submitting.

You’ll be asked to provide information including personal details, tertiary education (including what field of education your degree is under and your grade); your top areas of interest; a response to two individual questions (150 to 200 words per question), upload a resume and your academic transcript.

How do I apply?

Submit your application through the Tasmanian Government Jobs Website at www.jobs.tas.gov.au. Make sure you have your resume and most recent academic transcript as you’ll need to upload these at the same time.

Application Acknowledgement

You’ll receive a confirmation email once you’ve successfully submitted your application. If you don’t receive this, please check your junk/spam folder.

Academic Transcript

We’ll need your academic transcript to confirm your eligibility for the program. Your transcript must contain:

• Your name
• Qualification name
• University logo or name
• Majoring subjects

An online course record that includes university insignia is acceptable. If you haven’t completed your degree yet, you can submit your most recent transcript, containing your name, qualification name, university logo, expected date of graduation (which must be between 1st January 2024 and 31st January 2026).

Initial application tips

• Give yourself plenty of time to complete your application. You can save a draft and return at any point, but it won’t be possible to submit after the closing date.
• We recommend you prepare your written responses in a word document and copy and paste it into your application form, to avoid losing any information if you experience technical issues.
• Take time to proofread your application, as we’ll assess your writing skills as well as the content of your responses.
• Your grade can be found on your academic transcript. If you’re yet to graduate you will be able to select this option when requesting the transcript.

Resume

Remember the following elements when preparing your resume:

• Contact Details: Include your name, email address, and phone number.
• Education: Provide details of your undergraduate degree or postgraduate studies that you have completed or are completing.
• Work Experience: Include all work experience and outline the main responsibilities and achievements that are relevant. Organise your employment history in chronological order, starting with the most recent, and indicate actual dates of employment. Make sure to explain any significant gaps in employment.
• Other experience: If relevant, briefly mention extra-curricular activities, interests, or volunteer community work you have participated in and highlight what you gained from the experience.
• Referees: Include the name and contact details of two referees who can validate and support your application.
• Layout : The standard resume is between two and three pages. Use an easy-to-read font and a simple, consistent format. Use bullet points to break up the text. Place key information on the front page where it can be noticed. Highlight important facts and ensure that you can back them up with examples if asked at interview.

Written Responses

In the application form you will be asked to answer the following questions. We ask that your responses be 150-200 words per question. We’ll assess your written English skills and ability to be succinct.

1. Please describe your motivation for applying for the Tasmanian State Service Graduate Development Program. What do you hope to gain and what do you think you can contribute?
2. Tasmanian State Service employees serve the Tasmanian Community, with this in mind what key factors do you think make a good customer experience?

Take time to consider your responses carefully, as your writing ability will be considered along with the content. We suggest you draft your responses in a word document then paste them into the application form to avoid losing your work if there are any technical difficulties.

Tips for writing your answers

• We’re looking for people from a variety of backgrounds and academic disciplines and welcome responses that show your personality and interests.
• We understand that as a graduate you may not have work experience to draw on for examples and this is not an issue. We encourage you to use examples from any area of your life and experiences. Your responses do not have to directly relate to work or university.

We’ll invite all candidates who have progressed to stage 2 to participate in an online video interview and a cognitive assessment. These tools will help us get to know you as a candidate and complement your resume and written application.

For any technical issues you can reach out via the details provided in your invite.

Online Video Interview

The online video interview will be conducted by myInterview. You’ll receive an email inviting you to participate, along with detailed instructions, and you can complete it at a time that works for you, within the set timeframe. We recommend a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.

This short video interview will utilise technology to reduce common human biases. It’s designed to give all candidates a fair opportunity and assesses key behavioural traits. This means that only what you say is considered, rather than other factors such as accent, pitch and tone of voice, gender, age and name.

myInterview uses a modern scientific and data-driven approach to reading the content of spoken responses. The technology ‘reads’ responses and evaluates them using the well-known and validated Big 5/Five Factor Model of Personality Traits.

The interview can be completed at a time that suits you as it’s available 24/7 within the 5 days that are allotted and you can use your own device (PC, laptop, or phone if it has a camera).

Video interview questions

Once you start your interview, questions will appear on screen. You’ll be given 2 minutes to answer each question. If you run out of time, don’t worry, concentrate on answering the next question, rather than elaborating on your previous answer.

If you’re unable to complete a video-based interview, for example if you have a speech or visual impairment, we’ll offer support or an alternative method.

For any technical issues you can reach out via the details provided in your invite.

Cognitive Ability – Online Assessment

The next step in the application process is the online cognitive assessment, which will help us to measure your verbal, numerical and deductive reasoning. You’ll receive an email invitation from our partner TestGrid, which will contain your login and the instructions.

It will take approximately 20 minutes, and as with the video interview, you can complete it on your smart phone, PC or laptop at any time during the allotted 5 days. We recommend finding somewhere quiet, where you won’t be disturbed, and with a good internet connection.

There’s nothing you need to do to prepare, so don’t worry; the assessment is designed to measure your current verbal, numerical and deductive reasoning abilities. You’ll have a chance to try some practice questions when you start the assessment.

We’ll invite all candidates who have progressed to stage 3 to complete two separate online behavioural assessments. First, a behavioural profile which will help us understand the types of tasks you enjoy and the kind of work environment you are most likely to thrive in. Second, an assessment of emotional intelligence will help us understand how you perceive, understand and manage emotions in yourself and in others.

Both assessments are provided by TestGrid so you'll receive one email that contains the details of both tests. You can use the same login details as from the cognitive assessment.

As with the previous online assessments, you can complete them at any time during the allotted five days, and you can use your smart phone, PC or laptop. We recommend you find a quiet place, free of distractions, and ensure you have a good internet connection before commencing. These assessments are behavioural based so there’s no right or wrong answer. Be as honest as you can and try to answer from a work perspecitive if possible.

If you progress to stage 4, congratulations, you’ll be placed in the Tasmanian State Service Graduate Development Program Pool. From here, your details will be provided to agencies so they can arrange interviews with candidates who they think will be a good fit for their roles. Unfortunately, not all candidates in the pool will be selected for an interview.

If not offered for an interview, you’ll remain in the pool throughout 2026, and will be considered for other graduate opportunities that may arise. We’ll send regular communications to see if you still wish to be part of the pool. If you no longer wish to be considered for the Program, please email graduate.recruitment@dpac.tas.gov.au and we will remove you from the pool.

Referee checks

We’ll contact your two nominated referees at this time via an online request sent to their emails. If you need to update their details, please email graduate.recruitment@dpac.tas.gov.au. Be sure to advise your referees that we’ll be making contact and request that they check their junk/spam folders.

The final step in the process is agency interviews. This is the point at which agencies will be provided with the details of everyone in the pool and will reach out to organise interviews with their chosen candidates.

There’s several different factors agencies consider when selecting candidates from the pool to offer an interview. Your application pack will be considered carefully by agency representatives. The duration and format of the interviews will vary depending on the agency. If you’re unable to attend in person, there’ll be the option of an online interview.

Interview tips:

• Be presentable and arrive in time. If you’re nervous, allow a little extra time to settle yourself and review any notes before your interview. You can make notes to refresh your memory about your achievements, examples, knowledge of the agency or the State Service.
• You may want to read about the agency beforehand, and see what services they provide to the Tasmanian community.
• Use the STAR technique to assist you in answering questions (Situation, Task, Action, and Result).
• Consider the selection criteria and the broader Statement of Duties in your responses; it can help to re-read your answers from the written component prior to your interview.
• Use your experiences to your advantage when answering. Draw on your life experiences including, study, work, volunteering, sport, community events, or any other activities you have undertaken. You may be surprised to see that you have demonstrated the selection criteria in a non-traditional work setting, if you haven’t you can tell the interviewer what you would do in the situation if given a chance.

If you’re the one of the successful candidates, congratulations, the agency will reach out to inform you. It’s possible you may be offered more than one role at separate agencies, in which case you’ll receive a call from a Recruitment Coordinator to go through the offers.

All offers are subject to satisfying any pre-employment checks or essential requirements outlined in the section below.

If successful, you’ll be employed by what’s called your home agency. Rotations within divisions or within different agencies may be negotiated.

If you don’t receive an offer of employment from the program, we’ll notify you via email. You’ll remain in the pool and will be considered for any other graduate opportunities that arise through 2026.

Pre-employment checks and essential requirements

Depending on the agency you’re appointed with, you might be required to meet one or more essential requirements or pre-employment checks, such as:

• Current Tasmanian Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (Registration Status – Employment)
• Checks (e.g. conviction, identification and disciplinary action in previous employment)

For targeted positions either:

• Be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person verified under the terms outlined in the Eligibility Form for Tasmanian Government Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs and services.
• Be a person living with a disability as defined in the Tasmanian Government Disability Employment Portal.

You can find the essential requirements and pre-employment checks in the Statement of Duties in the job advert on the jobs website. You can reach out to the agency at the interview stage with any questions.