Our recruitment process

Applying for our Roles

We advertise all of our roles through our website: careers.kaingaora.govt.nz(external link)

To apply, you simply need to complete the on-line application form(external link) and you will receive a confirmation email.

If you can't find the right position to apply for, you can either register(external link) your details and you will be notified of suitable roles as they are advertised, or contact our Recruitment Team at kaingaora.recruit@kaingaora.govt.nz to further discuss options and opportunities.

Our Recruitment Process

At Kāinga Ora we want our recruitment process to be an opportunity for us to get to know more about you and your skill set, and for you to get to know more about us and what we do.

To do this, we want you to have a smooth and seamless recruitment experience. The following information below provides further insight into what to expect when we recruit at Kāinga Ora:

Selection - Dependent on the role, there are various ways we will engage with you during the section process. These could be via the phone, video interviewing, assessment centre, Skype, psychometric testing, a coffee meeting or a formal interview.

Once the role closes you will receive either an email or phone call from the Recruitment Team to let you know if you have been progressed to an interview, or if your application was unsuccessful.

Interview - Our recruitment team will then make contact with you via either the phone, email or SMS to arrange an interview, and you will also receive a confirmation email so you can make suitable arrangements and to assist with your planning. This will confirm the time, date, venue and the interview panel members' details.

We suggest that, in preparation for your interview, you take a look at our website, review the competencies in the Position Description for the role you are being interviewed for, and familiarise yourself with the S.T.A.R. interview format - a technique our People Leaders use to keep questioning on track.

Preparing for an Interview

The interview panel will consist of up to three people, and will take approximately one hour, including time allocated for you to ask questions.

We use competency-based interviews with behavioural questions. These questions help us assess how well you can demonstrate the competencies that are required for the position.

Behavioural questions take the form of "Tell us about a time..." or "Give us an example of when..." and require you to talk about specific examples from your work experience. You should try to think about examples that are relevant to the role wherever possible.

A good way to answer these types of questions is to use the S.T.A.R. format:

• Briefly outline the Situation or Task;
• Describe what Action you took and why,
• Explain what the Result or outcome was. This can include what you learned, and anything you would do differently in hindsight

If your interview is happening on a video interview platform follow this link to our video interview guide.

What to expect after the Interview

If you are successful for the role, we will be in contact to advise you of the next steps. If you are unsuccessful for the role, we will be in contact via either phone or email to provide feedback.

Further Testing

For some roles, we may require you to come in for a second interview, or to complete further technical testing or psychometric assessments. We use an external provider for psychometric and ability testing, and we will ask your permission before sending your contact details to them.

Reference Checks

We will ask you for permission to contact your work referees (at least two). Ideally, one of these referees will be your current or most recent direct manager.

Next Steps

Once all of the checks have been satisfactorily completed, we will contact you to discuss the next steps.