Application Process & Interviews at Financial Markets Authority

I really enjoyed my interview - it felt as if it was a conversation which made me very comfortable. The process was also very quick, finding out only a day or two after!

Comprehensive and ideal.

It was a really smooth and quite process. The interview was conducted very well, and the interviewers were very nice to talk to. The process in providing documents for background check purposes was also quite easy and efficient.

The interview process was fairly straight forward, and it felt more like a conversation than an interrogation. My only issue is with video recorded interviews as I don't feel they give a very good representation of the interviewee. Recording yourself and talking with an actual human being are two very different things.

I did not have an interview with FMA. My interview with the external internship provider was quite formal and followed a prescribed format very closely. This meant that I struggled to get to know my interviewers and hear much about the different agencies.

A nice mix of personality and skill/knowledge-based questions. I like how not all questions were read off the paper and that they would ask follow-up questions from what I was saying. It made me feel like they were really interested in what I had to say.

Standard questions structured in situations. Talked about specifics relating to legislation

I was asked quite a few questions. Some were usual generic interview questions such as 'Tell me about yourself", "what makes you want to work here", as well as some situational questions such as "tell me about a time when you created a solution to a problem", or "tell me a time when you were frustrated in a specific situation (or somewhere along those lines)". However, there were some questions that did require me to think on the spot - particularly quite specific to the finance and regulatory industry itself. One question that was quite interesting was "what is the meaning of regulation", and "what is the difference between acting ethical, and acting justly". Then when I gave my answer they follow with another question such as "so what do you do where there is some grey area between acting ethically, and acting justly" which was one of the trickiest interview questions I found during the interview that day, however I was able to support my answer to a recent misconduct case that was published that year which I felt really helped me to guide my answer to this question.

I was asked about my background, my interests, my study and previous work experiences. I was also asked for examples of me demonstrating specific skills such as innovation. In addition to this general conversation was made regularly making the interview process much less rigid.

I was asked some behavioural questions and some questions about te tiriti / te ao Maori.

No

Firstly, I feel that it is quite essential that you do your background research before applying to any company for an internship or a graduate role - both in the public or private sector. Do not only research information on the company's website itself, but also look into press releases that involved that specific company, or the industry they operate in. As the FMA is a regulatory government entity, they do release frequent publications regarding misconduct, or misrepresentation, or other crimes and events that were published in the ffinancial markets. Really understand what the company is about, what their industry is about, and think about the problems they are trying to solve and how they would solve them. To follow on, secondly, preparing your answers well for general and popular interview questions will save you a lot of hassle on the day. When you have researched different news or publications that involved the company you are applying for, or the industry the company is involved in, you can use some of these events in your interview answers, which really helped me in my interview. Preparing for generic interview questions are also key, as you are able to answer questions more smoothly, and nicely if you have planned what you will say. Picking a nice outfit also really helps, not that anyone said anything about what I wore, but event if the meeting is virtual, you should dress as if they are right in the room - professional.

I think you need to make sure that you are prepared to answer questions that are relevant to the role you are applying for. If you can have a high-level conversation about your subject area, then you will be a hard candidate to look past.

First and foremost be yourself. While they are looking for someone to fill the role, they are also looking for someone who is their own unique person. Second of all is don't be afraid to demonstrate everything you have done. Don't feel like you're bragging. Finally in an interview make sure you connect with the person interviewing you. Make conversation and get to know your employer just as much as they are getting to know you.

I would recommend that candidates have strong reasons why they want to work in the public sector and experience that they can discuss in regard to times when they have contributed to the community.